Think of BMW M Cars and you’ll invariably think of fast saloons or coupes, such as the M3 or M5. But 25 years ago, something a bit different came out of BMW’s M-Division. A secret project developed by M-Sport engineers as BMW had pooh-poohed the idea of an M-version of the new Z3 sports car. M-Sport thought different and shoehorned the 3.2-litre six from the E36 M3 under the bonnet, all 318bhp of it.
The result was an astonishingly quick and surprisingly competent performance machine that raised a few eyebrows.
This one is undoubtedly one of the very best on the market right now – a genuine mileage of less than 39,000, it also has a fascinating history. Its first owner was former Leeds United footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who was at the peak of his career in 1998. He bought the Z3 from Scothall BMW in Leeds and had it for a year before it passed onto its second owner, a lawyer. He used it to commute into Leeds for a few years before retiring in 2004 and moving to Spain, where the car remained until 2018, when it came back and was reunited with its original registration number.
It's in lovely, original condition and has spent most of its life either garaged or in an undercover car park. The current owner, an engineer by trade, has thoroughly gone through the car and is now ready to dedicate his time to another project, even though he loves the Z3.
The Z3M is immaculate inside, with two-tine blue and black leather and all original carpets and door trims. It’s presented in fabulous order, almost as clean and fresh as the day it left the factory.
M-Sport extras include the sports steering wheel, M-branded dials, an ‘M’ gear knob and a blue/black two-tone dash. The leather seats are heated and there’s a BMW ‘Business’ CD player and chrome-ringed dials.
If there wasn’t enough about this car to like already, there’s the Estoril Blue paint work, reserved for BMW’s M and sports models and a fantastic choice for the Z3’s shark-nosed looks and swooping profile. It’s in fabulous condition with no real marks or damage, just a smattering of tiny stonechips on its nose. The alloys are equally impeccable.
All the paintwork is the original factory apart from a small scuff repair to the rear bumper in 2001 at a cost of £161, carried out by BMW UK. The invoice is in the file.
Having spent 14 years in Spain the car hasn’t been exposed to the same salted roads as many, and the vendor wax injected all the sill and body sections when he acquired the car in 2018.
An engineer by trade, the vendor has treated the Z3M like any other machine in his care and has properly maintained it with preventative maintenance rather than reactive repair. As such, in the past year or so the BMW has had a new clutch, refurbished Vanos o-rings, new brakes discs, pads and hoses front and rear, new v-belts and tensioners, a new electric fan and a new battery. As you’d expect with such fastidious maintenance it runs beautifully and is described by the vendor as ‘faultless’ to drive – you can just enjoy the 318bhp and 0-60 in 5.5 seconds that are delivered by that M3 powertrain.
This has to be one of the best, if not THE best, Z3Ms on the market right now – it’s wonderful. Low mileage, original, impeccably maintained and with a fully known history and a celebrity connection, there’s a huge amount to love about it.
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1998 BMW Z3M Roadster
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