1999 BMW Z3 2.8 Coupe
Arctic Silver Exterior
Black Leather Interior
Fine Wood Trim
1 of 93 1999 BMW Z3 Coupes in Arctic Silver/Black Leather
138,400 Miles
6-Cylinder M52B25TU Engine
5-Speed Manual Transmission
ZHP Shift Knob
Leather Steering Wheel
Leather Sport Seats
Moonroof
Alpine Stereo
HiFi Sound System
Cruise Control
Fog Lights
Cup Holder
Clock
Automatic Stability Control (ASC)
Front and Side Airbags
Limited-Slip Differential
Factory Front Mud Flaps
Style 32 17” Sport Wheels
Continental ExtremeContact High-Performance Summer Tires
Extra Set of 17” Winter Wheels w/ Bridgestone Blizzak Snow Tires
BMW Carpet Floor Mats
Clean Carfax

Background
The BMW (Z3) M Coupe is the SR-71 Blackbird of the BMW M world (if you have no clue what an SR-71 is, you have some Googling to do). Lockheed’s ultra-secret internal Skunkworks division designed the SR-71, whereas the BMW M Coupe was the secret internal project of BMW Motorsport GmbH engineer Burkhard Goschel. Following the tradition that resulted in the E30 3 Series Touring, Goschel penned a hatchback onto the already fantastic M Roadster. Adding a lid to a platform originally designed to be a convertible resulted in the most rigid BMW ever (at the time). The M Coupe was roughly 260% more rigid than the M Roadster. It was destined to be a one-off novelty, hidden deep within the basement vault of M GmbH forever, but then BMW did something shocking—and offered it for sale! Enthusiasts salivated in anticipation of a shooting brake-style hatchback, with its staggeringly unique lines and the power and handling to back them up. If you wanted all of the styles of the M Coupe, without the price, you opt for the Z3 Coupe, which was highly optioned, including sports seats, sport wheels, sports suspension settings, and a limited-slip differential.

Summary
This 1999 BMW Z3 Coupe offers an excellent opportunity to own one of the most unique BMWs ever made. Finished in Arctic Silver over Black Leather, with 138,400 miles, this Z3 Coupe 2.8 is powered by the M52B28TU. The M52B28TU (TU stands for Technical Update) is good for 190 horsepower, but those horses are compounded in the Z3 Coupe’s rigid chassis when routed through the ZF 5-speed manual gearbox and a limited-slip differential. More importantly, the M52TU is one of BMW’s most reliable engines, having none of the oil consumption issues that M54s do. Other notable options include sport seats, a ZHP shift knob, Style 32 sport wheels, and factory mud flaps (a unicorn part for us M Coupe and Z3 connoisseurs). There is a second set of wheels with snow tires with Bridgestone Blizzak tires, making this a true four-season sports car. It was originally delivered in Dallas, Texas in January of 1999 and remained there under the first owner until 2004 and 60,000 miles. It spent the next sixteen years with the second owner in Connecticut and New Hampshire, only being driven another 65,000 miles (roughly 4,000 miles a year). As such, it is free of the typical corrosion and wear and tear a Northeast car would typically exhibit. The third owner is a Glen Shelly regular who purchased it in December of 2021 and brought it to Colorado.

As it sits, it is a fantastic driver-quality example. Rather than do our typical refurbishment, it made more sense to keep it that way and offer it at a rare price point for a Z3 hatchback. The cosmetic condition is very presentable but does show flaws consistent with its age and miles. Mechanically, there are no glaring issues. Common issues like trunk floor spot weld separation, sloppy seat bushings, and glove box sag are not present. Items we noted on our inspection are slight 5th gear lean (sticky shift pin bushings), typical transmission seeps at the shift selector and output shaft seals, and the age and type of the water pump and cooling system are unknown, but it is not leaking or showing any signs of failure. We also noted typical oil seeps at the valve cover and oil stand gasket, and wear on the sway bar end link bushing and control arm bushings. None of these need to be addressed at this time, and we would be happy to do the work for you if and when it was desired. As it sits, this is an excellent entry into one of the most unique BMWs ever made and a very compelling price point.

Glen Shelly is a low-volume auto brokerage focused only on the highest-quality vehicles. We are airline pilots, mechanics, and auto enthusiasts who bring a high level of professionalism and attention to detail to the automobile business. Our philosophy is to keep our inventory small so that we can focus on thorough mechanical and cosmetic preparation of the vehicles we select. We have over 20 years of experience restoring and repairing automobiles and are intimately familiar with our cars. We do the inspections, service, detailing, and corrective maintenance using only OEM parts and service manuals. We offer an informed and low-pressure sales environment resulting in a premium buying experience. Find out more about us at www.Glenshelly.com.