The Stunning Z8 Coupe We've Always Dreamed of Finally Exists

BMW never made a fixed-roof version of its lovely Z8 Roadster from the early 2000s. That hasn't stopped Smit Vehicle Engineering, a small team of two brothers, from building their own. The kicker? SVE's car isn't based on a Z8, it looks to be based on its smaller brother, the Z4.

Instead of mangling one of the original 400 Z8 Roadsters built by BMW by grafting a makeshift hardtop to the body, SVE decided to use an E86-generation Z4 Coupe as the basis for their car, called the Oletha. While that's not disclosed on the company's website, a few seconds of staring at pictures will give it away. The body is made from carbon fiber composite, while the front and rear fascias, with their distinct headlights, wide kidney grilles, and razor thin taillights, are a clear nod back to the original Z8.

Gone is the Z4 coupe's inline-six, in its place an S65B44 4.4-liter naturally aspirated V-8 from the E92-generation M3 GTS, a car that wasn't sold in America. It sports individual throttle bodies, a carbon fiber intake manifold and a custom stainless steel and Inconel exhaust system. The engine revs to 8500 rpm and sends power to the rear wheels via a proper six-speed manual and a mechanical limited-slip differential. It's like a BMW greatest hits mashup.