On AIM he made the claim, first, that the Z4 was 'no improvement' over the outgoing Z3 and called it a land shark, then he said it looked just like the 1958 Corvette. In my opinion, it would be hard for two cars to look any more dissimilar than these two.
Well I don't think BMW has ever denied the Z3/Z4 line is an homage to the 'traditional roadster'. Its got a long nose, short tail and the driver sits close to the rear axle. The lines on the Z4 look the way they do because a lot of traditional roadsters look like that. There is also no denying the 507 also played a big role in how the Z-series looks.
The design owes as much to the AC Ace, Triumph Spitfire, Austin Healey 3000 and Jaguar E type as it does to the Vette.
But giving GM credit where credit is due... the Corvette did set impressive benchmarks for 50s and 60s roadster design. Ironically, the reason Corvette exists is because GM wanted a domestic competitor to the British sports cars American GIs came to love while they were in Europe.
HAHA
