Mmmmmmm?

Dalek

Dalek

Zorg Guru (III)
British Zeds
Joined
Jul 23, 2017
Points
145
Location
Highworth, Wiltshire
Model of Z
Z3 2.2i Auto
OK. Forgive me as I am new to all this.
I see on various threads people talking about an M designation when discussing their cars. What is the difference btween a BMW which carries it and one that does not?
Is my car an M? It has a small badge on the steering wheel, but nowhere else.
It is a 2001, 2.2 Z3.
 
No @Dalek a Z3M is 3.2

Many Z3's have a "sports" package added at manufacture, such as sports seats, sports suspension etc as well as having a few "M" badges
 
It should also have a small M badge on the gear stick,
 
Don't worry too much @Dalek, the ///M police aren't real!;)=)). Wait till they see my next addition, I'll be in trouble with them and the sticker cop too.

Tony.
 
IMG_3074.webp
Sean d said:
It should also have a small M badge on the gear stick,
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Mine has a chrome gearshift as it is an auto. Not sure if it is standard though. Inthink it was fitted as new as part of a chrome upgrade.
 
There are the originally launched Z3's, and the latter BMW Motorsport division version labelled "M". These got the same treatment as the M3/M5's etc. Bigger engines, more horses and more aggressive styling.

There a no "M-Sport" Z3 models, but BMW did when asked fit the standard Z3 with M Sport suspension, which confuses people as they assume it makes the car an M Sport. They did release a factory "Sport" designated version on the face lift models. At various times special editions were released - which is unusual for BMW who normally avoided them. These general had an interesting name such as Orinoco or Fiji. Finally, they had the 'Individual' catalog which allowed you to spec your Z3 exactly how you wanted.

However, at some stage the BMW marketing department got involved and decided it would be a great sales tactic awesome to place badges on the steering wheel and gear knobs. This again confused people, they are just badges and have no bearing on any specification or model derivation. They all have them.

Whatever you have, it's a cracking car whichever you look at it... :thumbsup:
 
@Dalek put simply the ///M has a 3.2 litre power monster of an engine. There were some other unique features as well such as a front splitter type front bumper, the side gills are different and there are two areas in the rear bumper where the exhaust comes out. The centre console also has extra gauges making it more sports like. There were a few other things.

As stated above some people get ///M badging and even modify their non ///M cars. Occasionally some people even try to sell them as ///M's!!

Welcome to the group, great to have you onboard. :)
 
Thanks all, that has made it all a bit clearer. Thanks for the welcome Cooper, and Gazhyde is right, it is a cracking car whichever one you have!
 
I think BMW have devalued the M badge themselves by sticking it on all sorts of mundane models.
 
All manufacturers do it. I had a colleague with a Merc who was convinced that it was an AMG because it had a body kit and small AMG badges.
He wasn't happy when I said his was unique having an AMG diesel engine
 
mwpe said:
I think BMW have devalued the M badge themselves by sticking it on all sorts of mundane models.
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I would have to agree with you there Mike
Bmw aren't the only ones sri and gti / amg and the likes are becoming trim levels all in the pursuit of profit margins no doubt.
 
An ///M gearstick knob is just that, an ///M knob...... An ///M steering wheel is just a steering wheel. ///M suspension is just ///M suspension. None of these make a Z3 a Z3///M. I have Alpina wheels, but it doesn't make Z3lda an Alpina car! Sticking an ///M badge on a CAR is a different matter. It's just trying to impress, making out you have something, (which to anyone in the know is plainly not the case!). This issue has been pulled apart in many previous posts. I likened it to going out and trying to impress the girls with 2 pairs of socks stuffed down the front of your Y Fronts, Advertising something you haven't really got! .....
(Other men's undergarments available!)
:drinks:

Bonzo.
 
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The same confusion exists between individual options like a blue roof which is enough to get an individual sticker on the engine bay.

And true individual editions like the Fiji Green.

It's just a marketing thing.

But if it ain't got M in the root part of the model name it's not an M.
 
Bonzeau said:
An ///M gearstick knob is just that, an ///M knob...... An ///M steering wheel is just a steering wheel. ///M suspension is just ///M suspension. None of these make a Z3 a Z3///M. I have Alpina wheels, but it doesn't make Z3lda an Alpina car! Sticking an ///M badge on a CAR is a different matter. It's just trying to impress, making out you have something, (which to anyone in the know is plainly not the case!). This issue has been pulled apart in many previous posts. I likened it to going out and trying to impress the girls with 2 pairs of socks stuffed down the front of your Y Fronts, Advertising something you haven't really got! .....
(Other men's undergarments available!)
:drinks:

Bonzo.
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Unfair referee!!!!!!!................. Women have been sticking socks down their bras for years to make us poor muppet men think that they have bigger thingies than they actually have?
 
Bonzeau said:
Sticking an ///M badge on a CAR is a different matter. It's just trying to impress, making out you have something, (which to anyone in the know is plainly not the case!). This issue has been pulled apart in many previous posts. I likened it to going out and trying to impress the girls with 2 pairs of socks stuffed down the front of your Y Fronts, Advertising something you haven't really got! .....
Click to expand...

there you go,
they are real....
///M Police alert.....=))
 
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