Heading over to the great guys at Wheel Power Inc, I knew I was in for another Hamann decked out BMW. When I pulled up and saw the Z4 sitting low on the ground by the entrance, I was surprised to notice that I was actually attracted to the car. To be completely honest, I was never a big fan of the Z4 convertible, but what a few little Hamann goodies, the right suspension, brakes, wheels and tires can do to a car. With such a simple list of modifications I eagerly grabbed the keys and drove off to bring the best out of the car.
Disappointingly enough, right before I was able to get to the car the Hamann front spoiler was cracked. Even without the front add on however, the car sat extremely low on the ground and was a blast to drive. Sticking in the traditional BMW key and turning on the ignition, my right foot tainted the Hamann aluminum pedals as my left foot sat restlessly on the Hamann aluminum foot rest. Giving a little bit of throttle as I put the car into drive and dropped the top, the Hamann Sport Exhaust with dual 76mm tips gave a light hum. I pulled the car off the lot and immediately noticed how nicely stiff the H&R RSS Club Sport coilover system was. The 19×8.5 and 19×9.5 combination of lightweight BBS RS-GT forged wheels fit the curves of the Z4 perfectly. With Pirelli P-Zero Nero tires (235/35/19 and 265/30/19) wrapping each wheel, the entire package filled up the wheel wells perfectly.
Having a little too much fun on the road in this convertible roadster, I came up to a red light and decided to give the brakes a test. Engaging the AP Racing 6 Piston brake system was a new experience. The comparison to even the G35 Brembo brake system is like night and day. Combined with cross drilled and slotted rotors, the entire brake package could easily take a track day’s worth of abuse. What I would’ve paid to be able to take this to Willow Springs for a few laps! Enough dreaming however, it was finally time to park the car and take some pictures. The first thing I noticed was the perfectly shaped and designed Hamann headlamp covers that were match painted. The Hamann side panels flowed perfectly with the rest of the chassis, almost making it seamlessly factory. The stock side indicators were popped out and replaced with Hamann side direction indicator moldings with a smoked turn signal implemented in each one. The most interesting component of the entire vehicle to me however was the Hamann 2-piece rear spoiler. It’s amazing how the little piece makes the most difference on the car.
After all the shots were taken, I decided it was unfortunately time to return the Z4 to its rightful owners. I couldn’t help but tally up the price tag in my mind of all the Hamann goodies, before I realized the wheels and brakes were probably already out of my budget. I’ll have to go back to my mindset of disliking the Z4; otherwise Wheel Power’s combination of perfect stylish parts can easily change my mind and trigger an unnecessary urge and desire for one.
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