It has been a long while since any updates have been posted here, and for that, I apologize. Like everyone else, there's 10 pounds of crap in a 5 pound bag, and that's my one and only excuse for the lack of posting. The most exciting news I have is that I've acquired a bit of a unicorn in the last few weeks in the form of a 2001 BMW Z3 M Coupe, one of a handful equipped with the snorty S54 inline-six and made rarer still for being a sunroof delete example.
I found the car fairly close by in Silver Spring, MD on the ancient BMW message board, Bimmerforums. The seller was going through a few things lifestyle-wise that meant the Clownshoe had been relegated to the back burner, and was left parked in the driveway of a house he didn't own. Covered with a cheap car cover and not registered since 2019, it was clear this M Coupe was in need of a rescue, and after very little haggling, I agreed to buy it. The price was fair for a car that will need a fair amount of preventative maintenance to drive confidently, including rod bearings, rear subframe reinforcement, and shift pins in the gearbox.
Just 678 S54-powered M Coupes came to the U.S. in 2001 and 2002, making it one of the rarer cars I own - but also slotting nicely into the assortment of vehicles all built in limited quantities, save for the E30. My 996 will be leaving soon, and that will freely up space and resources for bringing this forgotten Clownshoe up to snuff. More to come!