The Z3 M: The Often Forgotten Legend When people think of the legends in BMW’s M line-up, many cars come to thought. All variants of the M3, M5, the M2 CS, the M6 Gran Coupe, the 3.0l CSL and the M1 all come to mind as the best M cars. But also to that list is the “bread van” or “clown shoe” launched in 1998. The BMW Z3 M Coupé,. This car was truly a wild card in BMW’s history. Read More New Facts About the BMW M2 CS Based on the rather lacklustre Z3, this car was powered by the 321 horsepower, 3.2-litre straight-six from the E36 M3. And with 250lb-ft of torque, it resulted in 0-62mph in just 5.1 seconds, a limited top speed of 155mph and a car that was a complete lunatic in the corners. Seriously this thing spent more of its life sideways than it did in a straight line. And obviously with that bread-van clown-shoe styling, this car looked as daft as it went. But that’s what made it a legend. It wasn’t a car that you bought because it was BMW’s best, but rather because it was their most pure and lunatic. It is one of BMW’s most loved gems, and that’s saying a lot, given their history of legendary cars. The Styling of the Speedtop This new shooting brake concept appears to take inspiration from the Z3 M. The low-slung shooting brake body, paired with an elongated roofline, illuminated kidney grilles, dynamic rear spoiler, slim LED headlights and signature spline is not only inspired by the Z3 M but by its convertible twin, the BMW Skytop. Inside there’s “Sundown Maroon” leather with white “Moonstone seats and brogue leather straps from BMW’s Dingolfing-based Manufactory, partnered with leather specialist Schedoni. There’s a light-illuminated headliner lit with an ambient beam throughout the car and also in the boot. BMW’s design chief, Adrian van Hooydonk, described the Speedtop as “a testament to elegant sporting expression.” Past collaborations saw BMW working with Zagato or Pininfarina, however, with the Speedtop BMW have now somewhat mastered the art of true and proper coach-building. Only trouble is it doesn't really resemble a Z3 M. It looks too elegant rather than a little thug. Power and PerformanceUnderneath the elongated bonnet, we find the same twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 as in the M8 Competition, BMW’s current wildest car (very much the Z3M of modern times). That means 625 horsepower, 533 lb-ft of torque and 0-62mph in less than 3 seconds, and if districted, hit 190mph. Now BMW has not stated anything regarding the official 0-62mph and top speed of the Speedtop only that it borrows a lot of its components from the M8. Despite this, the Speedtop costs nearly $700,000 and only 70 will ever be built. This seems to be my biggest concern. There’s no denying this is one hell of a concept car, but its price and the fact it's based on fairly mid-car do drag it down. The M8 already struggles to find its place as either a luxury GT or a supercar killer. And with just a sculptured body that sought of resembles a past legend and a price tag from the moon, that leaves my overall thoughts on the Speedtop rather mixed. Still, if you buy one, it’ll look nice on your drive, and really that’s all you’ll ever need. Source: BMW
