The M Roadster, built in the USA like all Z3s,
was also the first to arrive in showrooms, appear-
ing three years before the Mercedes in 1998.
The styling is classic cab-backwards roadster, the
long bonnet/short rear deck combination and
those huge M-specific blistered back arches
emphasising the front-engined, rear-wheel-
drive layout. The tapering bonnet tips a hat
to the 327 and 328 roadsters of the 1930s, while
the pinched waist, with its low door and the
stylised vent on the front wings, makes a
conscious nod to the 1950s 507.
The only thing retro about the Benz, mean-
while, is the name: Sport Leicht Kurz (or Sport
Light Short), which riffs on both the SL that
sat above the SLK in Mercedes’ model line-up
and the legendary short-wheelbase, super-
charged SSK built between 1928 and ’32.
Even today, a full quarter of a century after
Mercedes previewed the production car with
1994’s SLK Concept, it looks fresh and modern.
Not sensual or overtly muscular, but elegant
and clean, roof up or down, its folding hardtop
party piece disappearing beneath the bootlid
(at the expense of most of the luggage space)
without requiring the driver to do more than
toggle a small switch on the console.
And unlike its M opposite number, with its
cartoon arches and quad exhausts, the AMG’s
telltales are limited to a single pair of tailpipes,
a discreet ‘V6 Kompressor’ badge on each wing
and a handsome set of 10-spoke wheels.
The SLK’s façade doesn’t give much clue to
how much performance the 32 offers, but it does
give a fairly clear indication of how it is deliv-
ered. The engine is essentially the same 3.2-litre,
18-valve M112 engine fitted to Mercedes’
contemporary E-Class, driving the rear wheels
through a conventional five-speed automatic of
the Stuttgart firm’s own design. But the addition
of a twin-screw supercharger and intercooler
lifts power from around 220bhp to almost 350,
and adds a thumping 100lb ft of torque for
a lumbar-pummelling 332lb ft.
The power delivery isn’t quite as off-idle
instant as in the bigger V8 Kompressor engines
being fitted to E-, S- and SL-Class cars at the
start of the new millennium, but it feels urgent
everywhere. The noise, deep and muscular, with
a mixture of exhaust growl and supercharger
whine, sounds purposeful and never becomes
intrusive. But it’s also slightly one-dimensional,
sounding much the same when the meat of the
power comes in at 3500rpm as it does at the
unambitious redline 2500rpm later.
But the real beauty in the SLK is how easy that
performance is to access. Mercedes’ Speedshift
transmission allows manual changes by tipping
the lever left and right from the ‘D’ position, but
in practice you find yourself relying on the ’box’s
automatic mapping to do the legwork. As for the
driver, the only leg that needs a workout is the
right one: just push and go. And the SLK32
really does go, to 100mph in 11.2 secs and on to
an artificially limited top speed of 155mph.
The M Roadster matches it every step of the
way, but asks for plenty of help from the driver to
achieve it. The mandatory manual transmissionSeptember 2019 Classic & Sports Car 141BMW Z3 M ROADSTER
Sold/number built 1998-2002/15,000
Construction steel monocoque
Engine iron-block, alloy-head, dohc 3201cc
24v straight-six, electronic fuel injection
Max power 317bhp @ 7400rpm
Max torque 258lb ft @ 3250rpm
Transmission five-speed manual, RWD
Suspension independent, at front by
MacPherson struts rear semi-trailing arms, coil
springs, telescopic dampers; anti-roll bar f/r
Steering power-assisted rack and pinion
Brakes discs, with servo and anti-lock
Length 13ft 2^1 / 2 in (4025mm)
Width 5ft 8^1 / 2 in (1306mm)
Height 4ft 3^1 / 2 in (1306mm)
Wheelbase 8ft 2^3 / 4 in (2459mm)
Weight 3090lb (1402kg)
0-60mph 4.8 secs
Top speed 155mph Mpg 20.4
Price new £40,570 Price now £16,000Clockwise from left:
M badge adorns retro
wing vents; muscular rear
arches add much-needed
aggression to Z3 shape;
glorious M3-sourced ‘six’
is a tight squeeze beneath
the big clamshell bonnet;
large, airbag-equipped
wheel dominates snug
cabin, with seats offering
extra shoulder support