1999 BMW Z3M Coupe

Finished in the very best colour of them all, this Estoril Blue Z3M was first supplied by Barons of Heathrow on the 8th of January 1999. In the care of the vendor since 2018, it has still covered only 73,500 miles.

The car’s previous owner had had it for three years, reimporting it to the UK in 2015 after finding it in a classic and collectible car BMW collection in the Netherlands.

Having discovered that he simply isn’t using it as much as he thought he would, it is being offered with a sensible guide price and an even lower reserve, making this is your chance to get you hands on one of the most widely lauded performance cars of the late nineties and early noughties.

The Estoril Blue coachwork is in a good condition with straight panels and good alignment. The flanks are free of ripples and the blue paintwork shows why most people consider this to be THE colour for the model.

The glass is good, as are the badges and light lenses. What little brightwork there is is shiny and sharp, and the car’s overall presentation is very impressive.

And just look at the rear view; those swollen hips, four exhaust pipes, and huge rear tyres leave following cars in no doubt that they’re in the presence of greatness.

That look is further enhanced by the five-spoke, split-rim AC Schnitzer alloy wheels, which look terrific and have only a little nibbling around the rims. All four tyres look to be in good shape as well.

There are some stone chips to the bodywork of course, but what there are are entirely consistent with the mileage and age of the vehicle, which means the only marks of note are the scratch on the corner of the nearside front bumper and a small dink on the leading edge of the bonnet between the BMW’s ‘nostrils’.

The Estoril Blue Nappa leather interior is in good shape with only light creasing to the front seats. Nicely patinated rather than worn, they’re still firm and comfortable and free of damage.

The matching leather door cards look terrific too, as does the matching steering wheel and centre console.

The rest of the interior is similarly good, including the netting behind the seats which is still taut and complete; say what you like about the more modern BMWs but the older models helped the company gain a reputation for building quality cars for a reason – and examples like this show that reputation was deserved.

It also has the non-smoker pack, front side airbags, a graduated-tint windscreen and the BMW business CD RDS system.

Problems? Well, the aftermarket Alpine head unit might sound better than the original but it does look a little out of place, so we can see the new owner might want to source an OE replacement.

Oh, and the gear knob is loose but other than that it all looks great and needs nothing.

The BMW printout shows 17 service visits in total, but the service history book only has the following recorded:

07.04.1999 and 1,392 miles – running-in check at Barons of Hindhead

15.06.2007 and 57,520 miles – oil service at George Webster

02.06.2008 and 62,575 miles – inspection II at George Webster

04.02.2010 and 67,668 miles – oil service at BMW Autotech

This gap may be accounted for by the car’s place in a car collection

21.06.2016 and 71,143 miles – inspection II at Park Lane Autos

05.2019 and 72,800 miles – oil service at Belgravia Garage

The engine bay is pretty good and the engine appears to be clean and free of oil leaks. The rocker cover could do with painting and the underbonnet area would benefit from being professionally valeted to bring it up to the same standard as the rest of the car.

We’ve driven it and can confirm that it starts well, ticks over beautifully and drives as a good Z3M should – and the aftermarket Cobra exhaust sounds amazing!

The only issue we picked up is a slight squeak but we haven’t been able to trace its source. Fastidious, us?

The BMW’s MOT certificate expires in December 2020 and was gained with no advisories, something it’s been doing for the past couple of years.

There are a number of expired MOT certificates plus a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years. It also still has its original owner’s handbook and book pack plus two keys.

Sadly, the Z3M was stolen and subsequently recovered by the police a long time ago in 2001. Subsequently placed as a category D insurance claim, we understand that the previous owner had the car condition inspected by AutoLign, who inspected the car. It declared it was satisfied with the quality of the repair work, which means the car is now listed as 'condition inspected' and no longer listed as a category D car.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

With the best colour combination and a mileage of just over 70,000 miles, this is a rare opportunity to own a modern classic sportscar that doesn’t demand a degree in mechanical engineering 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 does mean that the BMW Z3M offers the best of all worlds.

But, the very best bit might just be the guide price of between £21,000 and £27,000, it seems like a bit of a performance car bargain to us.

And, as is always the case with our cars, the reserve is set even lower, 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 particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near 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’.