Despite claiming it to have been garaged all its life, the ad for today’s Nice Price or No Dice M Roadster describes it as a barn find. It also touts it as “brilliant,” but warns that it can be “scary at times.” Let’s see if this low-mileage droptop has an equally scary price tag.
Whilst considering the merits of the 1989 Chevy Celebrity Eurosport we looked at yesterday, one is naturally led to contemplate what other regional identifiers the auto industry might one day leverage. No other geographic area fits quite so neatly into a naming convention as does “Euro,” making this a fairly hard exercise. We do have “Arctic White” paint, which, coincidentally, could have been applied to our Chevy’s exterior color. Additionally, we could look at abbreviations, like the ESS (European Sport Sedan) nomenclature used by Ford in the 1970s. That might prove problematic should we be touting Asian, Australian, or Austrian vehicles, however. After all, no one wants to drive an A.S.S. In the end, it appears that cars like Ford’s ESS and our Chevy Eurosport were performative objects of their time, and at $4,450, few of you were interested in revisiting that era in our Celebrity. Its 58% ‘No Dice’ loss proved there’s no going back.
Sweet Carolina
One could easily argue that the 2001 BMW M Roadster we are considering today is also a product of its time. This is, after all, a car built from a number of new and old, borrowed parts that together make for a unique experience. This model — or at least the Z3 base from which the M Roadster was spawned — is also notable for being one of BMW’s first vehicles built in the U.S., coming off the production line at the company’s then-brand-spanking-new Spartanburg plant in Greer, South Carolina. Being built in America was part of BMW’s attempt to keep the Z3’s cost down, keeping its price close to that of its inspiration and biggest competitor, Mazda’s MX-5 Miata — in theory, at least.
Mazda has never offered a six-cylinder in the Miata, nor an engine of any type with the sort of output this M Roadster brings to the table. While the M Roadster offered a substantial jump in output over the highest-powered Z3 in earlier models, the 2001 and 2002 cars are especially ludicrous owing to the switch in sixes that occurred for those final two model years.
Playing catch-up
Originally, the American-spec M Roadster and its “clown shoe” coupe compatriot were powered by a 3.2-liter straight-six dubbed the S52, making 240 horsepower. Europeans got the better deal with an S54 engine that gathered 316 ponies in the stable. For 2001, BMW consolidated the line, giving both markets the S54 engine and allowing the U.S. market cars to align much closer to their European siblings at 315 horsepower.
This M Roadster is not only one of the 921 sold in the U.S. in 2001 with that more powerful mill, but it’s also a time capsule of the era, sporting a mere 16,300 miles and looking, for the most part, factory fresh. The exterior is painted in Imola Red, which pairs brilliantly with the massively wide original wheels. Those appear to suffer only minor marring, less likely from unfortunate interactions with the curb than ham-fisted tire mounters hammering on balancing weights. The bodywork shows even better than that in the ad, offering bright paint atop clean bodywork with no obvious dents or dings, and clear headlamp lenses. That’s something not often seen on many of these cars at this time. The convertible top, in nondescript black, also appears to be in top-notch condition.
Under appreciated
According to the ad, this M Roadster has been garage-kept its entire life, and as evidenced by its telltale odometer reading, was used only sparingly. Apparently, it avoided the weekday 9-to-5 grind, only being asked to come out and play on weekends. As a result, the cabin shows very little wear and tear. There are a few common bugaboos on these cars (and all Z3s of this era), including delamination of the passenger-side airbag cover and failure of the glovebox latch mount, which can cause the glovebox to droop like a saggy diaper.
This car’s cabin exhibits neither of those issues. Overall, it looks amazingly clean and tidy, with only a minor (and somewhat odd) impression in the driver’s seat leather to mar the experience.
We are told that the car is in “outstanding condition,” though the seller stops there, offering no maintenance history or even the age of the tires or fluids. That’s a bit of a red flag, though with no glaring issues apparent in the pictures, nor any mention made of looming repairs needed, that can likely be hammered out by the prospective buyer upon closer examination of the car.
Premium grade
That prospective buyer may be a long time coming, as the seller asks $48,500 for this M Roadster. Between you, me, and the lamp post, that is not an insubstantial sum. That kind of cash could potentially buy a 2016 M4 convertible AND a standard six-cylinder Z3 if the opportunity arose.
Still, we have to accommodate the seller’s point of view that this is an appreciably rare and desirable model, which could make it worth the nosebleed asking price. There’s also the car’s condition, which appears to be at the top of its game, adding to the justification for its premium price point. Or maybe the present owner is being pressured by a partner to sell the car and has set the $48,500 price point to meet that demand without giving up the car.
What do you think? Is this best-of-the-breed M Roadster worth the $48,500 asking price as presented in the ad? Or does that price tag have you saying “Mmmmmm, no.”
You decide!
Las Vegas, Nevada, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Logan H. for the hookup!
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