Goodwood Festival of Speed 3 - 5 July 2009

Once again, BMW are an official sponsor of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, with its legendary hill climb showcasing several BMW vehicles including the new Z4, M3 GT 2 and a V12 Le Mans Racer.

Celebrating over 100 years of motor racing and car culture, the Goodwood Festival of Speed is known as the world's biggest and most diverse motorsport event, featuring a vast exhibit of vehicles from 19th Century carriages to 3000bhp dragsters, motorcycles, classic rally cars and modern Formula One cars.

The biggest names in motor racing also make an appearance at the Festival of Speed including Stirling Moss, Mario Andretti, Jenson Button, Emerson Fittipaldi, Fernando Alonso, Petter Solberg, John Surtees and the youngest F1 World Champion, Lewis Hamilton.

Founder Lord March says: 'BMW was one of the first companies to support the Festival of Speed. The partnership is a good fit for us, with BMW having both a collection of historic cars and a range of high-performance cars.'

The theme of this years' Festival of Speed is True Grit - Epic Feats of Endurance, celebrating triumph over adversity and the determination to succeed, displayed by champions such as Jackie Stewart when he overcome rain, fog and a broken wrist to win the 1968 German Grand Prix and Mick Doohan, who returned to motorcycle racing in 1992 just eight weeks after a serious accident damaged his right leg, risking amputation.


BMW at the Goodwood Festival of Speed

Visitors interested in the new BMW Z4, can sign up at Goodwood within the Supercar Paddock for more information and enter a prize draw to win one of 50 pairs of tickets to a MotorSport Vision BMW driving day.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed also offers an exclusive preview of the new BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo. One of the most innovative designs to originate from BMW, the Gran Turismo intelligently combines elegance, space, comfort and practicality and takes the best elements of the saloon, sports activity vehicle and touring body styles to create a car which can adapt to all lifestyle requirements.

To find out more about the new BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo please fill in and return an information card from a member of the BMW Events team, found within the main exhibition area. This will enter you into a prize draw to win a BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo for a weekend.

Entrance to the Goodwood Festival of Speed is by ticket only.

Contact the Ticket Hotline on +44 (0)1243 755055 or book online: www.goodwood.co.uk/fos

Labels: BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo, BMW Events, New BMW Z4

Arriving at Vines BMW in May, the all-new BMW Z4 is the ultimate expression of roadster joy thanks to improved road handling and presence, innovative technology and the first BMW roadster to feature a retractable hard-top.

The new BMW Z4 is the discerning choice for year-round driving pleasure, available from just £28,645 on the road. Featuring three powerful engines, including the sDrive35i, 2008’s International Engine of the Year which produces 306hp delivering an electronically-limited top speed of 155mph.

Each of the all-new BMW Z4’s engine variants feature BMWs EfficientDynamics technology, helping to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 levels while boosting performance. And thanks to Drive Dynamic Control, the new Z4 offers both ride comfort and dynamic poise. The DDC system, which comes as standard on all new Z4 models, allows the driver to alter the throttle and steering response, level of ride comfort (with adaptive M Sport suspension), Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) response and, on automatic or Double Clutch Transmission models, gear change times to suit your driving style. With three different settings to suit your driving surroundings, the all-new BMW Z4 delivers your type of driving experience – all at a push of a button.

The cabin of the new BMW Z4 has sporting luxury and practicality at its centre creating an extremely light and airy interior with practical storage solutions. In addition, the all-new BMW Z4 has a feast of optional and standard equipment to make your experience of BMWs all-new Z4 roadster stunning in every sense.

To register your interest in the new Z4 please visit the individual dealer website and click on new Z4, or contact one of our dealerships today.

Labels: BMWs EfficientDynamics technology, New BMW Z4, sDrive35i

The new BMW Z4

First BMW roadster to feature a Retractable Hard-Top roof, three six-cylinder engines offered along with Double Clutch Transmission.

The BMW Z4 is the first to come with a two-piece, electro-hydraulically operated Retractable Hard-Top roof that can be raised or lowered in 20 seconds. The new roadster is also the first vehicle to be offered with Adaptive M Suspension. Electronically controlled dampers offer three different configurations and lower the ride height by up to 10mm for a more dynamic drive. By way of comparison, the Sport+ setting of the new car is comparable to the outgoing Z4’s standard ride comfort level.

Powering the new BMW Z4 is a choice of three six-cylinder powerplants. The range flagship is the current International Engine of the Year winning 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged engine. Producing 306hp at 5,800rpm, the BMW Z4 sDrive35i powers its way from zero to 62mph in 5.2 seconds (5.1 seconds for a Double Clutch Transmission-equipped car) and on to an electronically-limited top speed of 155mph. The twin-turbocharged 2,979cc engine with high-precision direct injection technology produces 400Nm of torque from just 1,300rpm for effortless in-gear acceleration. The strong performance credentials are matched in terms of economy and emissions. The Z4 sDrive35i records a combined consumption figure of 30.1mpg (31.4mpg) and CO2 emissions of 219g/km (210g/km).

Joining this model in the launch line-up are the Z4 sDrive23i and the Z4 sDrive30i. Both use the same magnesium aluminium alloy engine with Double VANOS and VALVETRONIC technology, but with varying capacities. The 2,497cc entry-level Z4 sDrive23i produces 204hp at 6,400rpm and 250Nm of torque from 2,750rpm. This equates to a zero to 62mph time of 6.6 seconds (7.3 seconds for the Sport Automatic) and a top speed of 151mph (149mph). In contrast the Z4 sDrive23i is capable of 33.2mpg (34.4mpg) on the combined cycle and CO2 emissions of 199g/km (192g/km) respectively.

All three six-cylinder powerplants surpass the latest strict EU5 emissions standards.
The BMW Z4 sDrive30i comes with a 2,996cc powerplant offering 258hp at 6,600rpm and 310Nm of torque from 2,600rpm. The six-cylinder engine records a zero to 62mph time of 5.8 seconds (6.1 Seconds for the Sports Automatic) and an electronically-limited top speed of 155mph. Like the Z4 sDrive23i, the Z4 sDrive30i posts impressive combined consumption and CO2 emissions figures, recording 33.2mpg (34.0mpg) and 199g/km (195g/km).

Transmitting the power to the road in all three Z4s is a six-speed manual gearbox as standard. Customers of the Z4 sDrive23i and the Z4 sDrive30i who prefer the characteristics of an automatic can specify a six-speed Sport Automatic transmission featuring gear change paddles on the steering wheel. Buyers of the Z4 sDrive35i can choose the more advanced seven-speed Double Clutch Transmission, again with gear shift paddles located on the steering wheel.

EfficientDynamics
All of the latest BMW Z4s come as standard with facets of BMW’s award-winning EfficientDynamics programme. Technologies that improve engine performance while enhancing economy and cutting emissions include Brake Energy Regeneration, Electric Power Steering with Servotronic, Reduced Rolling Resistance Tyres, on-demand control of the engine’s ancillaries and Optimum Shift Indicator on manual transmission cars. The BMW Z4 also adheres to a philosophy of lightweight construction with the front suspension and subframe being largely made from aluminium.

For the first time on a BMW Z4 there is a bespoke storage facility located behind the driver and passenger seats. This approximate 15.5-litre single compartment stretches the width of the car’s interior and features netting to hold the contents in place. It can be complemented by an optional Storage Package that adds further stowage capacity. BMW’s latest generation of iDrive makes its first appearance on a Z4. The BMW Professional Multimedia Navigation system features a hard disc drive capable of 12Gb of audio file storage and BMW ConnectedDrive functionality. The system also comes with eight programmable Favourite buttons as system shortcuts.

Driver visibility in the BMW Z4 has also been improved. All round visibility is up by 14 per cent while, courtesy of the four electric windows creating a larger glasshouse, side visibility is up 40 per cent. The Retractable Hard-Top roof features a glass rear window and this too improves visibility by 52 per cent.

Labels: New BMW Z4