--- title: "BMW Once Stuffed a V12 Into a Z3 Just Because a Car Mag Asked It To" date: "2024-07-08" modified: "2024-07-08" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/bmw-once-stuffed-a-v12-into-a-z3-just-because-a-car-mag-asked-it-to" categories: - "BMW News" - "News" - "News by Brand" tags: - "BMW" - "sports car" - "z3" --- # BMW Once Stuffed a V12 Into a Z3 Just Because a Car Mag Asked It To ![]() *BMWBlog* BMW's classic car vault in Munich is a treasure trove of unusually awesome projects that never became realities. Cars like the E31 BMW M8, the V16 7 Series, and this—a V12-powered BMW Z3. And *[BMWBlog]()* was given access to [BMW]() Classic's collection to check it out. You've seen the Z3. It's tiny. There are shoes bigger than the Z3. And yet, in 1999, the mad scientists at BMW decided it would be fun to stuff a massive V12 engine under the hood of one. Not only did BMW give its smallest car its biggest engine, but it also paired that engine with its six-speed manual transmission, elongating the powertrain even further. ![]() **BMWBlog** It wasn't quite the hot-rod [BMW Z3]() you might imagine, though. BMW's "M73" 5.4-liter V12 was pretty old by 1999, having debuted in 1993 and been used in luxurious cruisers like the 8 Series and 7 Series. It packed a decent punch, with 326 horsepower and 361 lb-ft of torque but, for comparison, the Euro-spec [E36 M3's]() 3.2-liter inline-six made 321 horsepower and the E39 M5's 4.9-liter V8 made 369 lb-ft. So even though this muscle car Z3 had a V12 and weighed just 3,100-ish pounds, it still took 5.5 seconds to get from 0-60 mph. There were a few engineering challenges with this project, though. For starters, fitting the big ol' V12 in there wasn't easy. With the hood open, you can see there's barely a millimeter to spare on all sides of the engine. BMW had to eschew traditional air intake boxes for simple cone filters, since there wasn't room for the former. And since the M73's infamously complicated dual-ECU setup would get too hot under in the engine bay, the car had to be stopped every 15 minutes or so, to have its ECU sprayed to cool it down. ![]() **BMWBlog** Since it was built by the M Division, this BMW Z3 V12 had much of the Z3 M Roadster's interior and its quad tailpipes. However, it wasn't badged as an M car, likely because it was never actually going to be sold. It did get a very M car-like color, though. While it's unclear exactly what color it is (if it's even an official M shade), but it's a gorgeous muted orange. Why did BMW go through such a challenging engineering exercise, especially if it was never going to sell it? Simply because German magazine *Auto Zeitung* wanted to collaborate on a project. (I suppose if *The Drive* had commissioned this, we'd have gone for the same paint job.) BMW in the '80s and '90s was absolutely bonkers, making several wild projects like this one. If only the Bavarians had that same pioneering spirit today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWl1zuxb0V8 ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()