This week at Pebble Beach, BMW revealed its new generation Z4 roadster concept. And it looks very, very good.

The car represents a collaboration between BWM and Toyota, a joint venture instigated to bring a new sports model to both companies; Toyota is expected to reveal their own result of the meeting of minds later this year, a new version of the Supra which is expected to be unveiled in Tokyo this October. The two cars will use the same platform, and the cross-model similarities will probably extend further than that.

This Z4 is undoubtedly the best-looking iteration of the model. The changes have been extensive; the front end fulfills the design promises left pending by earlier versions, with large air intakes, broadened kidney grilles, and a line that extends from the diffuser to the stacked headlamps, and is picked up in the hood and side creases. The car’s roll bars are now more understated cowls, rendering the arch from the windshield to the back end more graceful, a nice change from the overt roll bars which gave the car a dune-buggy overtone, and persisted for too long in the Z4’s expression. The back end is nicely abrupt, giving the car a wedge aesthetic.

The new Z4 gets 20” wheels outside, and a new, more contemporary racing-oriented steering wheel inside, which boasts large paddle shifters in red. Instrument layout is somewhat different, with a center TFL looking more self-consciously cutting-edge.

The new Z4 will be offered with both four- and six-cylinder powerplants, and will likely be available with an optional manual gearbox.

BMW is expected to reveal a production version of the car early next year.