BMW Z3 2.8 ROADSTER

Walrus

Walrus

Zorg Legend
Joined
Aug 15, 2013
Points
77
Location
Seaham , Co.Durham
Model of Z
2.8 roadster
Walrus submitted a new Showcase Item:

BMW Z3 2.8 ROADSTER

Rallying had been my passion for a number of years but with the rising costs of both equipment and entry fees i found myself on the hunt for a cheaper form of motorsport. In the early months of 2012 i discovered what i had been looking for. Autotesting, its an entry level motorsport that is accessible to most people. Entry is granted for any production car or motorsport prepared car for a very little money and it has different disciplines to suit all levels of drivers. You have autosolo's, all forward autotests and full autotests. You tend to work through the disciplines in that order too as autosolo's and all forwards dont involve reversing.
So now i needed a car to compete in. Being a rather large man of 6 foot 5 inches tall and lets say on the porkier side, i had to take these factors into consideration. Of course i wanted a RWD car because well, its just more fun isn't it ?. I didnt want something too large as autotesting is done in car parks and smaller areas.
The hunt was on for the right car, at the right price. I wanted something i could also use on weekends and have fun with on the roads too. I bought and then subsequently sold five different cars, all different models of the BMW E30 variety because they just were not suitable for what i needed. All lovely cars but just no good for autotesting. As a nice bonus , I made enough profit from the five cars to fund the purchase and subsequent modifications to the car I ended up choosing.
I stumbled across the BMW Z3 while blindly browsing ebay for a suitable car. Ide never even considered one before for various reasons like over my budget and "i wont fit in it". I decided to find out if i would fit so i looked up the nearest one i could find from a dealer and went down to the garage under the guise of "im buying this for my son" , "could you show me the car please" ... haha .. i had no intention of buying that car as i was just there to see if i could fit in the thing. Good news !! .. apart from the lack of an adjustable steering column with the bus steering wheel they come with i could fit in there and my head wasnt towering over the level of the windscreen like dick dastardly form the wacky races !
So the i scoured the internet and ended up travelling 300 miles to buy my car, a far from showroom condition 1997 silver 2.8 wide body roadster that had stood immobile for a year and had no clutch left in it. (which i only discovered when i was there haha). I negotiated a price of £950 for the car and...
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Brian H

Brian H

Zorg Expert (I)
Supporter
British Zeds
Scottish Zeds
Joined
Dec 5, 2011
Points
205
Location
Killin
Model of Z
E36/7 3.0i - E85 Z4///M
@Walrus, On one of your photos it looks like you have wheel studs and nuts instead of bolts, which kit did you use?
 
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M

McZee3

Dedicated Member
British Zeds
The M44 Massive
Joined
Aug 15, 2014
Points
29
Location
UK
Model of Z
1.9 Auto
liking it.
i have done an autosolo in my Z3 1.9 auto:D
it would have been better in a manual but still loads of fun.
next one will be in my Impreza next month.;)
what motorsport club are you in Walrus?
 
Dino D

Dino D

Zorg Guru (V)
British Zeds
Joined
Mar 28, 2014
Points
176
Location
Kent
Model of Z
2.8 Manual
@Walrus,
This looks fun!

Car sounds great, deep growls intake reminds me of a VR6.

I've question re the bar at the back to which I assume the harness attached too - does it aid structural rigidity noticeably like a rear 'brace' or is it's only function to be a mounting point?
Does it interfere with getting the top up and down?
 
Dino D

Dino D

Zorg Guru (V)
British Zeds
Joined
Mar 28, 2014
Points
176
Location
Kent
Model of Z
2.8 Manual
And what suspension are running and why such low rear compared to the front?
I see you've listed the suspension in the mods section (still getting around this showcase format, I'm usually only on here via Tapatalk!).
Since fitting new coilovers and now adjusting them I've been reading up and I've read that having rake so the front is slightly lower than the rear aids turn-in and downforce but yours is set reverse, just wondering why?
Does the suspension bottom out a lot?
 
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Walrus

Walrus

Zorg Legend
Joined
Aug 15, 2013
Points
77
Location
Seaham , Co.Durham
Model of Z
2.8 roadster
@Dino D

harness bar is just to mount harness but sees to have improved rigidity as a by product
no dosnt interfere with roof at all ... i made it not to
the rear only squats at rear under heavy acceleration the car sits level when stationary
im a big lad as well
the car handles fantastically, both for classic rallies and track use with kumho rubber on
no it dosnt bottom out much ... there is some bottoming out here and there on while driving in anger and at speed over yumps and country roads ... it impacts onto the spare wheel frame but hasnt damaged the car thus far
 
Slam

Slam

Zorg Guru (IV)
Supporter
British Zeds
Joined
May 24, 2017
Points
168
Location
North Yorkshire
Model of Z
Zedless. Mini GP 1379
Great write up ! Lovely looking Z
 
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