2016 BMW 435i ZHP Coupe Edition is an M4 Lite

The BMW M4 (which, if you haven’t heard by now, is the new name for the 2-door M3) is a rootin’-tootin’ road machine, but the 435i on which it’s based isn’t exactly a pig either. Whether or not there’s a need for a model to slide in between the two is up for debate (For what it’s worth, they are separated by 125 horsepower and $17,950.), but BMW has gone ahead and created one anyway. Meet the 2016 BMW 435i ZHP Coupe Edition.

The ZHP name is a callback to the ordering code for a special performance package that was available on U.S.-bound E46-chassis 3 Series from 2003 to ’06. Like those cars, the 435i ZHP is identifiable from the outside from a subdued – yet still meaner than standard – body kit from BMW’s M Performance catalog, as well as an upgraded suspension setup. Inside you’ll find an M Performance steering wheel, sill plates and other accessories, while under the car’s rump there’s a proper limited slip differential with 30% lockup under acceleration and 9% on deceleration to further aid this spunkier coupe’s agility.

And there’s more spunk for the straightaways, too: Thanks to an M Performance Power Kit, air intake and lightweight sport exhaust system, the N55 turbocharged 3.0L inline-six now generates 335 horsepower and either 317 lb.-ft of torque with the 6-speed manual transmission or 332 lb.-ft with the 8-speed automatic transmission. BMW claims that extra sauce shaves 0.2 seconds off the standard 435i’s 0-60 mph time, so it should do the task in just 4.5 seconds. And that’s probably as quick as you’ll have to be when ordering one: Just 100 435i ZHP Coupe Editions will be made for the 2016 model year. Fortunately, if you miss out, pretty much all of the parts are available individually through the M Performance parts catalog, so when we’re saying “No pressure,” in this case we actually mean it.

Source: BMW