BMW Z3 Roadster
The BMW E36/7/8 Z3 was BMW's first mass produced mass market roadster, and was the first new BMW model to be manufactured in the United States. E36/7 refers to the roadster variant of the Z3 which was introduced in 1995, and E36/8 refers to the coupe variant of the Z3 which was released in 1999. The Z in Z1, Z3, Z4, Z8 stands for Zukunft, which is German for future. The BMW Z3 was introduced via video press release by BMW North America on June 12, 1995 and made a short appearance in the James Bond movie GoldenEye on November 17, 1995. Karen Sortio was responsible for the campaign, and sales of the Z3 spiked as the film sat at number one at the Box Office. In the 1996 production run, more than 15,000 roadsters were sold out by the time the car was introduced. A facelift for the car was introduced in 2000, and the Z3 ended production in 2002 when it was replaced by the BMW Z4.
Overview
The E36/7 (roadster) Z3 went under development in 1991 under Dr. Burkhard Göschel for 38 months. The exterior was designed by Joji Nagashima of the BMW Design Team in July 1992, which was then frozen in 1993 to be developed into the E36 platform to production in September 1995. The rear semi-trailing arm suspension was used from the BMW E30, and not the E36. Design patents were filed on April 2, 1994 in Germany and in September 27, 1994 in the US.
Production for facelift Z3 models was from April 1999 as a 2000 model year. The facelift included new engines and cosmetic changes, but did not apply on Z3M models which only featured a few changes and a different engine as well. Upon release, the Z3 was not up to many buyer's expectations as the interior were not as up to standard of other BMW models, and the plastic rear window did not compare well with the glass unit found on the cheaper Mazda MX5 (Mazda Miata). The facelift included updated and higher quality materials to try and solve this issue.
Engines and Model Lineup
All 4 cylinder powered Z3's featured one exhaust pipe and a normal body kit. All 6 cylinder powered Z3's featured 2 exhaust pipes together and flared wheel arches and a different front bumper. This does not include the Z3M which has quad exhausts and not two. Bostongrün, Montrealblau, Alpinweiss, Cosmosschwarz, Atalantablau, Dunkelgrün, Arktiksilber, Hellrot, Estorilblau, Dakargelb, Titansilber, Siennarot, Topasblau, Oxfordgrün II, Sterlinggrau, Saphirschwarz, Schwarz II were colours for the Z3 Roadster and Coupe.
Roadster (September 1995-2002)
The BMW E36/7 Z3 entered production in September 1995 as a 1996 model year, with the earliest engines being the 1.8 and 1.9l engines with a 2.8l engine joining the lineup in 1996. Z3's could be ordered with a hardtop roof which would snap on to mounting points.
Coupe (1999-2002)
The BMW E36/8 Z3 entered production sometime in 1999 with its controversial shooting brake design, often being referred to by critics as the breadbox. The Coupe version however featured a chassis stiffening hatch area, and only had 2.8l, 3.0l and 3.2 (Z3M) engines available.
[Text from Wikipedia]
This miniland-scale Lego BMW Z3 Roadster (2.8L - 1996) has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 92nd Build Challenge, - "Stuck in the 90's", - all about vehicles from the decade of the 1990s.
BMW Z3 Roadster
The BMW E36/7/8 Z3 was BMW's first mass produced mass market roadster, and was the first new BMW model to be manufactured in the United States. E36/7 refers to the roadster variant of the Z3 which was introduced in 1995, and E36/8 refers to the coupe variant of the Z3 which was released in 1999. The Z in Z1, Z3, Z4, Z8 stands for Zukunft, which is German for future. The BMW Z3 was introduced via video press release by BMW North America on June 12, 1995 and made a short appearance in the James Bond movie GoldenEye on November 17, 1995. Karen Sortio was responsible for the campaign, and sales of the Z3 spiked as the film sat at number one at the Box Office. In the 1996 production run, more than 15,000 roadsters were sold out by the time the car was introduced. A facelift for the car was introduced in 2000, and the Z3 ended production in 2002 when it was replaced by the BMW Z4.
Overview
The E36/7 (roadster) Z3 went under development in 1991 under Dr. Burkhard Göschel for 38 months. The exterior was designed by Joji Nagashima of the BMW Design Team in July 1992, which was then frozen in 1993 to be developed into the E36 platform to production in September 1995. The rear semi-trailing arm suspension was used from the BMW E30, and not the E36. Design patents were filed on April 2, 1994 in Germany and in September 27, 1994 in the US.
Production for facelift Z3 models was from April 1999 as a 2000 model year. The facelift included new engines and cosmetic changes, but did not apply on Z3M models which only featured a few changes and a different engine as well. Upon release, the Z3 was not up to many buyer's expectations as the interior were not as up to standard of other BMW models, and the plastic rear window did not compare well with the glass unit found on the cheaper Mazda MX5 (Mazda Miata). The facelift included updated and higher quality materials to try and solve this issue.
Engines and Model Lineup
All 4 cylinder powered Z3's featured one exhaust pipe and a normal body kit. All 6 cylinder powered Z3's featured 2 exhaust pipes together and flared wheel arches and a different front bumper. This does not include the Z3M which has quad exhausts and not two. Bostongrün, Montrealblau, Alpinweiss, Cosmosschwarz, Atalantablau, Dunkelgrün, Arktiksilber, Hellrot, Estorilblau, Dakargelb, Titansilber, Siennarot, Topasblau, Oxfordgrün II, Sterlinggrau, Saphirschwarz, Schwarz II were colours for the Z3 Roadster and Coupe.
Roadster (September 1995-2002)
The BMW E36/7 Z3 entered production in September 1995 as a 1996 model year, with the earliest engines being the 1.8 and 1.9l engines with a 2.8l engine joining the lineup in 1996. Z3's could be ordered with a hardtop roof which would snap on to mounting points.
Coupe (1999-2002)
The BMW E36/8 Z3 entered production sometime in 1999 with its controversial shooting brake design, often being referred to by critics as the breadbox. The Coupe version however featured a chassis stiffening hatch area, and only had 2.8l, 3.0l and 3.2 (Z3M) engines available.
[Text from Wikipedia]
This miniland-scale Lego BMW Z3 Roadster (2.8L - 1996) has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 92nd Build Challenge, - "Stuck in the 90's", - all about vehicles from the decade of the 1990s.