Quote:
Originally Posted by B21
The ‘whippy’ is an iconic part of the look of all Zeds…it’s like taking the BMW badge off the boot, bonnet and wings..
The fact that it has little functional contribution to radio performance is irrelevant.
A stubby goes along with c/f exhaust tips, side sill extensions, front splitters, over cambered wheels etc etc !- 
In English parlance it’s ‘naff’…!- |
I wouldnt go that far to call it iconic, but i get what you mean. Z3 and e85 Z4 had it too.. But... Z8 doesnt have one sticking up from its sleek bodywork... Also newest G29 Z4 doesnt have it anymore... So it isnt that uniformly identifiable as a Bmw Z lineup thing like for example front fender badging and gills design is. Also on older cars it was normal to have external antennas, it was a necessity, on more modern ones its a deliberate design or costcutting choice and is just not necessary anymore. On a 2009 or evenmore a 2016 car it feels antiquated IMO.
Im not a big fan of exterior modifications either. My car is almost entirely original.. apart from a few performance mods and that smaller antenna
I like what the designers did with this car and i like keeping it that way.. That antenna was the only thing that i wasnt fond of on the Z.
At least changing it isnt irreversible and i can always unscrew the stubby one and put original back on. Takes just a few seconds. i keep the original safely on a shelf and if i ever happen to sell the car ill surely give it to the next owner so they can decide what looks better for themselves.
But i do have to say i had no idea people considered that antenna to be part of bmw roadster lineup heritage. That is interesting.