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Cheap thrills: BMW's new
Z3
(Bayerische Motoren Werke AG's 1996-model sports
car)
Popular Science, Feb 1996 v248 n2 p48(2)
Author: Sherman, Don
An American-built sports car that is fun - without fooling around.
The new Z3 sports car, being assembled for worldwide distribution at BMW's new manufacturing plant near Spartanburg, South Carolina, is a classic, two-seat, soft-top fun machine created from a surprisingly ordinary collection of components.
The renowned Bavarian automaker has clearly drawn inspiration from Mazda's Miata, arguably the most successful sports car of the past decade. Just like the Miata, the Z3 is a back-to-basics rendition of the classic front-engine roadster. Stretch the Miata's 89.2-inch wheelbase by 7 inches, add 400 or so pounds, plug in a four-cylinder engine packing an extra 56cc, and you've got the Z3's blue-print. Sports cars once forged ahead to explore advanced technology that eventually filtered down to ordinary sedans and coupes. But none of this cat's major hardware is new or venturesome. The MacPherson strut front suspension is borrowed from today's 3-series, and the semi-trailing-arm rear axle was passed down from a previous-generation M3 sport sedan. The Z3's 1.9-liter, 16-valve, 138-horsepower 4-cylinder engine is a bored and stroked version of the engine that originally powered BMW's price-leader 318i. (Added refinements are a modified valve train handed down' from BMW's 5.4-liter V12, sequential fuel injection, and a hot-film mass-airflow sensor.)
Like the Miata and the Dodge Viper, the Z3 is more interested in having fun than in fooling around with engineering experiments. The top unlatches and folds with a flick of the wrist. The steering is crisp and responsive, while the humble suspension hardware seems to sink grappling hooks into the pavement. There's not enough power on tap to run with Corvettes and Porsches, but the Z3's engine keeps this roadster on stride by dint of its free-revving enthusiasm.
A robust body structure is free of the quakes and quivers that plague some open roadsters. Two contributors are a windshield frame stiffened by tube-within-a-tube reinforcements and deep-section, heavy-gauge door sills. In keeping with its upscale status, the Z3 feels noticeably more substantial than the frivolous, flingable Miata.
One flash of brilliance sure to make the Z3 a success is the tantalizing price tag - $28,750 for a genuine wind-in-the-hair, bugs-in-the-teeth BMW.
The Z3's only problem is a major misalignment between supply and demand. Most of the plant's production is either 3-series or Z3s destined for export. The U.S. allotment probably won't exceed 20,000 cars. The line forms right behind James Bond.