This is a car that is affectionately known as the “Clown Shoe” by BMW affionados. It is called that owing to its truncated shape, which is like nothing else made in recent memory. The car is based on the E36 chassis with the familiar nose of a Z3 and the body of a coupe welded onto the back. It it the epitome of a “skunkworks” project within BMW and after getting a slightly chilly reception due to its polarizing shape, it has become a sought after modern-era collectible. This is an S52-powered M Coupe supposedly found neglected in Florida and now listed here on eBay.
I have a deep appreciation for this model, namely because I added one to my small collection of European vehicles earlier this year. Found in much the same way – more or less abandoned by its owner for a variety of reasons in a suburban Maryland neighborhood – my car is a 2001 model with the hot-to-trot S54 engine (more on that in a minute.) The seller claims he found this Z3 M Coupe in a Florida driveway where it hadn’t been driven in several years and was suffering from general neglect. He has since gotten the car running with a fuel system clean-out and it is said to run well despite lack of regular use. Check out the sweet Dinan exhaust!
Now, about engine choices: the earlier Clown Shoe got the S52 inline-six from the E36 M3. The S52 was the second engine offered after the S50, and was a bit torquier than the earliest E36 M3 engine. It is a fine motor and makes good power and torque, along with sounding as a proper BMW inline-six should. The later cars with the S54 engine from the E46 M3 is a different beast altogether, knocking 0-60 times down significantly while also sounding quite a bit more exotic. I absolutely love wringing mine out, despite the fact it approaches illicit speeds in a hurry. Like all BMWs, refreshing the cooling system is a must-do bit of proactive maintenance.
The best part about an M Coupe is how you sit in it. This is not a car for giants, as it sometimes feels as if the car is wearing you for protection. It’s a cozy cabin and a true 2-seater, which makes it feel surprisingly exotic. The sport seats and three-spoke steering wheel came standard, but it’s clear this interior has seen better days. The seller discloses a variety of issues, including that it needs a total respray and that the tires are dry-rotted, among other issues. The values on these oddball coupes have been climbing, so it seems worthy of the investment, even with the $10,000 opening bid.
On my short list but there are lots of lower-mileage examples out there, and yours the one to have, Jeff, with that peppy engine. Also, probably a “girl” thing, but this color is uninspiring. Make mine blue or black.
I’d also take black, and add landau-bar decals on the rear quarter windows in tribute to the Jaguar E-type hearse from the film Harold & Maude, which reportedly inspired the shape of these. The BMW team that developed the Z3 Coupe even had T-shirts printed up reading, “Harold Lives!”
Appreciate the seller listing the good points and bad issues (though the paint wear isn’t mentioned) but the opening price might be a little steep accordingly.
Nice car i had a 1992 formula 350 white i loved it it was a solid runner
I had this identical shoe for 3 years with below 50k miles when I sold it. Fortunately I had the 100k warranty from being a lease car first. It’s a very easy car to drive fast , but after a few a years of trying to go slow it got old. I got a small klunk from the rear suspension and knowing it probably would need the rear frame connect redone it was bye bye. I loved it but I never want a car with continual needs.
I believe this was meant to compete with the Mazda Miata and it did well in a lot of the same category’s that the Miata was known for except the Miata did it for much less expense than the BMW. But the Z3 was a fun car with performance to match. Hope it finds a good home.
The original Z3 roadster did compete with the Miata, but the Z3 Coupe was pretty much in a class all its own. Wish someone else would do a low-slung 2-seater longroof shooting brake like this nowadays, as Z3 Coupe prices suggest there’s still an avid market for that body configuration.
I remember when these came out i sat in 1 and could not believe how everything just fell in to hand as if it was built specifically for me. 2 small children and a wife made this a no go, did end up with a used 740IL that was a wonderful car. I always liked the styling.