The Z3, styled by Joji Nagashima, was the first BMW to be built in the USA, at the new Spartanburg factory in North Carolina. It was also a massively appealing entry to the sports car market – less hardcore but more practical than a Mazda MX-5 or MGF, and with beautiful BMW build quality and exceptional powertrains. Unlike those rivals, it was also available with a range of six-cylinder engines in addition to the most commonly found 1.9-litre four. They were offered in 2.0, 2.2, 2.5, 2.8 and 3.0-litre capacity, all with super-smooth performance.
Today, the Z3 is a great choice of modern classic open-top tourer and offers terrific value, while the fact it’s based on the ‘E36’ 3-Series platform also means it’s a rewarding car to drive. This one is a 2.2-litre six, which has 170bhp performance, and is especially desirable thanks to its personal line upholstery.
The Z3 features a really unusual blue-on-blue theme to the interior, with the bright blue two-tone leather seats matched by blue stitching on the leather door cards and seats. It was a very expensive feature when new and would have been a factory order.
It’s presented in very good order, with a very small amount of wear to the driver’s side seat bolster and mats. Otherwise, it’s immaculate.
Finished in BMW Carbon Black Metallic, the Z3 is in fine order with no visible rust. The body is straight and free of damage other than one-or-two marks and stone chips and the 17-inch alloys are freshly refurbished and look great with their lattice-spoke pattern.
It’s an extremely handsome car, in great overall condition, and the fabric hood and back window are new, the roof mechanism goes up and down as it ought to.
The Z3 comes with BMW’s 2.2-litre six, which develops 170bhp and is seemingly in good health having been serviced correctly throughout its life. It’s a low-miler, too, having done less than 59,000 since new.
The 2.2 isn’t the biggest or most powerful of BMW’s sixes, but it still delivers 0-60mph in 7.9 seconds so is plenty punchy enough for most, with excellent motorway refinement. The vendor says that the car drives very well, with no known faults and good brakes, steering and suspension.
27 years after it first appeared, the Z3 is finally starting to attract the classic attention it deserves. It was a brave car for BMW and one that still looks radical to this day, with timeless and distinctive styling and a wonderful long bonnet.
It’s a great car to drive, especially in six-cylinder tune, and this example is a terrific buy, with a great spec, some unique options and a genuine low mileage.
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2001 BMW Z3 2.2
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