Photo: Jalopnik
Back in the 90s, BMW was preoccupied with a lot of things, one of them being: how many cylinders can fit under the bonnet of a small car. In this regard, the Z3 Roadster proved to be the perfect lab rat.
The first modern mass-market roadster, produced by BMW in the United States, once had up to 12 cylinders under the bonnet. Unfortunately, this was only an experiment but traces of that endeavor remained on the production car in the shape of that trademark long bonnet that brought the Z3 the 'clown shoe' nickname.
Those 12 cylinders were arranged in the shape of a V, under the M73 codename and displaced 5.4 liters in total. That same engine was used in the E38 7 Series and even the 8 Series. With 322 HP it wasn't something to be joked about, especially since the torque it delivered was absolutely mental, similar in feel to a turbocharger.
The transmission was manual and the balance of the car was destroyed but this baby probably killed it in a straight line. Too bad this version never made it to production though, as we think it could've developed quite a cult.
Via: Jalopnik
Those 12 cylinders were arranged in the shape of a V, under the M73 codename and displaced 5.4 liters in total. That same engine was used in the E38 7 Series and even the 8 Series. With 322 HP it wasn't something to be joked about, especially since the torque it delivered was absolutely mental, similar in feel to a turbocharger.
The transmission was manual and the balance of the car was destroyed but this baby probably killed it in a straight line. Too bad this version never made it to production though, as we think it could've developed quite a cult.
Via: Jalopnik
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