Motor Authority - blog Category: Z3-Series

Roadsters. Open air, summer sun and a visceral connection to the road. For many, the quintessential enthusiast's driving experience. But for many, many more, they are the attractive and sporting little convertibles that flit back and forth to work, shops and play with equal ease. Today BMW is celebrating its 75th year in the business of building roadsters.

But these days, BMW isn't just in the business - it's one of the leading roadster builders in the world. So how did it get here? By starting at the beginning, with the 315/1, a hopped-up, topless version of the 315 Saloon, first built in 1934.

Dubbed a Sports Roadster, the 315/1 featured... Roadsters. Open air, summer sun and a visceral connection to the road. For many, the quintessential enthusiast's driving experience. But for many, many more, they are the attractive and sporting little convertibles that flit back and forth to work, shops and play with equal ease. Today BMW is celebrating its 75th year in the business of building roadsters. But these days, BMW isn't just in the business - it's one of the leading roadster builders in the world. So how did it get here? By starting at the beginning, with the 315/1, a hopped-up, topless version of the 315 Saloon, first built in 1934. Dubbed a Sports Roadster, the 315/1 featured just two sport seats, a raked windshield and a roof intended only for emergencies. Technologically, the car now seems archaic, but at the time it was pushing the limits of what could be done. A 1.5L six-cylinder engine turned out a whopping 35hp (26kW) in the 315 sedan, but BMW tuned that up to 40hp (30kW) for the roadster. The engine featured a one-piece crankcase and cylinder block, a single cam with rocker arms actuating tappets to control the valves. All of that technology is gone these days, though the inline six-cylinder configuration remains. Performance was fitting, with top speed reached at 75mph (120km/h). In its day, that was enough to make a top contender, however, with the motorsport version of the car taking victory at the 1934 Alpine Rally. One of the most impressive of the cars ever built was a 315/1 Special, built by BMW works driver Ralph Roese. It featured a significantly re-worked version of the engine that generated a huge 136hp (101kW) in a body that weighed just 838lb (380kg). The evolution of the modern Z-series roadsters has been a long and winding road, from the Z1 in the late '80s and early '90s, to the ubiquitous Z3, the limited-run Z8 and today's Z4, eventually reaching a level of competence and style that is almost universally applauded. For more on the current Z4 and its features, check out our coverage here.BMW celebrates 75 years of roadster production Read More

Fantastic engines are to car people like a fine vintage is to a wine enthusiast - not just to be used, but enjoyed, savored as some of the highest expressions of the art of their creation. But like all such things, they are fleeting. BMW's S54B32 engine, the straight-six 3.2L cast-iron motivator that powered such greats as the E46 M3, the Z3, Z3 M, Z4 M, and even the Wiesmann MF3, has now headed into retirement.

The final Z4s, built at the tail end of 2008, housed the last of the S54 straight-sixes, reports CAR. Instead, the replacement cars will feature only a 3.0L twin-turbo rated at 300hp (223kW) as the top-of-the-range model. They're... Fantastic engines are to car people like a fine vintage is to a wine enthusiast - not just to be used, but enjoyed, savored as some of the highest expressions of the art of their creation. But like all such things, they are fleeting. BMW's S54B32 engine, the straight-six 3.2L cast-iron motivator that powered such greats as the E46 M3, the Z3, Z3 M, Z4 M, and even the Wiesmann MF3, has now headed into retirement. The final Z4s, built at the tail end of 2008, housed the last of the S54 straight-sixes, reports CAR. Instead, the replacement cars will feature only a 3.0L twin-turbo rated at 300hp (223kW) as the top-of-the-range model. They're sure to be fun and are most likely somewhat underrated in terms of outright horsepower, but they are unlikely to have the same character of the outgoing mill. Singing along at its 7,900rpm power peak - just 100rpm shy of redline - the S54 was one of the most sonorous of BMW's sixes, and a worthy successor to the S50B32 of the E36 M3, itself a sonic powerhouse. At 3.2L, the engine was a middleweight doing the fighting of a heavyweight. Rated at 343hp (252kW) in Euro-spec trim, the addition of U.S. emissions equipment bridled the engine back down to 333hp (248kW) in America. Some of the awards the S54 earned over its roughly seven-year tenure at BMW include the International Engine of the Year Overall and Best New Engine awards in 2001, the winner of the 3-4L category from 2001-2006 and a spot on Ward's 10 Best Engines for four years running from 2002 to 2004. Though troubled early on by some mechanical problems, most relating to the car's stratospheric redline and some sub-par contracted engine parts, the S54's cast-iron block and otherwise bulletproof construction have earned it a spot among the most praise-worthy engines of recent times. Read More