Future classic: BMW Z4 Handschalter

By Aaron McKay

| 4 Apr 2025

Classic & Sports Car – Future classic: BMW Z4 Handschalter

“Is it a manual?” follows BMW owners as surely as the sun rises.

Seen as key to extracting the best of Bavaria’s sonorous engines and lively handling, there is a sigh of disappointment when the answer comes back wrong: “No, but it has paddles.”

As the three pedals of rowing your own fade into a bygone era, manual-equipped unicorns such as the BMW 850CSi and US-only E60 M5 are gaining cult status, while aftermarket conversions are increasingly fulfilling the dreams of others.

So it was a shame that BMW’s latest roadster line, the G29 Z4, arrived in 2018 as an automatic only.

‘Here’s your classic green roadster with a lusty straight-six and manual gearbox – come and get it,’ BMW says

There was also no special Motorsport version to continue the legacy of the wild BMW Z3M and Z4M; only a range-topping Z4 M40i that risked being as forgettable as the paddle-shift 3.0Si of the previous generation.

But then, suddenly, there was a manual gearbox.

This ‘Handschalter’ (handshift) edition openly taunts those enthusiasts who have cried out for driver-focused cars.

With suspension tweaks including a new front anti-roll-bar clamp and wider tyres on 20in wheels, it comes only as the 3-litre turbo M40i and in the Frozen Deep Green seen on the lauded BMW M5 CS with tan leather, touching another nerve of desire against the criticised landscape of white, grey and black Euroboxes.

The BMW Z4 Handschalter marks the manual gearbox’s return to the marque’s much-loved roadster

‘Here’s your classic green roadster with a lusty straight-six and manual gearbox – come and get it,’ BMW says.

If there’s enough demand, you might even be able to choose your colour.

There is faint hope. The manual Toyota Supra, the BMW Z4 Handschalter’s sibling, soon accounted for around half of the model’s production.

But Supra sales are down overall and it appears the G29 Z4’s days are numbered, too.

Unencumbered by a hybrid powertrain and blessed with a button-controlled interior that makes sense, the Handschalter feels like a classic in its own time.

The BMW Z4 Handschalter’s Frozen Deep Green paintwork appeals to enthusiasts

The low, snug driving position and evocative woofle of a big ‘six’ firing through twin exhausts in the open air behind you is a satisfyingly nostalgic trip. Then you dip the clutch…

The ’box itself has a snappy, heavily bushed feel typical to BMW, while that third pedal is well judged and matches the others for weight.

The ratios are borrowed from the BMW M2 and pair sweetly with the torque-rich, non-M motor in the Z4 Handschalter; give it a bootful of revs for a dramatic downshift or let it climb those trademark straight-six notes with a turbocharged rush.

The BMW Z4 Handschalter’s 335bhp, turbocharged straight-six suits the manual gearbox well

However you manage this gem of an engine, the manual ’box breathes extra life through the connections between gearlever, right foot and rear axle.

With slick handling and a supple ride, the BMW Z4 Handschalter is no hard-edged racer, but majors on everyday enjoyment.

No doubt it could be more efficient, but fortunately that’s not the point.

Images: Max Edleston

Factfile

Engine 2998cc turbo straight-six; 335bhp @ 5000-6500rpm; 369lb ft @ 1600-4500rpm
Transmission six-speed manual, RWD
0-62mph 4.6 secs
Top speed 155mph
Mpg 29
Price £60,675

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