Jay Kay's BMW Z4M Coupe for sale
Four thousand miles in a decade and a half? That's verging on virtual insanity...
Whether you love or loathe acid jazz, you’ve got to admire Jay Kay’s approach to car collecting. It feels like a fair chunk of the Jamiroquai frontman’s collection has graced the PH classifieds over the years, but when you dig through the multitude of articles and videos covering his vast automotive habit it becomes clear that the stuff we see represents a mere footnote in an exceptionally well-curated garage.
There appears to be a one-in, one-out policy judging by the steady stream of cars for sale, and there doesn’t seem to be a particular theme he’s going off either. For instance, a Porsche 918 Spyder once owned by the Space Cowboy was up for sale here back in 2021, followed by an Aston Martin V8 Vantage X-Pack a year later. But just as you begin to piece together a thread that joins them all together – most wouldn’t look out of place outside the trackside café at Goodwood, for instance – a curveball is thrown your way in the form of a BMW Z4M Coupe.
Obviously, the Z4M isn’t exactly a common sight, which on its own always helps collectibility. And it has plenty more going for it. There hasn’t been a M version of a Z car since the E86 you see here, giving it end-of-an-era kudos, and of course it’s powered by one of the all-time great six-cylinder engines: the S54 originally found in the E46 M3. It’s largely the same spec as the one you’ll find in the M3, meaning 343hp on tap and a six-speed manual transmission to manage it. Parts sharing with the E46 also extended to the limited-slip differential, rear subframe and anti-roll bar mounts, and parts of the brake assembly. Factor in a faster steering rack, bespoke damper settings and a 100kg weight advantage over the E46 and the Z4M starts to look like the ultimate M car recipe.
However, it didn’t quite work out that way. It’s widely accepted that the M3 was sweeter to drive than the Z4M Coupe, with some finding the latter a bit too spikey on the limit. Granted, that may be appealing to some, although, if it isn’t, specialists must have figured out how to dial down some of the car’s lunacy for a more M-like experience. Couple that with a design that didn’t go down particularly well at launch (sound familiar?) and it becomes clear why the Z4M never quite reached the heady heights of its 3 Series sibling.
Mind you, step forward to the present day and the Z4M begins to look like an appealing collector proposition. First of all, they sold in considerably lower numbers compared to other M models, so that’s a firm tick in the rarity box. And while the looks proved divisive at launch, time – and the arguable decline of BMW styling over the past few years – have done wonders for M’s two-seater. Now it looks great.
It's no ordinary Z4M, either. It’s painted in a BMW Individual Ruby Black Metallic, which is paired up with Imola Red Nappa leather seats. If it looks like they’ve barely been sat in, it’s because they haven’t. The car has only covered 4,100 miles, half of which appears to have been covered by Mr Kay himself. So it’s a box fresh example, finished in a special colour and once owned by a music megastar. Just bear that in mind when considering the £41,995 asking price.
The Z4M can be spikey at the limit - driven with a heavy right foot and a lack of experience, the Z4M is a terrifying handful, whereas the same abuse of an M3 results in a more gradual response. Driven well, those characteristics of the Z4M equate to a car that is composed, loves to change direction and is always exciting to drive at the limit. What’s more, in any circumstance, the Z4M feels special, whilst the M3 feels little different from any other six cylinder E46 unless pressing on.
In standard OEM spec, the Z4M is just a decent set of tyres away from being a great GT car and weekend toy. However, for the last fourteen years, my Z4M coupe has been a track car that also sees road use. As such, I have extensively modified it both to make it tolerate that use reliably and also to make it faster in that environment. The trade off for incredible track composure is a somewhat unforgiving ride on the road, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Except they haven’t. Before anyone responds with how chucking a set of B6s and Eibachs on all of the BMW specialists including Kevin Bird concur that Thayer rubbish and can’t be made to handle or ride well on the road (and I don’t mean track like the post above) and no, this isn’t a case of manning up and growing a pair - this isn’t fun and wayward like other lairy rwd powerful cars but just plain rubbish.
Btw has anyone seen the video footage of him going ballistic/threatening for no apparent reason at a journalist? The journalist then understandably headbutts him putting him in his place, it's hilarious.
I'd avoid this car knowing Jay Kay owned it.
Except they haven’t. Before anyone responds with how chucking a set of B6s and Eibachs on all of the BMW specialists including Kevin Bird concur that Thayer rubbish and can’t be made to handle or ride well on the road (and I don’t mean track like the post above) and no, this isn’t a case of manning up and growing a pair - this isn’t fun and wayward like other lairy rwd powerful cars but just plain rubbish.
I'd largely ignored them and never heard him talk until a Top Gear appearance, at which point I thought 'oh, he's also a massive t
t to go with it'I'd largely ignored them and never heard him talk until a Top Gear appearance, at which point I thought 'oh, he's also a massive t
t to go with it'He does generally have good taste in cars though.
Except they haven’t. Before anyone responds with how chucking a set of B6s and Eibachs on all of the BMW specialists including Kevin Bird concur that Thayer rubbish and can’t be made to handle or ride well on the road (and I don’t mean track like the post above) and no, this isn’t a case of manning up and growing a pair - this isn’t fun and wayward like other lairy rwd powerful cars but just plain rubbish.
These have most of the right ingredients on paper I reckon, however the recipe is just crap though sadly. They are a car that you're better off looking at rather than actually driving in my opinion.
The mileage is the key thing here and the condition, guessing there wont be many others with anywhere near that, not not sure it justifies quite that much money but they are a pretty decent looking thing with a following so its probably not a million miles off.
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