One to Buy: rare Turqoise Green 45,000km 1998 BMW Z3 M Roadster
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Although the eagerly anticipated Z1 proved a big commercial success with 8000 examples built between 1988 and 1991, BMW customers had to wait until late 1995 until deliveries of its replacement began (the Z3).
Perhaps the biggest criticism of the Z1 had been that its chassis was able to handle considerably more power than its 170bhp 2.5-litre straight six developed. Nevertheless, BMW resisted calls for an enhanced version developed by its Motorsport division and aftermarket tuners such as Alpina and Hartge were left to offer more potent iterations of the Z1.
Pleasingly, that was not to be the case with the Z1’s successor.
The fire-breathing Z3 M Roadster was unveiled at Geneva in March 1996. In addition to the normal BMW Motorsport array of chassis, body and interior enhancements, it came with the legendary 321bhp S50 B32 straight six from the contemporary M3 Evolution.
Currently on offer at the Springbok Sportwagen showroom in Isernhagen is a particularly unusual example of the first generation Z3 M.
A two owner German domestic market car originally delivered via BMW main agent Schumacher Automobile in Emmendingen, it has covered a little under 46,000km from new.
In addition, it was configured in arguably one of the best and most rarely seen colour combinations for one of these cars: Turqoise Green over a two-tone Black and Evergreen interior.
