1999 BMW Z3 M Coupe in Dakar Yellow.
№ 14 / 19 · 1999 MY

The 'clown shoe' — the unicorn shooting brake variant of an otherwise ordinary roadster platform.

Started as an internal skunkworks project. A small team in BMW's M division proposed adding a fixed roof to the Z3 M Roadster. Management refused. The team built a prototype anyway, presented it as a fait accompli, and BMW reluctantly approved a low-volume production run.

2,858 cars sold in North America; ~6,300 globally. 1999 U.S.-spec used the S52 inline-six (240 hp). Imola Red and Dakar Yellow command 25 to 40 percent premiums over silver.

Risk note: S52 rear subframe mounting points are a known failure mode on hard-driven cars; inspect floorpan reinforcement at PPI.