Bulletproof’s Z4 GT Continuum Roadster Pulls Our Trigger

The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show, to be frank, produces a lot of trash. It’s become a circus where each act is trying to out-weird, out-wild, or out-power the next. But there are still some gems in the sea of customization, and one of the standouts from last year’s show was the BMW Z4 GT Continuum from Bulletproof Automotive.

Ideologically, the car is a bit of a mutt. It has BMW’s German engineering, it has the Japanese tuning influence, and it’s a throwback to the open-topped race cars of old but uses modern technology for improved performance. All of that from a firm based in L.A.

“For 15 years Bulletproof has specialized in adding excitement to street driven cars,” Ben Schaffer, the company’s President, recently told Speed Hunters. “With our past demo cars like the Concept One, we defended our belief that rear wheel drive, manual transmission cars can be equally fast and even more fun than modern computer assisted supercars… The end result is a car with distinctive design made for a singular purpose — to ignite the senses.”

The speedster certainly appeals to the eyeballs. No roof, speed humps, massive (and I mean MASSIVE) rear wing, the RAYS Volk Racing G25 wheels, the side exhaust, the canards, the low windshield, and the big ol’ body make it a vehicle you could just ogle for hours. But you can’t ignite senses with a simple appearance package.

The car uses the N54 twin-turbo I6 with a Stage II ESS Tuning package, a custom ETS intercooler, and a Trident exhaust. It’s set up on an adjustable Aragosta coilover suspension with a brake conversion from an F82 BMW M4. The tires are Toyo R888s. It’s not enough to make the Z4 a serious race car, but it definitely gives it some more fire power.

Considering how few customized BMW Z4s you see, this is a welcomed and well-done project. Give a listen to that lovely side exhaust, have a look at the pretty pics, then let us know what you think.

Chime in with your thoughts on the forum. >>

Via [Speed Hunters]

Photos [Larry Chen]