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BMW Show Off V12-Engined Z3

The Z3 was one of BMW’s first attempts at a modern dedicated sports car. It came with a selection of four and six cylinder engines, all of which were adequate to propel it along at a decent pace. However, BMW’s M division got their hands on a Z3 and somehow managed to swap its small displacement engine, with a much bigger one - a 5.4-liter V12.
BMW Z3 V12 4 photos
Photo: BMW
V12-Engined BMW Z3V12-Engined BMW Z3V12-Engined BMW Z3
The engine is probably that of the 850i, an engine which produced 326 hp and a very Germanic twelve-cylinder warble, even when revved hard - a very smooth engine, not necessarily powerful. However, power was not necessarily what the M engineers were trying to achieve here, as we are sure it was more a case of “can we fit this, inside that?”

Keeping in mind that the Z3 is now almost 15 years old, it safe to say that BMW probably have a lot more of these lying around - project cars for when their M engineers get bored in-between projects. Around 2020, perhaps they will show us a V10-engined version of the Z4, probably.
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