On the outside, the car wears 3D Design’s carbon M-Sport front lip, rear diffuser, side skirts and trunk spoiler. The result is subtle but adds a racier edge. Inside it’s fitted with 3D Design pedals and footrest and also their gauge pod. That pod and other parts of the dash panels, center console and roll bar covers were painted Alpine White by IND Distribution.
Despite their diametric differences and reasons for being, both cars had that intangible BMW DNA at their core: driver-oriented, well-balanced and well-behaved. And, obviously, they’re great platforms to start with, whether for the track or the street.
2006 BMW Z4 M Coupe
Layout
Longitudinal front engine, rear-wheel drive
Engine
3.2-liter I6, dohc, 24-valve. CSL airbox, Dinan cams and throttle bodies, Motec engine management, Supersprint header and X-pipe, custom exhaust, Borla muffler
Transmission
Six-speed manual, Sachs clutch and flywheel, Fall-Line Motorsports 4.10 differential
Suspension
Moton Club Sports adjustable coilovers
Brakes
Brembo Gran Turismo assemblies, four-piston calipers, 355x32mm, two-piece, slotted discs, Cobalt XR1 pads (f), four-piston calipers, 345x28mm, two-piece, slotted discs, Cobalt XR3 pads (r)
Wheels and Tires
HRE Competition 90 Series, 11x18 (f), 11.5x18 (r)
Yokohama racing tires, 280/650 (f), 280/680 (r)
Exterior
Carbon/Kevlar widebody fenders, rear quarter and front bumper modified from a Flossmann kit by Composite Prototypes. Roof, doors, rear decklid and hood carbon/Kevlar panels custom made by Composite Prototypes. Crawford Designs Grand-Am spec rear wing with Composite Prototype’s wind mounts
Interior
Cobra carbon racing seats, Momo quick-release steering wheel, six-point rollcage, AiM Sports MXL dash/data acquisition logger
Performance*
Peak Power: 351 hp @ 8000 rpm
Peak Torque: 255 lb-ft @ 6600 rpm
*measured at wheels
2010 BMW Z4 35i
Layout
Longitudinal front engine, rear-wheel drive
Engine
3.0-liter I6, dohc, 24-valve, twin-turbo. ESS Tuning Stage 2 ECU program, Eisenmann cat-back exhaust
Transmission
Seven-speed DCT automated manual
Suspension
KW Variant 3 coilovers, Dinan front camber plates
Brakes
OEM calipers, 348mm vented rotors (f), 325mm vented rotors (r)
Wheels and Tires
BBS Motorsport BMW GT4 RE, 9.5x18 (f), 10x18 (r)
Yokohama Advan S-Drive, 235/40 (f), 255/35 (r)
BBS Motorsport lug nuts
Exterior
3D Design body kit (front carbon-fiber splitter, carbon side skirts, carbon rear diffuser and trunk spoiler), tinted side markers and painted reflectors
Interior
3D Design three-gauge panel, 3D Design foot pedals, Stack 3500 Series gauges. Alpine White dash and interior panels
Performance
Peak Power: 390 hp
Peak Torque: 370 lb-ft
Autobahn Country Club
In the past few years, private racetracks have been popping up across the country. The idea is that you pay a one-time membership fee and then a yearly maintenance fee for the privilege of having access to the track or tracks practically any time you want. There are a few on the East Coast near the money and population density of New York and New Jersey and a few more scattered across the West and the South. In the Midwest, there’s the Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Illinois, just an hour south of downtown Chicago.
The Autobahn Country Club was one of the first membership-style tracks in the U.S. and it either set the trend or shares a lot of similarities with the clubs of its ilk. First there’s the track, and, in this case, there are two courses, the North and South, which were designed by Alan Watson, a former director of the Brands Hatch Circuit in England and also the designer of road courses in Georgia, Arizona, Michigan and South Carolina. At Autobahn, the North and South courses can be connected to make one of the longest tracks in the States at 3.56 miles.
Like the other clubs, Autobahn offers driving courses for every skill level and they have a wide variety of performance cars to sample in their Autobahn Experience course, with a Caterham S300 looking particularly appealing.
Local race teams also use Autobahn’s tracks for testing and many of them have set up their own on-site garages for maintenance and storage, while some members have even built multi-storied homes along one of the faster stretches on the South track. And so nearly everyone can get involved; there’s also a karting track so Junior can hone his skills.
Being that members can get onto the track just about anytime they like from Tuesday to Sunday, it’s safe to assume that a lot of doctors, lawyers and CEOs are playing hooky or calling in sick during the racing season. And they’re taking a helmet and gloves instead of a bag of golf clubs to this country club.