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Category: BMW

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2004 BMW Z4 3.0si Coupe

2004 BMW Z4 3.0si Coupe

Published October 2, 2021 by Carter

Looking through today’s BMW lineup, where everything has a million M badges to accompany the gazillion horsepower, I’ll be honest – little excites me. The M2 is pretty awesome, and a properly equipped 4-Series is a nice looker, but most I have trouble distinguishing from the Kia lineup. So it’s nice to head back in time a bit to something that’s both unique and understated at the same time. Of course, you’ll also want rear-drive only, and a singing naturally aspirated inline-six.

Today’s Z4 has all of those things. In front is the N52 inline-six, here rated at 261 horsepower and 232 lb.ft of torque. For those counting, that’s a bit more horsepower and nearly the same torque as the S52 had only a few years earlier, and N52 has a lighter alloy block. They sound great, too. The E86 was rear-drive only, too. And rare? You better believe it. We’ve all grown accustom to the unique looks of the M Coupe and its resultant low production numbers. But the 3.0si barely sold better. Just over 2,100 were sold here in just two model years, a few hundred more than the M variant. You’re not likely to see them cruising down the road in your commute, in other words. And while the looks are polarizing, I think they’re rather pretty. The best part? They’re also pretty affordable.

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1989 BMW Z1

1989 BMW Z1

Published September 26, 2021 by Carter

BMW took a big leap at the end of the 1980s and introduced some pretty extreme design language. First was the E31 8-series, a seeming quantum leap from the outgoing 6-series. That chassis pioneered, for better or worse, a tremendous amount of technical and electronic innovation for BMW. The 8s relied on a bevy of computers to control its chassis, electronic suite and engine. Side by side with the more famous Grand Tourer though was a diminutive roadster BMW produced based heavily on the E30 chassis. Instead of a heavy reliance on computer technology, the futuristic (hence Z for the German word for future – Zukunft) plastic bodied Z1 looked like a supercar even if it didn’t go like one. Park one next to a E30 convertible and you’d never know the two are related!

The Z1 was a complete departure for BMW; while they were not strangers to small cabriolets, their previous efforts were in the 1930s with the 315/1 and the 1960s with the 700. BMW went away from the idea of an integral body and frame to a separate chassis with removable, plastic body pieces. The idea was that the owners could replace the panels themselves to “repaint” the car with minimal effort. It was something the Smart car would be notable for – a car that launched a decade following the Z1. To get the paint to adhere to the bodywork, BMW had to partner with AZKO coatings to develop a flexible paint which they termed ‘Varioflex’, while the bodywork had to be attached using a unique elastic joint technique. The doors didn’t open out – they slid down into the supporting chassis structure. The underbody was flat, not only for aerodynamics, but the tray turned into a diffuser towards the back, assisting in sticking the rear to the ground as speeds rose. In front was nothing new: the venerable M20 from the E30 popped up here, too – but in the rear the Z1 was new with a multi-link rear axle of its own. This new design would later be incorporated into the E36. It’s interesting that with the Z3 BMW opted to go the opposite route and incorporate earlier E30 pieces into the rear of the /7 and /8. While performance was relatively leisurely, the Z1 nevertheless garnered praise for its innovation, unique design and great looks. They never made it to U.S. shores and only around 8,000 examples were ever produced, but a few have crossed the Atlantic now that they’re old enough to be more easily imported:

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1993 BMW M3 iDing Power S3

1993 BMW M3 iDing Power S3

Published September 19, 2021 by Carter

For those who aren’t immediately familiar with iDing Power, you’re forgiven.

The M3 GTR launched in 1994, and the United States did (technically) see it in the form of the Prototype Technology Group-run team in IMSA race series. The same year in Japan, iDing Power revealed the plans for their turned-up E36 M3. They had acquired an early production second generation model; production started for the E36 M3 in February, 1992 – and the particular example you see here was produced on February 3, 1993. iDing then added a plethora of unique touches, from upgraded suspension, wheels and brakes, special interior items, and some body modifications. By “some”, of course it’s hard to look past the W201 190E-Evo inspired rear wing and massive tacked-on flares. iDing also took the S50B30 European motor, rated at 286 horsepower stock, and modified it to a claimed 330 horsepower. iDing widebodies are pretty rare finds, with a claimed 17 produced.

Today’s car we’ve seen before; I wrote it up back in 2017 when it was still in Japan. It was also the prototype test car, apparently, and is highlighted on the company’s history page.

Tuner Tuesday: 1993 BMW M3 iDing Power S3

Well, it’s traveled across the sea to Wyoming and an additional 1,500 miles since we last saw it, and it can now be yours again…for a price.

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1986 BMW M535i

1986 BMW M535i

Published September 18, 2021 by Carter

This M535i sold on October 3, 2021 for $9,100.

Following up on the M760i, it seems relevant to look at an M535i. There’s a huge disparity in the “M” branded models between the E24 and E28. While the M6 and M5 co-existed in the United States market, they did not in Europe. This left the M635CSi to be the equivalent of the M6, as the latter was only marketed in North America and Japan. But the same was not true of the M535i. This model was sold as a more affordable alternative to the M5 in Europe: most of the look of the Motorsports model but without the bigger bills associated with the more exotic double overhead cam 24 valve M88/3. Instead, you got a 3.4 liter M30 under the hood just like the rest of the .35 models. The recipe was a success, selling around 10,000 examples in several different markets – but never in the U.S..

Instead, the U.S. market received the 535iS model. The iS model was specific to the North American market and gave you the look of the U.S.-bound M5, with deeper front and rear spoilers, M-crafted sport suspension and sport seats. It, too, was quite popular – between 1987 and 1988, just over 6,000 examples sold in the United States alone, and of those, a little more than half were the preferred manual variant. One of the nice aspects of the 535iS was that if you enjoyed colors other than black you were able to order the lesser model in any shade you wanted, unlike the North American M5.

Today I found an M535i that popped up in…well, shall we say an unusual setting. Let’s take a look:

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2017 BMW M760i xDrive

2017 BMW M760i xDrive

Published September 11, 2021 by Carter

There aren’t many times that you can say that the cheapest of a given thing is still unbelievably impressive. That, though, is the case with the M760i xDrive. In 2017, this was the least expensive V12-engined car you could buy. That didn’t make it cheap at a nearly $160,000 base price, and it also didn’t mean BMW skimped on options – or, by any means, power. The M760i has a twin-turbocharged 6.6-liter V12, after all, and it makes 601 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque. Coupled with the ultra-quick-shifting ZF 8-speed auto and xDrive, this car is quick for a sports car – never mind a luxury apartment. Despite weighing in at over 5,000 lbs, the car can scoot to 60 in 3.4 seconds and do the standing quarter mile in 11.7 at over 120 mph. Unreal. Now, you can rail against BMW’s use of the M badge everywhere not M, but if there’s one car that might be deserving of it, it’s this one. Performance was, of course, also only part of the story, as this car also has every option you could pretty much want in a luxury sedan. And predictably, despite being just a few years old the values on these have quickly fallen:

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