Out of the Laguna Seca Blue | PH Fleet

Rob fetches a 1-of-1 Z3M S54 from the Scottish Highlands to complete the set

Having thoroughly enjoyed and regretfully sold my peak Brosnan-spec 3.0-litre Z3, the next question was obvious: what sits at the top of the small, punchy, dated convertible tree? What would be the ultimate ‘Taste the Difference’ M-car offering?

Knowing BMW built just 73 right-hand-drive examples with the coveted S54 engine, I knew I had my work cut out. So much so that I initially threw in the towel and bought a local S50 car instead. Truthfully, it left me a bit flat having the M3 in the same stable, and my mind even began wandering toward Z4Ms. But with summer drawing to a close, I was ready to shelve the dream of blasting around Biarritz and the northern coast of Spain in a six-cylinder oddity.

Then came September, and with it, a genuine Munich miracle: a 1-of-1 S54 in Laguna Seca Blue with just over 23,000 miles on the clock. I was staggered, frantically trying to figure out how to get up to Inverness to dispel the myth. After a debate in the local public house with colleagues, it was settled and I booked a berth on the Caledonian Sleeper. The concept of waking up rested in Scotland beats fighting the reliable misery administered from tube delays and a frantic, frightfully early flight. Instead, I was met with a double bed and morning views of the Highlands that teased what the day had ahead.

With the deal done, I pointed the nose south. Having tackled the North Coast 500 at eighteen in my family’s TR3A, the Old Military Road was familiar territory. This time, however, it felt like stepping straight onto the pages of an early-'00s Performance Car test.

The sweeping Highland tarmac worked in perfect harmony with the S54’s ever-dancing rev needle. I’d set off with a healthy dose of anxiety, as an unfamiliar 20-year-old M-car triggers acute paranoia, leaving every sense hyper-alert for phantom mechanical gremlins. But as the Old Military Road unspooled through its dramatic scenery, the tense shoulders dropped.

There’s a reason people rave about this stretch of asphalt. It became addictive to prod the throttle, watching that long bonnet rise and feeling the rear squat. Even on the motorway, the roof stayed stowed, with that wacky Laguna Seca paintwork turning heads left and right as the blue oddity devoured miles. By the time I crossed the border into England, ears buzzing but grin firmly set, the long trek home hadn't just proven its cross-country chops; it had firmly confirmed to me that I might just have the ultimate Z.

Anyone familiar with my personal purchases understands how much I value originality. With verified factory paint depth readings alongside an interior that looks as though no one has ever so much as sneezed inside it, this example was everything I had dreamed of. I have to mention the colour again. Laguna Seca Blue commands a healthy premium on its larger M3 sibling, and now I finally get why. It possesses a character entirely its own - one that feels wonderfully out of place in sleepy Shropshire as the paint morphs under the light from deep and inky to something outrageously bold. It is one of just two in this colour, securing its true 1-of-1 status courtesy of the less Marmite choice of full Black Nappa leather. Parked alongside the Imola Red, the driveway feels less like a private garage and more like BMW UK’s press fleet lineup from 2002…

Diving into the car's history and contacting the ever-so-helpful press office, that closing statement became rather ironic. I was informed that this was indeed the final S54 Z3M press car, which neatly explained the wild specification. During its time on their fleet, its maiden voyage was to none other than Le Mans, before going to three journalists for some “light exercising”. It soon settled when a family acquired it in the early '0s, cherishing it across two generations before passing the torch to me.

I think it’s blindingly obvious I am going to cherish it too, cotton wool and all. But with the Scottish christening ticked off, the European dream is firmly back on with this hippy brute. Pre-channel crossing pampering and invoices are looming; deciding which S54 key to reach for on a clear Sunday morning is the real dilemma. Watch this space.

FACT SHEET

Car: 2002 BMW Z3M
Run by: Rob Slomczynski
On fleet since: September 2026
Mileage: 23,626