James Bond was the first to get his mitts on the Z3 and stirred up hugeinterest in BMW's retro
roadster when it arrived in 1997. The initial hysteria was damped down by the car only coming with a1.9-
litre four
cylinder engine, but BMW soon rectified the situationwith the 2.8-litre six cylinder model. A facelift in 2001 saw the replacement of the 2.8- with the 3.0-litresix cylinder engine and the arrival of a 2.2 six. The larger engine isthe one to go for if you want a sporty drive as well as the looks. BMW build quality means there's little to be concerned about with theZ3 so long as it has a full service history. The
mechanical parts arethe same as used in the 3-series range, so are rugged, while the cabinis properly put together, even though the Z3 was built in the USArather than Germany. Interior space is reasonable for a roadster, though taller drivers may find the seat does not go back quite far enough. The boot is small and awkwardly shaped, but no worse than mostcompetitors, and the
roof stows quickly and easy, though some morebasic versions need the roof to be released manually before lowering. Handling is the safe side of fun, though the more powerful six-cylindercars can push the rear wheels wide when the traction control isswitched off. Z3M Roadster and CoupeBMW's engineers worked on the M version of the Z3 in their spare timeand came up with the 'breadvan' Coupe as part of this process. The Z3 M Roadster has the M3's superb 321
bhp 3.2-litre six-cylinderengine, later upgraded to 325bhp for the last few made, and the Coupeshares this mechanical mix. Due to the constricted space of the Z3M's centre tunnel, the M3 Evo'ssix-speed manual gearbox would not fit and this is a bonus for Z3Mbuyers as the five-speeder has a sweeter shift and the engine is morethan flexible enough to not need the extra gear. Performance is scintillatingly swift, though the Roadster bodyshell canflex when asked to deal with high cornering forces. The Coupe is thebetter car and now has a cult following, which keeps used prices verystrong. Anything under £20,000 is likely to have been abused, but spend this much and you're unlikely to lose any more.
Published: February 25, 2007
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