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Z3MROADSTER

We sample Evolve’s road rocket Roadster, quite possibly one of the fastest Z3 Ms we’ve ever clapped eyes on Words: Luke Wood Photography: Chris Brown

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The Z3 M Roadster was a brutally fast carwhen it first appeared in 1997. In fact itremains a stonkingly rapid machine to thisday, even when compared to the modernwizardry of contemporary M missiles.

While early examples of the ‘regular’ Z3 alwaysstruggled to live up to their sports car image, theintroduction of the M was a real shot in the arm forthe little Roadster, a boost that was in no small partdue to the shoehorning in of the heart and soul ofthe E36 M3 Evo.

In the Roadster, a car that weighs around 100kgless than the M3, hardly a slouch itself, thecombination resulted in the fastest acceleratingproduction BMW of all time. The benchmark figures

were thus; 321bhp, 0-60mph in just 5.1 secondsand a top speed of well over 155mph had theelectronic limiter allowed.

This was more than just a small car with a bigheart though. The Motorsport engineers worked hardto ensure that the über Z could handle all that grunt,even going so far as to use an M3-engined Compactas a development mule to experiment with chassissetup, before committing wholly to the project. Whilethis sparked premature rumours of a forthcoming MCompact, the reality was that when the Z3 M finallyarrived it was an all together more honed machinethan its lesser-powered stablemates.

Ultimately, it was the Coupé version that reallycaptured the public’s imagination, but for those who

preferred the al fresco ambience of an M fettledstraight-six, then the Roadster was the only answer.

However, if the Z3 M had ever performed as wellas this Evolve-developed example, then it might verywell have been the ‘Breadvan’ that history wouldhave remembered as the number two choice. Quitesimply, Evolve, a Luton-based company that offerstuning solutions to a range of predominantly Europeanprestige marques, has taken an already brisk car andtransformed it into an indecently rapid one.

From the driver’s seat there is little to suggest thatthere is anything out of the ordinary. The contrastingleather of the cockpit and supportive seats remain asdistinctive as ever, the trio of chrome ringed gaugeson the centre console, the chunky three-spoke

Bury the throttle in the Roadster and you’re treated to an experience not unlike that of being planted at the centre of one of those tropical hurricanes

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wheel and traditional M logo’d dials are all familiarRoadster fare. The usual ‘glow in the dark’ gear knobhas been replaced by a weighty yet stylish stainlesssteel Storm Motorwerks item combined with amatching handbrake lever, but other than that it allappears to be as nature intended.

That is of course, until you twist the ignition key,head out on to the open road and discover whatEvolve has done to that engine.

Bury the throttle in the Roadster and you’re treatedto an experience not unlike that of being planted atthe centre of one of those tropical hurricanes.

The outside world screams past in a torturedfrenzy, the howl of the wind and the blurry scenerypierced by the banshee wail of that thunderous

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six-pot powerplant as it soars over and beyond anindicated 8000rpm.

At the epicentre however, all is calm. Despite theindecent velocity and the crisp autumnal air I remaintoasty warm in the heated leather seats, eyes gluedto the horizon and hands firmly gripped I admit, buta lightly buffeted island of calm in comparison.

So what has Evolve done to that engine? Well,quite a lot actually, including the addition of a pair ofSchrick 284 cams (apparently the wildest you can gowhile still retaining the Vanos), a Simota carboninduction system, Supersprint de-cat pipes, alightened flywheel and underdrive pulley and acomplete remap of the ECU. Evolve has also takenthe precaution of replacing the standard con rodbolts with a set of tougher ARP items to ensure thateverything stays together once the revs start to rise.

While all this would suggest a rather peaky powerdelivery with nothing much to shout about at normalcruising speeds, there’s actually a surprising amountof shove in the mid-range as well, around 240lb ftfrom as little as 3000rpm rising to as much as 270lbft all the way to 6000rpm. As a result, experimentalprods of the right pedal are rewarded with real urgeeven in high gears and at legal speeds, but drop afew gears to get those cams working and it’s awhole new ball game all together. With a maximum353bhp available at 7900rpm, it’s at the tail end ofthe rev counter that things start to get interesting, theS50 responding with a turbo-esque dollop of powerjust before the limiter cuts in. As an added bonusEvolve has also removed the standard 3.15:1differential in favour of a snappier 3.64:1 itemsourced, incredibly, from a pre-facelift E30 325i

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Z3MROADSTER

before being thoroughly refurbished and re-homedin the Z3. An inexpensive and as it turns out, ratherpopular upgrade especially among M Coupéowners who are after a bit more zing from theirfive-speed cog swappers.

Silly fast it may be, but that’s not to say that thisZ3 is uninvolving, a criticism that was levelled at theoriginal car by certain quarters of the motoringpress. Evolve has succeeded in not just eeking outthe full potential of the S50 powerplant but has finetuned the overall package in the process.

“As with most of our customers, the owner ofthis car first came to us because he was a bitdisappointed with the standard performance,”explained Evolve’s Imran Arshad. “He asked us whatcould be done and we made a list. Happily he gaveus the thumbs up on everything!”

To ensure that the chassis was up to the task ofmanaging all that power, Evolve made a point ofreinforcing the subframe on Jason’s car, a worthypreventative measure as this is a known weakspoton all Roadsters.

With this in place the suspension was replacedwith H&R coilovers and anti-roll bars along withuprated drop links, rear top mounts and a carbonstrut brace. Similarly the standard brakes have alsobeen swapped for a set of performance aftermarketitems, Tar-Ox six-piston calipers combined with343mm discs on the front and a bespoke pair of aTar-Ox discs and uprated pads on the rear.

The original car had a reputation for being trickyto master when on the limit and in fairness this stillholds true with Evolve’s machine, with theincreased grip demanding even more commitment

in order to break traction and a deft touch requiredto rein in the back end once it starts to slide. Thatsaid, the ride quality is ultra communicative andsurprisingly compliant considering the stifferdampers. Even the Tar-Ox six-pots, brakes which Ihave to say from personal experience wouldn’talways be at the top of my list when sourcingalternative anchors, are more than up to the task ofscrubbing off the speed.

Not only does it go like the absolute clappers butI have to admit that I’m pretty sold on the looks ofthe thing as well, especially when bathed in theunseasonably warm sun of a November photoshoot.

Aesthetically, the muscular lines and swollenarches of the Roadster always lent it a classic HotRod stance. Sitting low on a set of pristine BBS LMalloys, the last in the country we’re told, the Z oozes

The Z oozes style, from the Porsche 911 Turbo-stylestone chip guards on its hind flanks, to the

tips of the Supersprint exhausts

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style, from the Porsche 911 Turbo-style stone chipguards on its hind flanks, to the tips of theSupersprint exhausts, a neat reminder that this wasthe first M car to wear the trademark quad pipes.

The owner, Jason Harper, is quite rightly veryproud of his Roadster, and not just because he hasparted with the best part of 17 grand in order to getit looking, sounding and performing as well as itdoes. As he circles the car, flicking imaginary specksof dust from the immaculate Arctic silver paintwork,he confirms that while he always lusted after aRoadster and drove a few before he eventually took ownership of this one, he had made his mindup very early on with regards to unleashing morepotential, although he’s also keen to point out thathe never wanted to stray too far from the ‘M’ theme.

“I’d been used to a very highly tuned Alfa

Romeo,” he explains. “The first time I took theRoadster for a spin I wondered what all the fuss was about.”

While this would explain the extent of the workthat has been done on the Z3 M, the finished articleis very much a result of one man’s enthusiasm toextract the most power and presence possible froman already well engineered car, although Imran laterconfides that he had to gently steer Jason back oncourse on occasions when his excitement got thebetter of him. And while this may sound a littlepatronising, it’s actually very refreshing to hear of a tuning firm taking real pride in its work and genuinelylooking after its customers. After all, he could havejust turned a blind eye and taken the money.

With that in mind it may come as little surprisethat Jason has decided it’s time to stop spending

and start enjoying, starting with the Brands HatchBMW Car track day it transpires, although ferventconversations with Imran regarding a larger carbonairbox and a neat bootlip spoiler suggest somefurther fine-tuning in the not too distant future.

Personally, even in current trim I reckon thatJason and Evolve have pretty much nailed it in theirefforts to tap into the latent thrills of the Roadster.

Yes, they could go crazy with more power andstyling but with a car that already looks a milliondollars and has the performance to match, I reckonthat this could just about be as good as it gets ●

CONTACT:EvolveTel: 0870 0850 111Web: www.evolveyourcar.com

It may come as little surprise that Jason has decided that it’s time to stop spending and start enjoying

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