The BMW Z4 and Toyota Supra are much more than just platform mates. The two are nearly identical cars, with one noticeable difference: the roofline. Toyota’s Supra is only offered as a coupe; BMW now only offers its latest Z4 with a folding top. And while there hasn’t been a sudden change of heart at BMW – and in fact there’s no factory-planned Z4 Coupe – that’s never stopped enthusiasts from driving the car they want. You can stop googling and create Z4 coupe renderings using AI. This year at SEMA someone brought one to life.
Get to know the Z4 Coupé based on a Supra: the Zupra?
At the most basic level, the Z4-swapped Supra is a pretty simple concept. After all, the cars share mechanicals and almost everything else. So making the car a reality should really just be a matter of getting a few things in line and getting the paint right. But since this is SEMA, no build can just stop at “good.” So it’s probably no surprise that there’s a lot more going on here than just a bumper swap. A heap of carbon fiber adorns the front, sides and rear of the car, and up front are 20-inch BBS LM-R wheels with M-badged red calipers. At the back, a roundel adorns the “trunk” lid, together with a carbon fiber spoiler. Quad exhaust pipes – with a polished finish that’s a bit funky and neat looking – lie beneath the M4 CSL-inspired aftermarket taillight designs that appear to adopt the cool laser technology.
Changes were also made inside to reflect the car’s new logo. New Recaro seats with red stitching replace the old Toyota thrones. BMW and M emblems now adorn the steering wheel, and the new paddle shifters appear to have been lifted directly from the M-series G8X cars. There is also new jewelry under the hood. To match this, the Supra’s B58 engine receives a new carbon engine cover.
What’s in a name?
While an obvious name for the project would be simply “Zupra,” simplicity was clearly not a guiding principle behind the build. The full name of the project is “GW29CS Zhüpra”, and “CS” stands for “clown shoe”. Which is, at least in some ways, a misuse of the term. While “clown shoe” correctly refers to the original M Coupe (which was based on the contemporary Z3 Roadster), this is stylistically much closer to the subsequent Z4 M Coupe. It had a much more coupé-typical figure, which the “Zhüpra” seems to share. The original M Coupe was a shooting brake, hence the name “clown shoe”. Semantics aside, you have to appreciate the amount of dedication that went into building it. But in reality, this build makes us even more longing for a factory G29-Z4-M coupe. The gallery below contains more images.
