Page 79 - Wayne Carini's Guide to Affordable Classics

The M-series Z3 coupe and convertible were both stunning performance cars.
The Z3 Legacy
Almost 300,000 BMW Z3 cars were built over the seven-year production life of the model. The Z3 was a marketing and sales success in North America and Europe, and brought new sports car enthusiasts to the brand. Above all, it provided BMW with a signature performance model that has remained relevant and fresh for over 20 years. Today, the M Coupe counts as one of the most collectible sports cars of the modern era, but any Z3 is a great way to join the BMW enthusiast community.
THE DRIVE
There’s not a lot bad to say about any Z3 on the road. Since the launch, reviewers have praised the handling, power, and comfort of the car, and durability has since been proven as well.
The Z3 has all the virtues of a lightweight sports car. It’s quick, nimble, and fun to toss around on a winding mountain road or a race track. Like most roadsters, it’s also noisy in the cabin and as the car ages it can be a little creaky over bumps. BMW gave the Z3 plenty of brakes, though, and most drivers will take a long time before they’re using all the performance.
The rear suspension on a Z3 delivers a more lively driving experience than the run of BMW’s sedan products in the 1990s and early 2000s. The older E30 semi-trailing arm design and early stability control system allows a little more rear end yaw than the bigger BMWs could muster. That’s a feature highly prized among serious sports car aficionados, yet it should be noted that the Z3 has excellent manners and won’t frighten a careful driver.
But after three years on the market, BMW had some big changes to make. Bowing to customer demand, the company made a removable hardtop available in 1998, and gave the model some needed upgrades for 1999. The most visible change was an additional 2.5 inches (64 mm) of rear wheel track.
Among a series of small changes for the fourth year, BMW eliminated the 1.9-liter four-cylinder engine – all Z3 models would now use an inline six-cylinder engine. The base Z3 received a 2.3-liter engine rated at 170 horsepower and 181 lb ft of torque. This was a popular choice, selling 11,214 units in 1999, compared to 4,114 copies of the Z3 2.8 roadster. Adding to the M Coupe, BMW also offered a Z3 2.8 Coupe with the standard 2.8-liter engine. In that year, 628 units of the 2.8 Coupe and 778 of the M Coupe were sold. BMW continued the product line mostly unchanged for the 2000 model year.
2001 Upgrades
As we mentioned, the Z3 M cars got the new S54 engine for the 2001 model year, but that wasn’t everything for the year. The base Z3 2.3 got a displacement upgrade to become the Z3 2.5 with 184 horsepower and 175 lb ft torque. The Z3 2.8 was similarly enlarged to three liters and 225 horsepower, 214 lb ft of torque. In both cases, these engines were the same as those offered on BMW 3-Series sedans of the same year.
Also new for 2001, Z3 models equipped with an automatic transmission gained a gear. The Z3 3.0 got a ZF gearbox and the Z3 2.5 got a new GM unit. The two five-speed manual transmission selections were unchanged. These engine and driveline options were maintained through the end of Z3 production in 2002.
Wayne Carini  Affordable Classics  77