Six gears, 382 horses, and with 68 fewer pounds, BMW just built the roadster purists begged for.

BMW Z4 M40i – Key Points

First factory-manual Z4 M40i since 2016, dubbed “Handschalter” (hand-shifter)
$3,500 option swaps in a six-speed, retuned diff, stiffer suspension, bespoke 19/20-inch wheels
Drops 68 lb vs. the auto and nudges the power-to-weight ratio past the ’06 Z4 M
Same 382-hp B58 inline-six, 0-60 mph in 4.2 s, 155-mph limiter remains
Retro nod: echoes the 2003 E85 formula—long hood, short deck, manual joy

Look, BMW hasn’t exactly been shy about stuffing twin-turbo V8s and eight-speed autos into everything that moves. Fun, sure, but for the crowd that still trusts left-foot muscle memory more than torque-converter wizardry, Munich’s lineup felt, well… automated. Enter the 2025 Z4 M40i Handschalter, the first mainstream Bimmer in a minute that reads your downshift blips instead of simulating them.

What’s in the Handschalter Box?

2025 BMW Z4 M40i Handschalter — Photo: BMW

For $3,500 atop the regular Z4 M40i, you get a ZF-sourced six-speed manual gearbox, shorter final-drive gears, beefier rear-diff bushings, and a bespoke ESC tune that assumes you might actually enjoy a dab of opposite lock. BMW also bolts in stiffer top mounts, then wraps the thing in staggered 19-inch front and 20-inch rear alloys—wheels previously reserved for full-fat “M” cars. End result? Sixty-eight fewer pounds and a power-to-weight hit of 112.7 hp per 1,000 lb, edging the legendary 2006 Z4 M’s 107.

Same B58 Engine, New Personality

Under the hood it’s still the riotous 3.0-liter B58: 382 hp and 369 lb-ft, happily revving to 7,000. Hooked to that six-speed, BMW quotes 0-60 in 4.2 seconds—three-tenths off the auto, but who cares when each shift clicks like a rifle bolt? Top speed stays an electronically polite 155 mph, yet engineers claim the manual car matches the eight-speed’s Nürburgring target of ≤ 7:55—the same lap as the E46 CSL benchmark BMW loves to brag about.

Throwback Thursday, Every Day

If the spec sheet feels familiar, that’s because it is. The first-gen E85 Z4 landed in 2003 with a naturally aspirated inline-six, a six-speed manual, and curb weights barely kissing 3,200 lb. People loved it for its honesty: long hood, short tail, roof down, revs up. Two decades later, the Z4 M40i Handschalter channels that same ethos—only now you get adaptive dampers, a 12.3-inch infotainment screen, and seat heaters that won’t roast your lower back, and a weight of around 3,500 lb, which isn’t too bad for modern day cars.

Best BMW Right Now?

Consider the rest of the 2025 catalog. The M3 and M4 manuals still exist, but each tips the scales around 3,800-4,000 lb and carries enough electronic nannies to babysit a kindergarten field trip. The M2 is hilariously fun but looks like it swallowed a Lego set. The Z4 M40i Handschalter, meanwhile, nails BMW’s old recipe—inline six up front, drive out back, human in control, weight on a diet.

It’s also the only current BMW whose signature modification is removing technology rather than adding it. Factor in open-air freedom, the kind of chassis tuning that makes mountain roads feel like personal amusement parks, and pricing that starts around $72K—barely Cayman S money—and the argument gets loud: this might be the most enthusiast-focused BMW you can actually buy new.

BMW Predicts Almost 50% Manual Buyers

BMW promises a 45 percent manual take-rate—huge in 2025—and says dealer allocations open next month. If you want Alpine White with blood-red Vernasca leather or that Frozen Deep Green metallic launch color, better start sweet-talking your local sales manager now.

Interesting Stats / Facts

BMW shaved 1.97 % of curb weight by ditching the auto gearbox.
First-gen Z4 offered five different naturally aspirated inline-six engines; today, one turbo six does the job.
The B58 has won Ward’s “10 Best Engines” four years running—now you can row your own gears with it.