The 1.8 version of the Z3 roadster is the one from which the opposite-lockers in the motoring media recoil in horror. Certainly, if you want to leave two twitchy lines of flaming rubber away from a traffic-light start, or blast around in flamboyant tail-slides, buy something else.But it's the price, stupid! The entry-level Z3 costs just under £20,000, and you won't get this kind of appealing retro roadster styling for anything less.In actual capacity, the 1.8 engine is as near as dammit a 1.9. People who thought the original entry-level Z3 was pretty wimpish, with just 140bhp to play around with, think the current 1.8 is beneath contempt because its power output is (whisper) 22bhp less. Not great news, bearing in mind that the car is heavier than it looks.However, in the original customer survey when the Z3 first appeared, 67% of buyers said they went mainly for its style, while only 2% mentioned performance as a prime requirement. So who's complaining?The 1.8 isn't one of BMW's lovely straight-sixes, but this four-cylinder engine has balancer shafts, runs very smoothly and, as the damning-with-faint-praise department would put it, gets along nicely enough. It's economical, too.If you like handling capability well ahead of power output, this model will do fine, because it doesn't need exaggeratedly wide tyres or concrete as a suspension medium. Even though the South Carolina-built Z3 is based on the one-generation-back platform, it has no problem coping with the 1.8's modest power.The front-end styling is very much as before, complete with 1950s-style bonnet louvres. But BMW redesigned the back end of the Z3, making it look wider and more muscular than the Mark I types.Chrome-rimmed instruments and better switchgear, as well as far more choice in upholstery colours and materials, have made the cabin more attractive. The close-fitting hood is better than the original car's, too.Hood-down, and at any kind of brisk speed, there's an amazing difference between having the wind deflector fitted between the headrests and leaving it off. When it's in position, only a gentle breeze plays round the cockpit. Without it, the Z3 feels like the open deck of an Icelandic trawler.One of the vast range of extra-cost options is a twin-headrest so-called "speedster" cover. Any CARkeys correspondent turning up with a Z3 so equipped will be truncheoned by the magazine's style police. Engine 1895cc, 4cylinders Power 118bhp @5500rpm Torque 133ib/ft @3900rpm Transmission 5 speed manual Fuel/CO2 35.8mpg / 189g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 10.4sec Top speed 122mph Price From £18341.00 approx Release date 15/07/1999
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