i was indifferent vis-a-vis the gearbox. the manual was more involving and the choice i’d make, but the DCT seemed to suit the character of the car. it is a convertible and consequently a softer car, marginally less enthusiast oriented as a result. but maybe this “is” is more deserving of a standard box?

Re: gearbox longevity…..plenty of other manufacturers have much more powerful engines than the twin-turbo N54 and their manual gearboxes seem to hold up just fine…Corvette, many Porsche models, Viper….so I can’t really understand / buy the logic that the internals can’t handle the torque or horsepower. Just my humble opinion. Perhaps it’s just BMW trying to steer their customers away from manual gearboxes.

Has nothing to do with that they can’t. They just didn’t design the current manual to withstand that much torque. Why? Because of the cost of components and BMW’s desire to always reign in costs.

And if this engine is going into other models, that is great. But with my money, I’m not touching it if it’s only paired to a 7-speed DCT.

I’ll echo Eliot R’s comments….what message is BMWNA sending us when the highest-performing Z4 variant is not offered with a manual gearbox? Yes, I’m certain that the DCT is a faster gearbox….but who is the targeted customer when a manual gearbox option isn’t even mentioned in the BMWNA press release? No offense intended, but is it the 50+ guy shown in the official BMW video? I think even 50+ guys still like manual gearboxes!!

Having driven both I can tell you I vastly preferred the manual. My guess is that the manual box’s internals weren’t up to the task of that much torque. My hunch is based off of the 135i Performance Engine Kit and how it’s power output is capped due to the longevity of the 6 speed manual – the same one found in the Z4.

Of course that still doesn’t absolve BMW. They put a new manual six speed in the E46 ZHP. It would be nice if they could here.

Otherwise, really, really like it. M-like performance but probably won’t command a M-like price markup. Would prefer to get it with a proper gearbox, though.

Anyone know what this specific shade of red is? Is it just the standard Crimson Red? It looks a shade darker in these pics… But I might just be seeing things.