BMW seemed to have been inspired by the Reliant Scimitar when they brought out the hardtop version of the Z3 roadster. It may have been a nice car to drive but its styling didn't work.

BMW again went back to the past for inspiration when they designed the hardtop coupe variant of the Z3's successor, the Z4.

This time they got it right and the Z4 Coupe is a beautiful thing.

It has classic sportscar proportions that could well have come straight from the '60s. Think Jaguar XK and Ferrari 250 GTO. There's the long bonnet stretching out in the front, the short rear end and the driver and passenger sitting down low just in front of the rear axle.

The roof line drops back in classic coupe fashion with a little kick at the end which acts like a built-in spoiler. There's no mistaking the Z4 Coupe's purpose. It's a sportscar and it's fast and furious. By contrast its predecessor could have been a small van.

The Z4 Coupe retains the lower lines of the roadster, the mixture of concave shapes, the curves and angles that made the car so distinctive and the ultimate in the expression of Chris Bangle's design philosophy. But it works well with the solid upper turret and the Coupe looks a complete package.

It feels it too. Despite the extra weight of the roof - although the Coupe is just 10kg heavier than the Roadster - a 50-50 front-to-rear balance has been maintained so the Coupe is just as much a driver's car as its softtop soulmate. That's helped by the use of aluminium right through the car. Most of the suspension is alloy and so is the bonnet. It all helps reduce weight in the right places.

There are just two engine options, the 3-litre six in the standard car or the 3.2-litre in the top-of-the-range M Coupe.

The less powerful car isn't a disappointment. Right from the start it feels right. The driver and passenger sit low and snug in the all-embracing seats, and the plain fascia in front emphasises the simplicity of the car. Just basic controls on a bare alloy field. Nothing elaborate to take attention away from the purpose of driving.

The wide-rimmed, leather-covered steering wheel is part of that effect. Its connection with front wheels is direct and sure. The car and driver are on the same wavelength right from the start.

The big engine fires up and there is an obvious sound that gets louder as the revs rise. Pull away and there is a lively roar in the exhaust.

There's a manual option, but the six-speed auto is always on top of the situation. It doesn't change up too soon and it changes down neatly just when it's needed. A squirt of the throttle and it's back into third and ready to scorch away.

But there are also manual change paddles on the wheel. It is more usable system than many. Push either left or right paddle down to change down and pull them up to change up.

The Z4 is brilliantly balanced and that does so much for its driver appeal. The driver feels part of the car as it sits down into the corners and blasts its way out of them. And the driver can feel that rear axle getting the power down because he/she is so close to the action.

The Z4 Coupe's ride won't be to everyone's delight.

The car's fat tyres tend to want to wander, following the undulations in the road. But it gets better the faster you go and at high speed it's steady and sure.

Likewise, the sportscar ride is very firm and driver and passenger get to feel all the sharp points in the road.

The Z4 Coupe is a quick car. Put the auto transmission into sports mode and the gears are held longer and it revs higher. Officially the automatic variant will sprint from rest to the speed limit in six seconds. In real life it's about 6.4 seconds - but that's fast enough. Top speed is electronically restricted to 250km/h.

But the coupe is still able to produce reasonably economical motoring. Despite an average speed of 69km/h over 300km, the trip computer still said the car returned an average fuel consumption of 10 litres per 100km. That makes it a practical tourer for two. But just two - like the roadster there are no rear seats, just a very neatly finished luggage area behind the driver and passenger seats. And that's the way it should be in car like this. It is not another passenger carrier, an A-to-B transporter.

BMW has other sporting coupes that are more functional for that job. The Z4 Coupe is a car – to have fun in. It does that - and looks the part as it does so.