BMW Z4 M40i Vs Porsche 718 Cayman -
When news first broke of the BMW Z4 M40i, it wasn鈥檛 really thought to be a competitor to the Porsche 718 twins (Boxster and Cayman). Those two Stuttgart sports cars are mid-engine scalpels and BMW鈥檚 Z4 M40i was shaping up to be a straight-line cruiser, thanks to its front-mounted inline-six and drop-top roof. However, once journalists started to drive the new Z4, it proved that it鈥檚 no bruiser. It can dance with the best of them. So how does it stack up to the benchmark of the segment, the aforementioned Porsche? Car Mag recently found out. Car Mag was on the launch of the BMW Z4 M40i in Portugal, just like we were. The only difference is that they brought a Porsche 718 Cayman along with them. Which says a lot about how confident BMW was about its newest convertible sports car, as the Bavarians allowed Car Mag to bring the Porsche to the test and do back-to-back comparisons.
That confidence from BMW had a lot to do with the fact that Z4 engineers benchmarked the 718 from the beginning. 鈥淲hen the board gave the project the green light they told us to make it a co-operative venture (with Toyota) and to make it a good one; a proper sports car,鈥?Project Leader Michael Wimbeck told Car Mag. 鈥淲e had a 718 for benchmarking early on. So can the BMW Z4 M40i keep up with the Porsche 718 Cayman, the car that鈥檚 so often considered head-and-shoulders above its competition? The answer is a very surprising 鈥測es鈥? Considering that this is a regular Cayman and not a Cayman S, the obvious difference between the two is power. The BMW Z4 M40i makes 335 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque (in Europe, North American cars get 382 hp), which is a lot more than the Porsche鈥檚 295 hp and 280 lb-ft from its 2.0 liter turbocharged flat-four. Though, the Z4 is quite a bit heavier. It鈥檚 faster, the Bimmer, but not by too much. Still, that engine makes it more charismatic and exciting, with more low-down torque and a much better noise. It also has steering, handling and dynamics that can genuinely rival the Porsche 90-percent of the time. Sure, at the absolute limit, the Cayman is sharper, more agile and more engaging. But the Z4 is right there with it in almost all situations, including some very fast driving through very twisty roads.
The critical difference between the VW Type 2 pickup and the Porsche 956 is the width of the bodywork, the latter being 264 mm wider (11 mm at 1/24 scale). The extra width, apart for providing cover for the wide tires, is taken up by turbochargers and assorted radiators and intercoolers, which live in the space between the air inlets (in the doors) and outlets (over the rear tires). So the first step was to cut out the air inlets from the 956 doors and socket them into the sides of the Type 2 body. Damage to the 956 body can be seen in the back of the photo, where the roof had to be removed first. The left side worked out nicely but maybe too deeply inset to match up with the rear deck, as shown in the next pictures. Here the fenders from the 956 rear deck were inset into the top of the Type 2 cargo bed. Some sheet fabrication will be needed, as well as some putty, to smooth it all over, but it is beginning to take shape: A Type 2 with wide rear fenders and a sloping deck leading to a wing. Eagle eyes will note the Porsche 935 body sitting in the background. I decided not to cut this up as it brings in a third body-chassis pair to line up.
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