FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE Z3 2.8 ROADSTER: SIX-CYLINDER POWER AND SMOOTHNESS FOR BMW S POPULAR SPORTS CAR
Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey...Early in 1996, BMW launched a new two-seat roadster, called the Z3. It was the first BMW roadster to reach the American market since the Fifties. The Z3 was also the first BMW roadster to be produced on American soil, being built solely at the company's Spartanburg, South Carolina factory. And a sensational launch it was: Keith Crain, Publisher and Editorial Director of the respected trade journal Automotive News, called it "the most successful launch ever", and everywhere one went, it seemed that anyone who cared about automobiles was excited about the new roadster.
And with good reason, for this trim little two-seater embodied everything one expects of a sports car - romance, adventure, an exciting look, and pure driving pleasure - while also offering the traditional BMW virtues of quality, reliability, solidity and safety engineering. It seemed almost too good to be true, but it was true. Better yet, it was (and remains) available for less than $30,000.
In the nine months since Z3 production began, more than 44,000 of the roadsters have left the Spartanburg plant, bound for not only the American road but 73 export markets - including BMW's own home market of Germany Europe. That’s a stellar showing for what by its very nature, is a relatively exclusive type of automobile.
The initial Z3 model is powered by a lively, responsive, highly fuel efficient four-cylinder engine that, according to Car and Driver magazine, "revs enthusiastically at the touch of the throttle." Yet it was inevitable that, in time, BMW would also put one of its brilliant six-cylinder engines - so well known and praised from 3 and 5 Series models - into the roadster. What could be more natural?
Now the time has come; the Z3 2.8 roadster is here. From henceforth, the original Z3 model will be known as the Z3 1.9 roadster to signify its continuing four-cylinder power, and the Z3 2.8 roadster becomes the top of the Z3 line. And what a top of the line it is!
As you would expect from BMW, the six-cylinder 2.8 model is much more than just the familiar roadster with a different engine. In addition to the new, aluminum-block 2.8-liter six, the new Z3 2.8 also sports a heavier-duty manual transmission.
· All Season Traction (traction control system) combined with a limited-slip differential
· Widened rear track
· Strengthened rear suspension
· Revised suspension geometry
· Firmer suspension calibration
· Heavier-duty brakes
· Distinctively designed standard alloy wheels
· Special sport wheels and tires available optionally
· A new front bumper/spoiler entity, with a larger air intake and distinctive fog lights
· Wider rear flanks to accommodate the wider rear track
· Standard leather-trimmed interior, with wood console trim (leather is optional in the 1.9 model)
· Optional extended-leather interior.
In addition, certain refinements are shared with the 1997
· A starter interlock for manual transmission cars
· Newly designed shift knob, for both manual and automatic transmissions · 1-touch power windows that can also be closed from the outside via the door lock
· An optional subwoofer speaker system
· Optional chrome interior trim accents
· Standard All Season Traction (no limited-slip differential on 1.9 model.
UNDER THAT LONG HOOD: A MASTERPIECE OF BMW POWER
BMW has long cultivated a tradition of an engine type of very particular charm and quality: the inline six-cylinder. In an age when, primarily for reasons of compactness in the packed engine compartments of front-wheel-drive cars, the V-6 engine is more commonplace, BMW nurtures the classic inline six as a jewel-like masterpiece of power.
An inline six, true enough, is bulkier than a V-6 - primarily longer, though narrower. Its greater length can be utilized to position the engine's center of gravity further rearward, improving front/rear weight distribution, and the narrower width contributes to a compact turning circle: Not coincidentally, two typical BMW strengths have just been described. But the inline six's most obvious charns are its almost turbine-like smoothness - it is a "naturally balanced" engine layout - and its distinctly pleasing sound.
These inherent qualities, which BMW knows how to extract to their maximum, were enhanced in 1996 when the company's already legendary 2.5-liter six-cylinder engine was enlarged to 2.8 liters. At that time, BMW enhanced the unit's smoothness by more finely balancing its dual overhead camshafts; made it more responsive and efficient with lower-mass valve gear; and introduced weight-saving, emissions-reducing stainless-steel exhaust headers. Variable valve timing, providing two stages of timing to optimize low to medium-speed torque and high-end power, was retained.
For the new Z3 2.8, the BMW six-cylinder engine's inherent and evolved qualities are further enhanced by a new development, especially important for this first sports-car application of the 2.8-liter six: an aluminum cylinder block. The block construction itself is new for BMW, with iron cylinder liners in the light-alloy block, and can be expected to appear in other BMW models in the future. This construction saves 51 pounds over the 328i/528i engine version's weight; the aluminum-block six weighs only 40 Ib. more than the 1.9 model's cast-iron/aluminum four. With repositioning of the battery to the rear of the car, the Z3 2.8 remains firmly in BMW's tradition of near 50/50 weight distribution. Altogether, the six-cylinder model weighs only 143 pounds more than the four cylinder, including heavier-duty drive train and suspension components as well as several other features that add a modest amount of weight. The resulting power-to-weight ratio should make the Z3 2.8 the performance leader in its class.
The 2.8 engine's power and torque figures are almost unchanged in its new habitat under the Z3's wide-opening hood: a robust 189 hp at 5300 rpm and a hearty 203 Ib-ft. of torque. Thanks to the variable valve timing, fully 80% of this maximum torque is available as low as 1500 rpm; no wonder that upon first sampling this engine, the Swiss publication Automobile Revue reported "an enormous amount of flexibility so that you can drive without much shifting." Yet at the top end, this engine is equally impressive, the same report noting "quite a reserve of power up to the limit of 6700 rpm."
So, "You can drive without much shifting" if you want to - but with a BMW manual transmission, shifting is itself a joy. The Z3 2.8's manual five-speed is the same as that in the 328i and M3 models, a heavy-duty Get rag Type C unit with BMW's typical short-throw, ultra-precise linkage and efficiency-enhancing direct-drive 5th gear, manipulated by the new, pleasingly shaped shift knob. Car and Driver magazine called this transmission "so perfectly slick." But for those who prefer to let hydraulics and electronics do their shifting, the available four-speed automatic provides not only smooth, decisive gear changes but a choice of three shift modes to suit driving conditions and the driver's preferences.
With either transmission, the Z3 2.8 delivers well-nigh breathtaking performance: 0 to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds with the manual, 6.7 with the automatic transmission. Top speed is electronically limited to 128 mph.
GILDING THE LILY: Z3 2.8 HANDLING AND BRAKING
Given the fact that BMW's sedans and coupes are noted for their precise and enjoyable handling, it's no wonder that the Z3 is an absolute blast when it comes to negotiating life's twists and turns. "Although the Z3 does not punish its occupants, its suspension has a powerful rapport with the pavement," reported Car and Driver which also credited the Z3's steering with "a sweet blend of immediate response, micrometer precision, and ideal effort." With no intention of diminishing any of these qualities, BMW devoted some careful detail attention to tailoring the 2.8 model's chassis to its almost 37% increase in power and the even more dramatic near-53% increase in torque. Newly designed semi-trailing arms at the rear are more rigid and give a 2.5-in. wider track; toe-in has been reduced as well. Spring rates are naturally altered to suit the changed weight and weight distribution, and the anti-roll bars have been enlarged from 22.5 mm front/14 mm rear to 24 mm front/15 mm rear. Finally, the wheel carriers and bearings have been enlarged and strengthened.
Because the Z3 1.9 "hit the road running" with beefy 16 x 7.0-in. alloy wheels and high-performance 225/5OZR-16 tires, no change has been made in these all-important standard wheel/tire dimensions, although the 2.8 model's wheels have new Round Spoke styling (versus the ribbed-spoke wheels of the 1.9 model). However, for those who desire an even more powerful rapport with the road, BMW offers a Sport Wheels option for the 2.8: 17 x 7.5-in. front wheels with 225/45ZR-17 tires and 17 x 8.5-in. rear wheels with 245/4OZR-17 tires. Enthusiast magazines have reported cornering capabilities as high as 0.91 g for the Z3 1.9; one can only speculate what a 2.8 model with its wider rear track and these optional wheels and tires might generate on the skid pad!
To optimize the way all this alloy and rubber delivers lateral grip and engine torque to the pavement - of course the Z3 2.8, like all BMWs, has rear wheel drive - BMW has equipped the 2.8 as standard with a newly engineered limited-slip differential. Traditionally, BMW limited-slip differentials have distributed up to 25% of the driving torque to the wheel with more traction, rather than simply letting the wheel with less traction spin. In the new Z3 2.8's unit, this remains true when the engine is powering the car; under deceleration, however, up to 40% of the decelerative torque is transferred to the wheel with more traction. You might say that this differential differentiates more than most.
In practice, this purposeful differentiation more evenly distributes not only the driving torque between the two sides, but distributes the decelerative or "engine-braking" torque to an even higher degree when the driver lifts the accelerator in a corner. In turn, this improves the rear tires' total grip in either situation and helps reduce transitional over steer in severe cornering maneuvers.
For optimum utilization of available traction on slippery surfaces, BMW's acclaimed All Season Traction (traction control) system is a/so standard on the Z3 2.8. This combination of All Season Traction and limited-slip differential is something special, found on very few production automobiles; in the current BMW line, the high-performance M3 models also include it, as did the ultrahigh -performance 850C5i model of a couple of years ago.
With All Season Traction standard on both the Z3 1.9 and 2.8, BMW has become the first manufacturer to have traction control standard across the entire U.S. model line-up. Sharing their generous 11.3-in.
The Z3 2.8's brakes are upgraded -cylinder model, the six-cylinder Z3's front/10.7-in. rear diameters with the four y at the f t adding fade ABS-equipped disc brakes have ventilated rotors, resistance to match the new roadster's heightened performance.
MORE OF EVERYTHING AND YET STILL AN EXCELLENT VALUE
The inherent value of the Z3 roadster has been one of its remarkable attributes; after all, who would have expected a thoroughbred BMW sports car to be offered at a base price well under $30,000? This philosophy of "value for money" has been extended to the new Z3 2.8: it is base-priced at $35,900, just $6,475 more than the 1997 Z31.9 - this includes not only the six-cylinder engine but all the other engineering and equipment upgrades (such as standard leather and wood interior trim) that come with it. Yet there's even more added value than what you'll find in the car itself:
ALL SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE FOR 3 YEARS OR 36,000 MILES: INCLUDED WITH THE Z3 2.8 AND EVERY OTHER CURRENT BMW MODEL
ln a dramatic move, BMW has announced that all scheduled maintenance will be provided to the buyer of any new 1997 BMW retailed on or after October 1, 1996 at no further cost; that is, this maintenance is included in the base price.
In recent years, BMW had already done much to reduce the extent of routine maintenance required, and hence the cost of ownership, by including such features as -
· Microprocessor-controlled engines that require no "tune-up" in the traditional sense
· Hydraulic valve adjustment, which eliminates periodic setting of clearance
· The Service Interval Indicator, which computer-tracks actual use of the car and recommends service accordingly (rather than conventional fixed intervals
. Now, by including three years of scheduled maintenance, BMW has taken a further decisive step to address ownership costs. Furthermore, for a very reasonable extra outlay, the Z3 purchaser can extend the scheduled maintenance to 4 years/50,000 miles or prepay all maintenance for 3 years/36,000 miles or 4 years/50,000 miles *
. As attractive as the already standard 3/36,000 scheduled maintenance is, many BMW customers may find these maintenance upgrades an investment worth making.
* Some exceptions apply.
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