1998 BMW Z3M Roadster

This BMW’s first owner was the footballer Jerrel ‘Jimmy’ Floyd Hasselbaink, who was playing for Leeds United at the time he bought it from Southall Leeds on the 15th of April, 1998. Jimmy owned it for less than a year, part-exchanging it against a new BMW saloon from the same dealer after discovering that he needed more space than the two-seater Z3M had to offer.

The seller bought it on the 7th of September, 1998, and so has been the car’s main custodian – and what a job he’s done, servicing it on the dot and obviously determined to keep the car in the very best condition possible: the term ‘maintained regardless of cost’ is frequently bandied about, but it is completely justified here.

Always kept garaged and rarely, if ever, used in the rain, it is finished in Estoril Blue, which we think is the very best colour for a BMW Z3M. Having recently returned to the United Kingdom after spending the past 14 years in Spain, it has successfully dodged winter roads and the subsequent lashings of road salt that British authorities are obsessed with using.

With a verified and genuine mileage of just 37,000 miles – it went both to and from Spain on a transporter - it is in a stunning condition and in need of nothing bar a tankful of petrol and a winding road ahead.

The Estoril Blue paintwork is in fabulous condition, being sharp and shiny and almost completely free of the sort of stonechips and other age-related marks it would be entitled to wear. Sure, there is a small chip to the leading edge of the offside front splitter but this would be easy to repair should the new owner want the car as perfect as possible but it’s so small as to be fairly inconspicuous and so we’d be tempted to leave it alone.

And, for a model with a reputation for spitting itself off the road backwards, the panel shut lines are as good as they were the day it left the factory. The owner has confirmed, in writing, that the car has not been involved in any accidents bar a minor car-park scuff, during which the bumper was scratched and pushed out of alignment. The invoice only came to just over one-hundred pounds, which shows just how minor the damage was.

Backing this up are the doors, bonnet and boot, all of which still open and shut with the sort of precision that reinforces the stereotype of fastidious German engineering. This is a sportscar you can buy with your head, as well as your heart.

The folding fabric roof, which is electrically operated, still fits tightly and is completely water-tight. The rubber seal that sits around the rear plastic window has come adrift and needs replacing, but that’s a small job and only to be expected at this age.

Further evidence of an almost obsessive level of care and attention to detail comes via the alloy wheels, which were refurbished in 2018 at a cost of almost £100 per wheel as they were lightly marked; this was not a kerbside refurbishment done out of the back of a Transit van…

The black and blue leather interior demonstrates that BMW are capable of producing car’s with interiors that are as durable as they are attractive; its condition is a stunning vindication of the care with which the car has been treated too, being clean and almost unmarked bar some wear to the driver’s door trim, plus a small area of wear on the edge of the driver’s seat. Both areas could be easily recoloured, but this work would best be entrusted to a specialist to ensure that the colour matching is done properly.

It really is a rather lovely place to be, the heavily sculpted sports seats gripping you firmly but comfortably aft of the retro-modern dashboard and instruments, which are redolent of those used in 1950’s and 1960’s sportscars, albeit brought bang up to date.

The cockpit is also completely standard bar a small, discreet LED warning light for the alarm and a genuine BMW wind deflector. It retains, of course, the M Sport steering wheel that distinguishes it from lesser versions.

The carpets are in great shape too, including the plastic heel protector on the driver’s side; they’ve obviously been protected by overmats throughout the car’s life.

The boot area is as clean as the rest of the interior and still sports its original toolkit and compressor. Wonderfully, it has retained its “This car is ready prepared to accept a CD Multi-changer” (sic) label.

The engine bay is as clean as the rest of the car – and we love the way the clamshell bonnet lifts up, exposing the black wheelarch liners. A small thing, perhaps, but one that we think is indicative of the care and thought that went into the car’s design, evoking memories of Le Mans endurance racing cars.

The underside of the car is clean and straight too, with no evidence of oil leaks. In fact, there isn’t much to say about the mechanical condition of the car other than to say that it has been serviced on-the-dot and is being sold with no known mechanical faults.

Being a high-performance and highly desirable BMW, it was fitted with a Tracker system from new. This is deactivated currently but could be reinstated should the new owner want to do so.

The online MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever and confirms the car’s low mileage. The MOT certificate itself runs out in January 2020.

The car comes with a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years by Scotthall Leeds and others. It has all of its Spanish paperwork too, including its last ITV sticker, which is the Spanish equivalent of an MOT.

Of course, it also has the original Owner’s Handbook, the Supplementary Owner’s Handbook, and the Operating Manual for the stereo plus a fully stamped service history booklet.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing to see this paperwork, which supports our claim that this car has been maintained in to the very highest standard over the past 21 years.

With one of the best colour combinations and a guaranteed mileage of 37,000 miles, this is a rare opportunity to own a low-mileage, modern classic sportscar that doesn’t demand a degree in mechanical engineering and a well-equipped workshop to keep it on the road.

Engineered at a time when producing a fast road car meant fettling mechanical components rather than programming an ECU, ongoing maintenance is likely to be largely analogue rather than digital. This, plus thoroughly modern performance and handling, really do mean that the BMW Z3M offers the best of all worlds.

With an impeccable service history and an almost unparalleled custodian, the very best bit might just be the guide price of only £16-22,000, which seems like a real bargain to us given the car’s performance, condition and investment potential; the market only appreciates the very best examples of each model, and this is one of the very best we’ve seen on offer for a long time.

And, as is often the case with our cars, the reserve is set even lower than the guide price, making this a potential bargain for the canny bidder with an eye to future values as well as contemporary driver satisfaction.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen here at The Market HQ in Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.