1999 BMW Z3...Continued

Some of the testers have been surprised at the lack of roll stiffness. Since the driver sits further to the rear than in any sports car in recent memory, this feeling may be accentuated during quick transitions.

BMW has never been able to leave engines alone for long, and changed the base powerplant to a 2.5-liter straight six, and it adds 30 horsepower, but still the base price is below thirty grand. For an additional 6 grand you get the larger engine, bigger tires and more bragging rights. The M versions give you the vaunted blue, purple and red slash badge, and the ultimate in engines and suspension.

It is remarkable how well the stylists have combined so many images in one car. BMW makes their sedans look smaller than they are, but the traditional grille could have posed a problem for a sleek sports car. They also picked up cues from their 507 design from the 50s that also reflected the better aspects from the pre-war 328. One car that did not show up in the styling was the 1986 Z1 that was a technological tour de force, but had lines that only an engineer could love.

BMW made its reputation in the 30s with highly efficient sports cars, and was forced after the war to concentrate on more practical mini-cars and sedans. Once they had their feet on the ground they collaborated with Lamborghini to produce the exo/tic M1 and their engine is the heart of the McLaren F1 that won LeMans.

All Z3s are built at the new Spartanburg, S.C. plant, and will be exported all over the world. How times have changed!

More than any other car, sports cars have stirred our blood, and provided many of us with our fondest memories. Their numbers are getting fewer, and their loss would make this a bleaker world -- or at least duller highways.

During the 50s and 60s the term "Sports Car" meant something from Italy or England that was totally frivolous and totally fulfilling. Their appeal transcended two generations, and there were few movies made during that time that didn't feature some two-seater convertible as key part of character development.

Just by placing a person in the car, you knew a lot about them -- carefree, adventurous, even something of a rebel. So wrapped up were we in the image that we forgot the down side of those cars.

Time has allowed us to forget that many of the adventures shared with sports cars were often due to break downs in curious places. When economic concerns, personal tastes, safety and insurance costs all but halted the production of roadsters, those fond memories became fonder.

Datsun created a new market with the 240Z which evolved into the 300ZX. It spawned a whole Japanese sports car industry, and killed the last of the English sports car companies. In recent years most of the Japanese pulled out, at least temporarily. The Germans have filled the gap.