Introduction
After my introduction in the newbies section, I figured it's now time to introduce not just myself but the car as well: a white E86 3.0Si coupe. I've always wanted an Z4 coupe but never had the A) means or B) chance. That is, until now!
Hang on- the title says green, so what's up with the white?!
Good question! The car I'm about to introduce isn't the one I ultimately ended up with (I know, spoiler alert...). So before we get to that, lets deal with the first-born.
Late august 2021. Just over 2 weeks ago I went to see a white Z4 3.0Si. Individual interior spec, auto-box and in decent shape. Technically well-looked after, but in need of some visual improvement. Fortunately being the owner of a detailing studio has its perks, so I planned to put it through the full process some time that winter. As it takes between 60 to 100 hours total, it won't be a quick job!
I picked up the car on Friday evening, 13th of August. That Saturday was a long work day, so didn't get to drive the car at all. Normally, that would have been somewhat disappointing, however... Sunday morning at 04.00, I set off on an 1100km drive to lake Como in Italy with a few car-minded friends. What better way to get to know your new car than to take it to the Alps
Testdrive
Over the course of last week, I've added a total of around 2700km to the 151.500 already on the clock, including two 1100km trips on the autobahn and Swiss motorways (oh soooo smooth). What I've learned: I can't get enough of that straight-six howl when you go past 5000rpm. Which, on the autobahn, requires you to go well past 200kph if you want to sustain the noise.
The car ran like an absolute dream- eventually. When I first got it, it rattled like a bag of spanners due to it having been stationary for a few weeks. Nothing a long drive couldn't fix though, as after the first 10 minutes it started to quiet down and when up to temperature it purred like a kitten. The rattle never came back either, so I've put it down to the lifters not being oiled up properly. As for consumption: not a drop of oil, but plenty of fuel. The motorway blast (cruise at 160-200kph) led to a consumption of roughly 9 litres per 100km. Not bad for such a big lump, especially compared to my previous 1750 Alfa 159 which used 11 litres per 100km. Heavy right foot in a heavy car and all that.
In the Alps, the Z4 really managed to impress. The engine pulls smoothly and the box goes through the gears nicely. The steering feel is somewhat vague and at speed it feels planted yet twitchy. An adjustment of the excentric ring on the steering column is in order it seems.
Funny (afterwards) incident on the way home: a final push to 250kph resulted in a loud THUMP and a black piece of plastic going for a hard right. As it turned out, the headlight service hatch in the right wheelarch decided to eject at 70 metres per second. When in Italy, I noticed it was missing one of its two lips as well as a twist-lock. New item on order, since this one is now scattered across half a kilometer of German autobahn...
Updates and Upgrades
Any plans? Short answer: loads! As it turned out, very few of those came to pass... Funny story: 6 weeks had passed since I'd picked up my white coupe. There's one colour however I like more, and I literally missed out on one by less than a day back in August.
Flashback: I was in Italy (before the Como-trip) with my GF when I decided to pull the trigger on a Z4. There was one for sale around an hour away from me in pretty much perfect spec: M-individual brown interior, M-sport wheel, automatic, BMW individual wheels, and: BMW Tiefgruen-metallic. A dark-green that -back during its production life- wasn't very popular: less than 30 made it to Germany where my car is originally from. Fewer still were sold in the Netherlands, so chances of coming across another are slim to none. In fact: a grand total of just
95 were ever built. We drove back from Italy on a Thursday-afternoon, getting back at 04.00 in the morning on Friday. I rang the dealer around 09:15 with a head full of mist, which was duly cleared out by the words: "sorry to say this sir, but the car you're enquiring about has been picked up less than 10 minutes ago, and it was sold yesterday afternoon. It has gone to a lovely new owner who has rung us about 20 times during our own vacation, and came by to see it before we were even properly up and running again." A few hours later the white coupe came up for sale, and the rest is -as they say- history.
Well... Not quite; last week I was looking through some Instagram stories, including those of a fellow Ducati enthusiast. She was at a small company specialised in 2-seaters, and in the background I spotted something I didn't expect to see. So I picked up the phone and called them to ask about the car. "Wow you're quick! We haven't even been able to list it on our website or put it on Dutch plates for that matter. We've just come back from Germany where we bought it. It's a nice one though: full service history, 2 owners since new and in good condition. Would you like to come by for a testdrive?"
At that point, I was pretty much already in the car and on my way there. During the hour-long drive I pondered whether I would trade in my white coupe. After all, the green one was 2 years older, had no M-sport interior, the dreaded wooden dash (sorry fans), and missed a few other options I did have on my current car. However: it was the perfect colour, had a perfect history, and it was a manual.
I was met by two lovely young guys who had started their business only this year. They'd been trading MX-5's and a few other 2-seaters for a while but recently decided to really make a business out of it. The Z4 was parked up front for me waiting to be driven. As soon as I got to about third gear I realised how much I missed the experience of a manual. I honestly can't fault the ZF-box in the auto: it's quick, attentive, fairly clever and turns the Z4 into both a cruiser and a bruiser. Yet the feeling of a perfect, mechanical shift is something that's hard to beat. Yes the box is notchy, and the CDV is an idiotic item that was duly removed, but it just feels right.
After they drove my white coupe, we got down to business. Both 3.0Si's and within 2000km's of one another on the clock. Mine had an auto, M-sport and a few goodies. Theirs didn't, but it was a manual and came with a considerably more comprehensive history as well as a rare spec exterior. So: straight swap, no fuss and everyone's happy.
Honestly, I didn't expect to say this again (let alone within 6 weeks), but: meet my new Z4 Coupe. This one's here to stay...
The beige interior looks great- in an XJ, 7-series or similar car. It's not to my taste, but weirdly that's a good thing. The individual two-tone interior in the white Z was very nice. To change that and personalise that almost felt a bit wrong; as if you're tearing down something already lovely. Since this interior is totally not my style and basic in spec, I feel no hesitation to change it up completely.
Got wood anyone..? This winter and spring, all of it will have to go. The roof-lining, door panels, seats, trim, and all plastic components currently cream-coloured will be replaced. So yes, it's a project. A big one at that, but I don't care. I get the feeling we won't be able to enjoy cars like this for decades to come, so I want to get the most out of it while I can. Besides, we all love a challenge don't we?
Exterior: the paint is in reasonably decent condition. We'll put it through a full detail late November, and the front bumper will be replaced for an M-bumper. The rear will receive a Burkhart carbon diffuser, and I'm contemplating a duplex exhaust. Currently the backbox is a Bastuck one with a lovely note to it, so I'm in no rush there. New wheels are in already but probably won't go under this year. Instead I'll fit winter tyres to the current 17 inch wheels and use those over the cold months.
No garage queen then? Nope. It'll be driven whenever the chance presents itself, and hopefully it'll be ready for a few great trips next summer.
So that's how I got it, but since I'm mad for mods, that's definitely not how it stayed. Want to skip ahead? Check out Instagram
@Bartsbuilds. Meanwhile, I'll post a few interim updates leading up to today below.