Lot Ended
Description
Believed to be the only RHD example in the UK; 192bhp 2.8
straight-six; 5-speed manual; extended leather dash and doorcards; custom
stainless steel quad exhausts; H&R suspension; many new parts; one of only
7,600 made; all the looks of the iconic Z3M 'Breadvan' at a fraction of the
price
A proper old
school hot rod, the BMW Z3M Coupe was a high performance version of the standard
Z3 Roadster which was always considered a bit of a ‘hair dresser’s car’ by keen
drivers. With a vastly more rigid body and 321bhp on tap from its E36 M3 3.2
straight-six, the Z3M Coupe was the coolest and fastest BMW of its day,
scorching to 60mph in 5.2 seconds with a top speed of
155mph.
A skunkworks project by the engineers in
BMW’s M-Division, it was only reluctantly sanctioned by the BMW board on
condition that it sold in sufficient numbers to make a profit. To ensure this
was the case, in addition to the c.6,200 M Coupes made between 1997 and 2002,
another 7,600 or so were made with the 192bhp 2.8i straight-six and from
2001 - 2002 another 3,800 with the 225bhp 3.0i engine, all LHD for the European
and American markets (with an auto ‘box available for the hair
dressers).
Believed to be the only RHD Z3 Coupe
in the UK, this European-spec car
has BMW's creamy-smooth 2.8i straight-six and 5-speed manual
transmission which should make it good for a 0-60 time of 6.5 seconds and a top
speed of 144mph. Not quite in the same league as the Z3M but plenty quick enough
and with much lower running costs than the highly-strung 3.2 unit.
When our vendor acquired the car, he was told
that it was originally bought by a member of the British Armed Forces stationed
in Germany. It is not known who converted it to RHD or when, but it was first UK
registered in August 2002 according to the V5C, although the service book
records an undated PDI Inspection by BMW Sycamore of Peterborough, followed
by a service in November 2000 at 9,875 miles so perhaps they looked after
it for the serviceman and converted it to RHD when his German posting came to an
end – who knows?
Our vendor did contact Sycamore but unfortunately their
computerised service records don't go back that far so they couldn't really
help, although they were able to say that the BMW Production Record showed
that the car was supplied new by BMW dealership JM Martin Woluwe of
Brussels.
The odometer now shows 93,300 miles
which is backed up by 10 stamps in the service book, the last at 85,857 miles in
July 2011, and by 14 old MOTs on file plus the current MOT which is valid until
August 2025 with no advisories recorded. There are lots of invoices from 2006
onwards for regular maintenance and new parts fitted, but many other goodies
were fitted by the previous owner for which there are no
invoices.
An ex-Special Forces combat engineer
and a proper petrolhead, he worked on the car as a hobby, fitting many new parts
whether they were needed or not. Parts fitted within the last three years
include: H&R lowering springs; four new shocks; four new brake discs/pads;
refurbished deep dish 18” staggered alloys; new tyres all round (235/40/18
front; 255/35/18 rear); Storm Motorwerks weighted billet aluminium gear knob and
handbrake handle; carbon fibre airbox plus a custom stainless steel quad-pipe
exhaust which looks and sounds fantastic.
He also
serviced the car religiously and five of the seven service lights are still
illuminated so it shouldn’t need servicing for a good while yet. The oil on the
dipstick looks fresh and golden. No doubt there are other trick parts fitted
that we haven’t spotted. There are some brand new and fancy-looking Meyle
suspension parts in the boot which he was presumably going to fit at some point
and which are included in the sale.
Finished in
Cosmos Black with Walnut leather heated seats and Walnut leather doorcard
inserts, other equipment includes: extended leather dash; electric windows; air
con; cruise control; traction control; M-Sport steering wheel; M-Coupe rev
counter; Snooper speed camera detector; retractable mesh dog guard; retractable
luggage cover; smoked glass sunroof and all the correct M-Sport exterior
badging. The only thing that gives the game away is the centre console which
lacks the three extra dials fitted to the Z3M (clock, ammeter and oil
temperature gauge).
Someone has also fitted an
Alpine CD/radio wired to an iPod in the glovebox with a humungous Juice
subwoofer in the boot, so if you fancy starting an
earthquake...
These eye-popping hot rods have a
cult following in Europe and America, where they are affectionately known as the
‘Clown Shoe’. Eminently tuneable, they make fantastic track day weapons, a
Vortech supercharger being a popular upgrade which boosts the 2.8 engine to
310bhp and 265ft/lbs.
Our vendor acquired the car
six months ago to join his collection of interesting machines and has enjoyed it
immensely, reporting that it drives as well as it looks. He had big plans for
this Breadvan and is gutted to part with it, but one of his Italian exotics has
just suffered a catastrophic engine failure which will cost more than the value
of this Z3 to fix.
Scrabbling around for funds,
he contemplated selling one of his kidneys but his doctor advised that his
lifestyle had rendered them worthless. Adding insult to injury, his wife refused
to let him sell one of the kids either, hence the Breadvan’s appearance in
this sale.
So do him a favour, bid generously now and it could be you
who takes this hooligan home…
Consigned by James Dennison – 07970 309907 – james.dennison@brightwells.com