PH Carpool: BMW Z3M Coupe

PHer Chris Small trades XK8 waft-ability for Breadvan pace and poise

The new acquisition - a BMW Z3M Coupe 'breadvan'

PHer Chris... now a BMW man

After a decade as a committed Jag-man, one day PHer Chris Small (author of this memorable W123 V8 feature) realised something was missing...

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'I was out for an early morning blast on along one of my favourite Somerset B-roads when I suddenly became aware that my XK8 was no longer enabling me to hit the metaphorical sweet-spot. There was nothing wrong with the car as such, but my requirements and desires for what I wanted just changed overnight. It suddenly felt too heavy, too detached and just nowhere near nimble enough for the kind of driving experience I found myself craving.'

Chris returned home and feverishly photographed the Jag to put it up for sale. Two weeks later it had gone and Chris was free to acquire something to sate his thirst for a more rewarding driving experience, or so you'd think...

'The thing is I had no real idea of what I was going to buy! My self-imposed check list of specifications for my new car was pretty stringent and my girlfriend Samira thought that such a car didn't exist within my budget. I looked at assorted M3s, M5s, Porsches, Mercs and Audis, but much as I couldn't find any real fault in any of them; they just didn't light my candle. I wanted something that would bring out the schoolboy excitement that had been lying dormant. To be honest, I'd nearly given up hope and was considering buying an old smoker to tide me over until the spring, but at the final hour I remembered the BMW Breadvan.

I started feverishly scanning the PH Classifieds convinced that the BMW would inject the necessary adrenaline back into driving. There seemed to be a fair few for sale and my budget enabled me to look for something in tip-top condition. A couple of months later I found myself on a bus on the way to North London to collect my new P&J. I'd only driven it briefly the week before, so the prospect of making the three hour drive back home in such an unfamiliar vehicle was a little nerve racking, but as soon as I started ploughing back down the A303 I knew I'd made the right choice.'

Chris and the Z3M haven't been together that long, but the signs are that the new couple are getting on very well.

'Once you do get going, driving the Breadvan feels like a very organic and mechanical experience. With no driver aids, a weighty throttle, a clutch pedal and a gear shift that feels like you're operating some kind of block and tackle system to select each ratio, you get a sensation often lost in many more modern and refined vehicles. As soon as you build up some speed however, it becomes very apparent that if you do run out of ability nothing is going to save you.'

'Each time I drive it, I push it that little bit harder and it's quick to let me know if I'm starting to take liberties. A wag of the tail is enough to signal that you're pushing your luck, but the chassis is so well balanced that it only takes a tiny steering input to get things back on course. The ride is firm and yet still relatively compliant and motorway cruising is as relaxed as it is in any other BMW.'

Recently he revisited the very stretch of blacktop which led him to move the XK8 on and, somewhat inevitably realised that there were a couple of things that he missed about the Jag'.

'There was always something very comforting about being cocooned in the XK8's leather and walnut cabin and a small part of me will miss that waft-factor. But I think the Breadvan was just the kind of change I needed. I'm sure there will be some problems along the way, but I can see myself keeping this car for a very long time.'

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