OK, it was a few months ago but I only just got around to posting.
I took the Z4M on an Andy Walsh driving day at North Weald (http://www.carlimits.com). It's not the first time I've done it -- I took the TVR there when I had it. The conclusion is that the Z4M is a proper car for a hooligan. I was coming out of hairpins sideways and holding sideways halfway down the main straight, looking out of the side windows the whole time!
In the final part round the coned-out track, you get one of the other participants as a passenger. The other three people had brought an MX-5, an Elise and a 911 S (997-spec) to the party. All were most impressed with the sideways controllability of the Z4, even with numpty me driving. And all agreed the noise from outside was fantastic. I went out with the 911 driver, and his car was perfectly smooth on the limit, drifting out to the edge of the track pointing forwards all the time. But it wasn't much fun, although I think quicker around the track than me. He also had the yellow-caliper carbon ceramic brakes, and my god they're impressive. I reckon he was braking in about half the space that I was.
So the summary is:
1) Z4M is the perfect car for hooligans, and really controllable on the limit even for numpties, as long as you like going sideways
2) Porsche carbon ceramic brakes are amazing -- I've been investigating if you can get them aftermarket for a Z4
3) I don't really want a 911, although it is an amazingly accomplished piece of kit
4) I have confidence in the Z4M in a way that was totally unachievable with the TVR (it was, and still is as far as I know, a 4.2 Cerbera)
5) carlimits.com are highly recommended by me for exploring the limits of your Z4.
A quick confession: half the reason I bought the Z4MC was that on my previous Andy Walsh day (with the TVR) there was a guy who turned up in an M3 CSL. The sound was fantastic, and I thought "I must have that"
I took the Z4M on an Andy Walsh driving day at North Weald (http://www.carlimits.com). It's not the first time I've done it -- I took the TVR there when I had it. The conclusion is that the Z4M is a proper car for a hooligan. I was coming out of hairpins sideways and holding sideways halfway down the main straight, looking out of the side windows the whole time!
In the final part round the coned-out track, you get one of the other participants as a passenger. The other three people had brought an MX-5, an Elise and a 911 S (997-spec) to the party. All were most impressed with the sideways controllability of the Z4, even with numpty me driving. And all agreed the noise from outside was fantastic. I went out with the 911 driver, and his car was perfectly smooth on the limit, drifting out to the edge of the track pointing forwards all the time. But it wasn't much fun, although I think quicker around the track than me. He also had the yellow-caliper carbon ceramic brakes, and my god they're impressive. I reckon he was braking in about half the space that I was.
So the summary is:
1) Z4M is the perfect car for hooligans, and really controllable on the limit even for numpties, as long as you like going sideways
2) Porsche carbon ceramic brakes are amazing -- I've been investigating if you can get them aftermarket for a Z4
3) I don't really want a 911, although it is an amazingly accomplished piece of kit
4) I have confidence in the Z4M in a way that was totally unachievable with the TVR (it was, and still is as far as I know, a 4.2 Cerbera)
5) carlimits.com are highly recommended by me for exploring the limits of your Z4.
A quick confession: half the reason I bought the Z4MC was that on my previous Andy Walsh day (with the TVR) there was a guy who turned up in an M3 CSL. The sound was fantastic, and I thought "I must have that"
)
