The BMW Z4 and Toyota Supra are a lot more than just platform mates. The two are nearly identical cars, with one conspicuous difference: the roofline. Toyota’s Supra is only offered as a coupe; meanwhile, BMW has only offered its latest Z4 with a folding soft top. And even though BMW hasn’t had a sudden change of heart — and indeed, there’s no factory Z4 Coupe in the cards — it’s not like that has ever stopped enthusiasts from driving the car they want. You can stop Googling and AI-manufacturing Z4 Coupe renders; this year at SEMA, someone brought one to life.
Meet the Z4 Coupe Based on a Supra: the Zupra?
At the most base level, the Z4-swapped Supra is a pretty simple concept. After all, mechanicals and almost everything else are shared between the cars. So, bringing the car into reality should really be a matter of simply lining up a few things and getting the paint right. But, as this is SEMA, no build can simply stop at “good.” So, it’s probably no surprise that there’s a lot more than a bumper swap going on here. A mess of carbon fiber decorates the front, sides, and rear of the car, and 20-inch BBS LM-R wheels front M-badged brake calipers done up in red paint. In back, a roundel decorates the “trunk” lid, along with a carbon fiber spoiler. Quad-exit exhaust tips — with a polished finish, which is a bit of an unorthodox take and looks neat — sit below aftermarket, M4 CSL-inspired taillight designs that seem to borrow the cool Laser technology.
Inside, too, changes have been made to reflect the car’s new badging. New Recaro seats featuring red stitching replace the old Toyota thrones. BMW and M badging now decorate the steering wheel, and new paddle shifters appear to be lifted straight from the G8X M Series vehicles. There’s some new jewelry under the hood, too. Fittingly, the Supra’s B58 engine receives a new carbon-laden engine cover.
What’s In a Name
While an obvious name for the project would be simply “Zupra,” simplicity clearly wasn’t a guiding principle behind the build. The project’s full name is “GW29CS Zhüpra,” and the “CS” stands for “clown shoe.” Which is at least somewhat a misappropriation 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 Z4 M Coupe that followed. It donned a much more coupe-typical figure that the “Zhüpra” seems to share. The original M Coupe was a shooting brake, which is where the “clown shoe” title came from. Semantics aside, you have to appreciate the amount of dedication that went into the build. But really, this build just makes us pine for a factory, G29 Z4 M Coupe even more. The gallery below has more pictures.
