BMW will bestow the top-spec Z4 M40i with a Final Edition trim level that features a handful of unique styling details, plus the whole catalog of optional extras. The Z4 Final Edition, which will be built in limited numbers, arrives early next year, just before BMW ends production of its two-seat convertible that dates back to 2003.
A Two-Seater With Brooding Good Looks
The only color available for the Final Edition is the satin-finish Frozen Black metallic, which isn't available on any other Z4 for 2026. The paint's matte sheen looks wonderful on the Z4 M40i's sculpted bodywork, especially the crisp character line that rises from the fender vent to the rear haunches and the beveled surfacing found on the hood. The grille, mirror caps, and exhaust finishers are done up in gloss black as part of the standard Extended Shadowline package, while the staggered 19- and 20-inch wheels have machined aluminum faces and gloss black accents. A shimmery Moonlight Black soft top completes the exterior look.
Inside, there's yet more black, livened up with a few key details. Bright red stitching, which appears on the dashboard, door panels, and seats, is unique to the Final Edition, as are the special door sill plates with the model and trim emblazoned across them. Since BMW considers the flagship Z4 to be a member of the performance-oriented M sub-brand, the Final Edition also gets Motorsport-inspired tri-color accents on the seat belts.
The Z4 Final Edition comes fully loaded right out of the gate, including the Premium package (extended ambient lighting, a head-up display, and park distance control), the Driving Assistant Professional package (blind-spot monitoring, lane departure prevention, and forward collision mitigation), and Harman Kardon audio. The ultimate Z4 also comes with red-painted calipers for its standard M Sport brakes. The only decision the buyer has to make is an eight-speed automatic or six-speed manual transmission, both of which will cost the same $78,675 including $1,175 destination when the BMW Z4 M40i Final Edition enters production in February.
Seven Years Of Top-Down Fun
The latest BMW Z4 arrived in 2019, the product of a joint agreement between the German automaker and Toyota to develop a sports car platform. Despite sharing much of its architecture with the Supra coupe, the Z4 managed to have a personality all its own, not the least because of its folding fabric roof that made listening to the exhaust rasp that much easier. Available with either a 255-horsepower turbocharged inline-four or a 382-hp turbo straight-six, the Z4 was initially only offered with an eight-speed automatic transmission, which allowed it to hit 60 miles per hour in under four seconds in top-performing spec.
However, the M40i Edition Handschalter (German for "hand switch") arrived for the 2024 model year with a six-speed manual, and although it was a tad slower than the auto box, it imbued the Z4 with a bit more of the back-to-basics driving fun that enthusiasts love about the company's roadsters. Our brief experience with the six-speed Bimmer left us glowing, and its existence makes the Z4 Final Edition all the sadder.
This isn't the first time BMW has killed off the two-seat convertible – the second-generation model died off after the 2016 model year, three years before the third-gen arrived. But it's still a bummer to see the manufacturer retreat from sports cars once again, despite getting them so right. The company hasn't counted out developing a fourth-gen Z4 based on the Neue Klasse architecture, so we'll just have to cross our fingers about that one.
