This Supra With a Z4 Nose Proves We Need a New M Coupe

The current Supra may have a Toyota badge on the nose and tail, but there’s BMW written all over it. And I mean that literally. Under the hood, without removing any fasteners, I’ve counted 28 times where the letters BMW or the roundel appear. I’m sure there are more spots, and that doesn’t even include hidden logos or the rest of the car. The DNA shared with the Z4 runs deep. They were codeveloped and are both built by Magna in Austria.

Toyota only offers the Supra as a coupe, and BMW only offers the Z4 as a soft-top. A clear point of differentiation, plus the designs are so different that it isn’t likely you’d know the Z4 and Supra were basically the same car unless you’re a car nerd. Even if the coupe and convertible divide was done purposefully to avoid overlap and direct comparisons, a new Z4 coupe would be amazing. Now one Supra owner is doing just that.

Mario Chan, @mysupraadventures on Instagram, is putting a Z4 front clip onto his 2020 Supra, with the plan to have it ready before the SEMA show next month. I figured it’d be a fairly easy task, these cars were co-developed, so I imagined the parts would bolt up easily, no huge changes needed. Turns out I was wrong. It’s not close to plug and play. Chan has had to bring in parts from Germany in order to make the Z4 clip work with the Supra. There’s also been the need for custom fabrication to make the Z4 and Supra designs work with each other, since the Z4  leans more towards GT elegance and the Supra looks aggressive, sportier.

But it hasn’t been easy. Over email Chan told me his biggest challenge so far:

The most challenging part about the build so far was taking an idea of building a current generation Z4 Coupe and actually turning it into a reality. From the start, we discovered very quickly that very few panels actually fit between the models as well as differing bolt points. The exterior geometry and wiring between the cars (A90 Supra and G29 Z4) are also different. Without any manuals on how to do this “conversion” or good reference materials between the two cars, much of the build became a hands on journey of trial and error which required a lot of problem solving, creativity, and a willingness to fabricate custom components along the way, whenever things didn’t fit or function as expected.

Above: The early progress is promising, but certainly doesn’t look easy.

It’s still a work in progress as SEMA gets closer, but it now has a custom hood and other panels test-fitted by SOS Customz to make sure they work without issue. Still, it promises to end up being a fitting tribute to the original Z4 M Coupe, with that classic fastback shape. Once the body is complete, it needs an S58 and a six-speed swap, something Chan says they’re considering down the line.

Since the car is a 2020 model, the ECU is unlocked, which allows us to run a flash tune on the vehicle for a substantial performance jump. We’re pairing that with a range of complementary, Euro focused performance upgrades to achieve that perfect OEM+ performance, look, and feel (refined but with real substance behind it). Given our tight timeline leading up to the debut at SEMA Show 2025, we’re focusing on getting everything dialed in for the show first. But after SEMA, we’re considering taking things a step further with a possible S58 engine and manual transmission swap variant, giving the car the proper M badge and performance it truly deserves.

Then we’d finally have the Z4 M that BMW now refuses to build. Let’s hope he makes it happen.