How the Legendary BMW M Coupe Was Designed in Secret

When the 1998-2002 clown shoe BMW Z3 M Coupe was first presented to management (the first prototype of the Z3 Coupe, rather), the executive was at a loss for words. He just stood there. That probably wasn’t a good thing.
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[officerockstar]

This has always been my favorite BMW. I love it and wish they still made it.

[stripiervirus]

Forgive me if I’m wrong but that’s one of the best looking rear ends on a car

[francescop]

this is exacly how i imagined someone who works for Jalopnik would dress like

[Iceeeen]

I think the z3 coupe rear is one of the best designs ever for a sportscar ever. It really is quite a beautiful rearend. The front however is a bit messed uo with or without the M package.

I never seen the point of a car without ant luggage capacity. The z3 coupe is a powerful RWD 3 door hatchback. The best of both worlds

Also its mostly Americans that call it ugly, the same guys that think you need a big truck or SUV to haul a small trailer

[Frikzter]

He never shifted gear. My irritation might be unreasonable, but I love how these beemers shift, it's one of their defining characteristics!

[JoseMaria-tjev]

There is nothing ugly about that car :)
Prove me wrong

[global]

It is not One of the most beautiful cars made ever! Ever heard of shooting brake term???

[xristo]

It usually isn't a looker on screen or in photos, but at gas stations and parking lots, etc. you'll find a LOT of admirers.
I've had cops pull me over for bullshit reasons just to ask about it,
guys in 350z's saluting me when they pass by,
had a city bus driver in the middle of his route open his window to tell me how much he loved it,
a woman left the till at a small town gas station to take a closer look at it
50% chance you have to explain what the car is at every traffic light etc....


 If you love attention (I'm uncomfortable with it) its a great car to get for not so crazy money.

[SquareoftheyearFM]

Great car not so keen on the video, sorry guys.

[dppopov]

As an Alfa Romeo and BMW fanboy I like most of their cars but my personal opinion is that this is THE BEST LOOKING BMW EVER MADE!

[weetikissa]

This car will be worth 10x the money in ten years. A bit of an odd ball in its day but definitely a future classic.

[cdrbmw]

This is one of the most beautiful cars ever made!! How dare you call this ugly?
The CEO of BMW’s M devision has this car as his all time favorite M car.

[Kobayashi]

And then BMW went on to produce several of the actually-ugliest cars of all time including the 3 and 5 series Gran Turismo and now the X7.

[RadRidesByCru]

When a guy who works as an automotive journalist, statments like "McPherson struts are 60's technology" should be grounds for termination.

[Urgento]

I never thought this car was ugly. In fact, I think the soft-top version of this car is ugly!

[HFV_Junkyardin]

I wish there was more cars built like this. Fun, sporty, RWD cars with a decent cargo area.

[meanvecktor]

This is one of my favorite BMW, is a jewel to have, Sightings of one of these magnificent vehicles is even rarer. I’m definitely buying one soon

[gliblyaware]

Maybe I'm weird, but one of the best looking cars in moto-history.

[donmatthews]

I understand that some license is taken to make videos interesting but, I'm pretty sure the engineers set out to make a shooting brake version of the Z3. They didn't have a wacky idea about putting a box on the back of a Z3. It also doesn't look cheap or ugly to my eye.

[tomokokishi]

BMW should remake this with the current Z4.