Join us on an exclusive journey to the BMW Classic in Munich, where we uncover some of the rarest and most unique gems in BMW’s storied history. Among these hidden treasures, we stumbled upon a true masterpiece: the world’s only BMW Z3 with a V12 engine. In this video, we showcase the high-powered roadster at the BMW Classic headquarters.
So what’s the story of the Z3 V12 Roadster? We’ve told it here, but here is a quick recap. The brilliant engineers from BMW M managed to cram twelve cylinders under the hood of a tiny sports car that normally housed a six or even four-cylinder engine. This monstrous 5.4-liter unit, known internally as the “M73,” was found in prestigious cars such as the 7 Series E38, 8 Series E31, and the lesser-known Rolls-Royce Seraph.
With an impressive 326 hp and 490 Nm (361 lb-ft) of torque, the V12’s power was channeled to the rear axle via a six-speed manual gearbox from the 850Ci. Putting the largest engine available in the smallest car of the lineup was a fun and thrilling idea, born from a collaboration between BMW and the German magazine Auto Zeitung back in 1999.
This one-off roadster has been camera-shy since its first reveal in 2012. Thankfully, we can now bring it back into the limelight with fresh imagery and an up-close look. Alongside the V12 Z3, we also discovered a BMW 745i SA with the legendary M1 engine and much more.
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