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Author
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Topic: New Z3
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Rosruc
Member Posts: 1693
From:
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted March 23, 2001 08:53 AM
   
News from AutoExpress
 This new 'flame surfaced' BMW Z3 is getting ready to blaze a trail through the roadster market. Bigger, heavier, faster and more expensive than the car it replaces, the top-selling sportster is moving upmarket. That will take it away from rivals such as Mazda's MX-5 and the Rover MGF to concentrate on more prestigious hardware – the Audi TT, Mercedes SLK and Honda S2000 – when it hits the road next year.
It is the first production car in the BMW range which has been styled by design chief Chris Bangle, who penned such radical concepts as the Z9 and controversial X-Coupé, unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show in January. Bangle has purposely shunned the retro image of the old Z3 and instead embraced an all-new design philosophy called 'flame surfacing', with sharp-edged body panels shaped to resemble a flickering fire. It's hoped the dynamic look will be able to match the iconic Audi TT's in terms of desirability. But it's not only the Z3's styling that will be hot. Underneath, there's an all-new chassis and range of engines that promise to give competitors a real fright. BMW has worked hard to make sure the platform is good enough to take on and beat those of its more modern rivals, and has developed a super-stiff steel bodyshell. This will provide the perfect foundation for the suspension system, which has been lifted from the latest version of the 3-Series. As well as promising to make the Z3 a real driver's car at last, the chassis will be able to cope with powerplants ranging from the British-made four-cylinder Valvetronic 2.0-litre to six-cylinder units such as the 231bhp 3.0-litre and awesome 3.2-litre M engine with a Porsche-crushing 342bhp. You can expect the cabin to reflect the Z3's move upmarket, but the real revelation will be increased practicality. The interior will feel less claustrophobic than the current car's and luggage space will be increased, too. The boot incorporates a collapsible hood bag, similar to the 3-Series convertible's, to allow extra space when the roof is up. The changes come at a cost, as prices are set to start from £22,000.
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traian_bmw5
Moderator Posts: 820
From: TO, ON, CA, NA, EA, MW, LG, U
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted March 23, 2001 01:37 PM
Design seems nice (although it will take some time until those tail lights grow on me) but this:"Bigger, heavier, faster and more expensive than the car it replaces, the top-selling sportster is moving upmarket." ...is very, very wrong. ------------------
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 [This message has been edited by traian_bmw5 (edited March 23, 2001).] IP: Logged |
s2k
Moderator Posts: 3231
From: Vancouver, B.C. Canada
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted March 23, 2001 09:08 PM
nice, very nice------------------
My fantasy car site: http://ladiesman99799.tripod.com/myfantasycars/ IP: Logged |
Rosruc
Member Posts: 1693
From:
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted March 23, 2001 09:26 PM
I kinda like those tail lights.I love that it got faster and bigger, but heavier and more expensive......  IP: Logged |
frictionx
Moderator Posts: 5306
From: Bonneville Salt Flats
Registered: Dec 2000
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posted March 23, 2001 11:37 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Rosruc:
I kinda like those tail lights.I love that it got faster and bigger, but heavier and more expensive......
well, i dont like the new tail lights..let´s see the new front end for the final decision...any pics of the front end?????' ------------------
There´s no substitute for efficiently engineered cubic inches(or centimeters) IP: Logged |
Rosruc
Member Posts: 1693
From:
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted March 24, 2001 06:23 AM
The front look like the Z9.Here's a link to Robutt's site. http://www.powerwheelz.net/bmw/models/z3-e85.htm IP: Logged |
s2k
Moderator Posts: 3231
From: Vancouver, B.C. Canada
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted March 24, 2001 02:05 PM
not bad, this vs. S2000 ?------------------
My fantasy car site: http://ladiesman99799.tripod.com/myfantasycars/ IP: Logged |
frictionx
Moderator Posts: 5306
From: Bonneville Salt Flats
Registered: Dec 2000
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posted March 24, 2001 09:27 PM
i checked the front end and:
dammit...again its just incredible ugly  ...like the new 5-series...what´s goind on at BMW?? this even look like the TT in the front... ------------------
There´s no substitute for efficiently engineered cubic inches(or centimeters) IP: Logged |
s2k
Moderator Posts: 3231
From: Vancouver, B.C. Canada
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted March 25, 2001 05:26 PM
more pics anyone???------------------
My fantasy car site: http://ladiesman99799.tripod.com/myfantasycars/ IP: Logged |
gtsr
Member Posts: 1819
From: Australia
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted March 31, 2001 05:19 AM
the front end is VERY VERY bad.
over here the Z3 has always been a competitor with the SLK and the S2000. There is $US20 000 between the MX-5 and the Z3.------------------
ICQ# 111706780 IP: Logged |
Calibandar
Member Posts: 345
From: Netherlands
Registered: Jan 2001
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posted March 31, 2001 10:55 AM
Looks pretty good from the rear and the inside, and I'll bet they''ve worked very hard on making it more competitve as far as sportiness goes. The M Roadster will be a dream car.But I haven't seen the front. And as for what is going on with Bayer Motor Werke, has anyone noticed that the awful Z9 concept will actually be produced as the 600, a supercoupe. This is so sad, that car is ugly, BMW has been "announcing" a Jaguar and Mercedes SL competitot for years after the 800 was stopped and now they use this Z9. Apparantly, only the rear will be changed significantly
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Death makes angels of us all and gives us wings were we had shoulders. No more money, no more fancy dress, this other kingdom seems by far the best" IP: Logged |
FerrariKid14
Moderator Posts: 2725
From: Granville, OH
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted March 31, 2001 05:51 PM
I really like the new Z3's appearance - IMO, it is better from the rear than the new 5-series concepts. It has clean styling (unlike the edgy 'bulldog' styling of the previous Z3 and M models) that is very recognizable as BMW, even fitting in more alongside the Z8. Unfortunately, that leaves BMW's Motorsport division a lot more to work with in terms of 'sporting it up' to become an M roadster. And I don't think that a coupe version would come out looking too good, either.------------------
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alex
Administrator Posts: 254
From: London, UK
Registered: Oct 2000
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posted April 16, 2001 10:10 AM
Just did a story about the new Z3 on FantasyCars.com. Check it here: http://www.fantasycars.com/1/2001/Z32002/z32002.html (includes a front-end pic  )
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"To this day, I have car executives coming up to me and saying, "Tell me, Mr. Lutz, exactly what market research led you to build the Viper? That research must certainly have been quite in-depth." My response: "We didn't do any research at all - we just did it!" IP: Logged |
Stangboy122
Junior Member Posts: 12
From: ohio
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted April 16, 2001 12:56 PM
i like the back.. i still dont like the new BMW front headlights though..
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ViperGTS
Member Posts: 251
From:
Registered: Dec 2000
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posted April 16, 2001 06:22 PM
I really like the back but i hate the headlights in the front. Now porsche needs to make there boxster more powerful to catch up to the new Z3.------------------
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