Random Car Wednesday: BMW M Roadster

Welcome to a one-day-late rendition of RCW! I was out of town the past few days, but I'm back at home and boy it feels nice. This week's car is a very sporty German roadster, the BMW Z3 M Roadster. Germany's take on the Miata, the Z3 was small, sporty, and very popular. It was eventually replaced by the larger Z4, but the Z3 remains a delightful car to this day. This Z3 is an M Roadster, which is the upgraded variant. BMW's M Division created the M Coupe and M Convertible as more competitive renditions of the already-potent roadster. They received the powerplant from the mighty E46-gen M3, along with a wider track, better tires, an improved chassis and larger brakes. Top speed was electronically limited to 155 mph, quite reasonable for a car of this size. This particular M Roadster is finished in a terrific shade of blue and appears to get driven on a regular basis. A fitting lifestyle for a vehicle built to emphasize the joy of driving.

2001 BMW Z3 M Roadster