They are fulfilled 30 years since the production of Z3 began in the Spartanburg plant of BMW in USA. It is Compact Roadster It was the First BMW that was manufactured outside Germany, and its history is full of successes after more than 297,000 units.
The first to take it was 007
His first driver was James Bond During the agent saga movie 007 ‘Goldeneye’. The premiere of the film took place in November 1995 and the BMW Z3 He was the faithful companion of then James Bond, Pierce Brosnan, In the most dynamic scenes. As a curiosity, the car that appears in the film is in the Munich BMW Museum.
That same year, the limited version was launched in the United States Z3 James Bond Edition of Only 20 units. Its success was such that production had to increase to 100 cars. In early 1996, all annual production of Z3 (15,000 units) was already sold.
A classic BMW design
The body of the Z3 It was designed by Joji Nagashima, that also created the lines of the Serie 5 E39 or of the Serie 3 E90. The Z3 continued the characteristic formula of the BMW Roadster: Long Morro, Short Irra, Very small blasting and a position behind delayed, almost on the posterior axis.
Without a doubt, Z3 was a worthy successor, in compact size, of the mythical 507 of the fifties. Z3 design knew how to combine perfectly modern and daring ways with classic details Like lateral gills. Today, Z3 design is considered a timeless classic aesthetic and is a Roadster with fans clubs worldwide.
A very complete range of engines
When Z3 was launched, the available motorizations were the acquaintances Four cylinders of 115 and 143 hp. In April 1997, the unforgettable Six 2.8 -liter cylinders with 193 hp And, in addition, BMW M presented the Z3 Roadster M with an engine of 3.2 liters with 321 hp. With this propeller, the same as that of the M3 E36, the Z3 became a high performance sports car.
In 1999almost 170,000 units of the Z3 had already been sold and the model updated slightly with a more muscular rear, new rear pilots and a front that included headlights with chromed edge optics that gave it a very suggestive appearance. Mechanically, there were news such as 1.9 -liter engine of 117 hp, the six cylinders of 2.0 liters of 150 hp. A one also arrived Six cylinders of 2.2 liters of 170 hp, while the upper part of the range was occupied by the Six cylinders of 3.0 liters of 231 hp and the M version with 325 hp.
Z3 Coupé: A very special model
Within the history of Z3, it is necessary to dedicate a Special Chapter to the Coupé version that was launched during the summer of 1998. His special rear has a precedent in BMW with the mythical 328 Sportcoupé with whom Huschke van Hanstein and Walter Bäumer won the Mille Miglia 1940. Today, the BMW Z3 Coupé is a cult car from which about 18,000 units were manufactured.
Los z3 coupé They were marketed only with six -cylinder mechanics: El Z3 Coupé 2.8i of 193 hp, the 3.0i of 231 hp and the M versions with 321 and 325 hp. As a curiosity, the Z3 M Coupé was the security car that was used in MotoGP During the season of year 2000. Another anecdote of the Z3 Coupé is the Unit ‘Millenium Edition’ that was raffled among the readers of a German car magazine.
Within the Roadster body, there is a very special unique model that is the Z3 M V12. This unit with motor V12 con 326 CV It was manufactured to check the capacity of the vain motor of Z3.
BMW also manufactured some Special individual versionsl with a very exclusive combination of colors and equipment. Some of these editions are the ‘British traditional’, ‘dakkar’ o ‘kyalami’. More common were the Sport Edition versions, which can be found in the Z3 1.9i, 2.2iy 3.0i. This special version equipped 17 -inch wheels with the models Style 42 o Style 78, Together with a lower suspension (-1.5 centimeters with respect to a normal Z3), rear self-locking and an interior with sports seats and det details.
The Z3 is already a classic
The last unit that was manufactured at the Spartanburg plant did it on June 28, 2002 and is exhibited at the Factory Museum. Without a doubt, a tribute to a Roadster who offered his drivers all the pleasure of BMW driving. Sports car fans have been considering Z3 for several years as a classic and this 2020 is a very special date since he turns 30.
