Amidst all the excitement over the BMW GINA Concept's fabric body skin, many automotive publications overlooked the fact that the car shares a number of design cues with the next-generation Z4. The GINA is not a direct preview of the Z4, but a few items — like the character line running from the front of the hood to the rear of the car — will make it to production. Based on recent revealing spy photos and what we've learned from GINA, our artist has put together illustrations of how the 2010 Z4 will probably look.

Many of the polarizing features of the current Z4's design have been toned-down, for what appears to be a much more elegant look.

Chris Bangle's fussy flame-surfacing seems less controversial, as the side character lines appear to have a more logical flow throughout the Z4's surface development. The Z4's twin-kidney grille takes inspiration from BMW's CS concept, as well as the new 7-series, while a strong chin spoiler anchors the front fascia nicely. The rear styling shows that the current Z4's Quasimodo hump is gone. In its place is a rear deck that resembles the 6-series a bit — only much more pleasantly resolved.

Prototypes spotted sport the retractable hard top, although new reports out of Germany tell us buyers will also be given the opportunity to choose a soft-top option.

Since the new Z4 rides on the same platform as the 3-Series, look for the Z4's engine lineup to mirror the 3's. A high-performance Z4 M will once again be offered and, for the first time, it is believed that BMW will offer a diesel-powered Z4.

BMW's radical design revolution hasn't always been aesthetically successful, at least in the eyes of the BMW faithful. But BMW styling now seems to be hitting its stride, recapturing some of its former pleasing proportions. It appears that the steadying hand of BMW designer Adrian van Hooydonk is getting the beloved Bimmers back where they need to be.

As we have reported before, the Z4's production will shift from the U.S. to Germany when the new model bows.