Impala Brown with unusual options

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mrscalex
Joined: Fri 13 Mar, 2015 09:14
Posts: 910

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Impala Brown with unusual options

Post by mrscalex »

Okay, curiosity has got the better of me. How rare is Impala Brown - especially in RHD?

And what are these unusual options that come with it?

Currently on Gumtree. 1.9 with 72k miles £2,450.

945 CONSIDERATION OF PRICE DEPENDENCY
991 PRE-SERIES MANAGEMENT

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Must be unusual colour week as there's a Pistachio Green up for sale currently too.
ImageImage
2001 Z3 2.2 Topaz Blue (Trudy) - Keeper rebuilt from a write-off
2002 Z3 2.2 Titan Silver (Cookies) - Keeper rebuilt having been bought with a seized engine
2002 Z3 3.0 Sapphire Black (Peanut) - Keeper awaiting rebuilding having been bought as an abandoned project
Plus Willy, Kodak & Maycee - All 2.2 Sport projects. Yes, 6 is a lot of Z3s :)
Always happy to try and help with spares :)
NZ00Z3
Joined: Thu 23 Jun, 2016 01:26
Posts: 95

  Z3 roadster 3.0i

Re: Impala Brown with unusual options

Post by NZ00Z3 »

I have a Z3 with "pre series management" in the option list. I think it is means that the car went into the BMW vehicle fleet for executives and managers etc before it went out for general public sale.
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Brian H
Joined: Tue 16 Dec, 2008 19:55
Posts: 2505

  Z3 roadster 3.0i

Re: Impala Brown with unusual options

Post by Brian H »

Unusual codes indeed, the option 945 looks to be a discount coding, whilst 991 Is a pre series production car. Perhaps this was a test car for the UK market, it did not prove popular hence there are not that many about?
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Southernboy
Joined: Thu 07 Oct, 2010 12:39
Posts: 6436

  Z3 roadster 3.0i
Location: Johannesburg

Re: Impala Brown with unusual options

Post by Southernboy »

I think it's one of the more unusual colours, and I do like it.
"Normal is overrated"
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Z3 Upgrades and Additions
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lightning
Joined: Tue 27 Nov, 2007 08:15
Posts: 818

  Z3 roadster 3.0i
Location: Stockport

Re: Impala Brown with unusual options

Post by lightning »

Yeah l don't generally like brown cars, but l do like that.
tfp
Joined: Thu 05 Nov, 2015 20:17
Posts: 78

  Z3 roadster 2.2i

Re: Impala Brown with unusual options

Post by tfp »

I've tried to find out how many there are but haven't managed to. I know of two others, not including that one, on the forums.
mrscalex
Joined: Fri 13 Mar, 2015 09:14
Posts: 910

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: Impala Brown with unusual options

Post by mrscalex »

For me brown was out even in the days of the Mk 2 Escort using the colour!

But this is a pretty copper colour really isn't it - in the light of the photo anyway.

I wonder if as Brian alludes to there was just a handful done for evaluation purposes and they were only allocated to BMW managers? That might explain both codes.
ImageImage
2001 Z3 2.2 Topaz Blue (Trudy) - Keeper rebuilt from a write-off
2002 Z3 2.2 Titan Silver (Cookies) - Keeper rebuilt having been bought with a seized engine
2002 Z3 3.0 Sapphire Black (Peanut) - Keeper awaiting rebuilding having been bought as an abandoned project
Plus Willy, Kodak & Maycee - All 2.2 Sport projects. Yes, 6 is a lot of Z3s :)
Always happy to try and help with spares :)
Del
Joined: Sat 19 Nov, 2011 18:35
Posts: 2136

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: Impala Brown with unusual options

Post by Del »

If it's very tidy and just over £2,000 - you couldn't really go wrong. You'd pay that for a Main Dealer major service on an M car these days The black hood doesn't really match - it needs beige or dark brown (if available) :D

Have the lights been messed around with? They look smoked on the side and shouldn't the headlamps have non-orange indicators on a 2001 car?
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lightning
Joined: Tue 27 Nov, 2007 08:15
Posts: 818

  Z3 roadster 3.0i
Location: Stockport

Re: Impala Brown with unusual options

Post by lightning »

Well if it's as suggested a pilot build it could have any combination of parts fitted.
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BladeRunner919
Joined: Fri 17 Feb, 2012 20:18
Posts: 2225

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: Impala Brown with unusual options

Post by BladeRunner919 »

lightning wrote:Well if it's as suggested a pilot build it could have any combination of parts fitted.
Given that it's a 2001 car I can't really see what it could be a 'pilot build' of? The facelift was a year previous, unless the car was built a long time before it was registered. Mrscalex, what's the build date?

I do agree that the headlights look wrong - I'd expect them to be chrome-ringed. Someone's probably just swapped the newer lights onto another car, unless it's had a front-end prang and been repaired with second-hand parts.
mrscalex
Joined: Fri 13 Mar, 2015 09:14
Posts: 910

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: Impala Brown with unusual options

Post by mrscalex »

Well here's some more weirdness for you.

Manufactured 26 May 1999 according to BMW VIN. First registered according to BMW 9 Oct 2002 and first registered according to DVLA 12 Oct 2001!! Manufactured according to DVLA in 2001!!!!

Facelift cars from Apr 99 so should be a facelift and does indeed come up as a facelift (CM12) in BMW VIN.

Engine CC in BMW VIN is 1.9L. But type is shown as Z3 1.8 and the engine as M43 not M44.

BMW VIN lists headlamp washer system but none apparent on bumper.

BMW VIN would normally list the wheel type but nothing shown. These are pre-facelift alloys on a facelift car although they could of course have been easily changed. Just strange no mention at all on BMW VIN as per normal.

Clear rear lights, red 3rd light, amber headlights. Again any are easy to change but just possible this was a 'bitsa' car.

A well spec'd car for a 1.8/1.9 btw. It has cruise control, side airbags, seat heating, air con, OBC and Harmon Kardon according to BMW VIN.

R6SW interior which is tan carpets but black seats and dash. I thought this might be oddball but it seems to be correct according to http://users.belgacom.net/bmw_z3/bmw_z3_interior.htm. Just don't think Iv'e seen that combination before.

Quite an intriguing little car!!
ImageImage
2001 Z3 2.2 Topaz Blue (Trudy) - Keeper rebuilt from a write-off
2002 Z3 2.2 Titan Silver (Cookies) - Keeper rebuilt having been bought with a seized engine
2002 Z3 3.0 Sapphire Black (Peanut) - Keeper awaiting rebuilding having been bought as an abandoned project
Plus Willy, Kodak & Maycee - All 2.2 Sport projects. Yes, 6 is a lot of Z3s :)
Always happy to try and help with spares :)
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BladeRunner919
Joined: Fri 17 Feb, 2012 20:18
Posts: 2225

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: Impala Brown with unusual options

Post by BladeRunner919 »

That is suggestive of some sort of test car - perhaps a press car, or a show car?

The engine is correct - the M43 is a 1.9 but is listed as a 1.8 to differentiate from the M44 (which is exactly the same displacement).
mrscalex
Joined: Fri 13 Mar, 2015 09:14
Posts: 910

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: Impala Brown with unusual options

Post by mrscalex »

BladeRunner919 wrote:That is suggestive of some sort of test car - perhaps a press car, or a show car?

The engine is correct - the M43 is a 1.9 but is listed as a 1.8 to differentiate from the M44 (which is exactly the same displacement).
So M43B18 & M44B19 for pre-facelift which is what I was thinking of. And facelift is M43B19 only. I've learnt something new. But don't get the 'non-linear' progression of the 1.9 from M44 to M43.
ImageImage
2001 Z3 2.2 Topaz Blue (Trudy) - Keeper rebuilt from a write-off
2002 Z3 2.2 Titan Silver (Cookies) - Keeper rebuilt having been bought with a seized engine
2002 Z3 3.0 Sapphire Black (Peanut) - Keeper awaiting rebuilding having been bought as an abandoned project
Plus Willy, Kodak & Maycee - All 2.2 Sport projects. Yes, 6 is a lot of Z3s :)
Always happy to try and help with spares :)
mrscalex
Joined: Fri 13 Mar, 2015 09:14
Posts: 910

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: Impala Brown with unusual options

Post by mrscalex »

Actually I think I've just remembered where I saw this conflicting manufacturing/registration data before. It was on a Japanese import.

I'm just trying to remember how I worked out the last car I saw this on was Japanese. I think BMW VIN gave a clue (doesn't this time) and ultimately I paid £3 to check on mycarcheck. I feel another £3 splurge coming on to satisfy my curiosity.
ImageImage
2001 Z3 2.2 Topaz Blue (Trudy) - Keeper rebuilt from a write-off
2002 Z3 2.2 Titan Silver (Cookies) - Keeper rebuilt having been bought with a seized engine
2002 Z3 3.0 Sapphire Black (Peanut) - Keeper awaiting rebuilding having been bought as an abandoned project
Plus Willy, Kodak & Maycee - All 2.2 Sport projects. Yes, 6 is a lot of Z3s :)
Always happy to try and help with spares :)
mrscalex
Joined: Fri 13 Mar, 2015 09:14
Posts: 910

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: Impala Brown with unusual options

Post by mrscalex »

Done.

£2 for a basic check. £10 to check if an import. Naturally I had to do the full check in the interests of the greater good of this community :nerd: Don't expect me to do that too often as I'm a tight git :lol:

Not an import. Build year 2001 but the service will only report what's held by DVLA.

Underwent a VIC check in Jun 2008. That's an identity check that used to be a requirement after being rebuilt from a write-off. Even the £10 check won't tell me it was a write-off as it has a registration change history (B7KMW from Oct 2004 to Jan 2008) and that confuses the service. Presumably the owner of B7KMW smacked it, it was written off, sold as salvage and the next owner rebuilt it. That's how I read it. But in the interests of fairness to the current owner (who is not declaring it as Cat'd and I think is required to if it is) then I don't know if this is the case for sure.

8 former keepers. Quite a lot if it's a special'un.

Btw the MOT history says date of first use - 31 December 1999! So there's a different date again although it's more consistent with the BMW stated date of manufacture May 1999.

Don't you just love a mystery? I've emailed the owner before I exploded with excitement :lol:
ImageImage
2001 Z3 2.2 Topaz Blue (Trudy) - Keeper rebuilt from a write-off
2002 Z3 2.2 Titan Silver (Cookies) - Keeper rebuilt having been bought with a seized engine
2002 Z3 3.0 Sapphire Black (Peanut) - Keeper awaiting rebuilding having been bought as an abandoned project
Plus Willy, Kodak & Maycee - All 2.2 Sport projects. Yes, 6 is a lot of Z3s :)
Always happy to try and help with spares :)
Del
Joined: Sat 19 Nov, 2011 18:35
Posts: 2136

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: Impala Brown with unusual options

Post by Del »

No wonder it looks like a car of many parts
mrscalex
Joined: Fri 13 Mar, 2015 09:14
Posts: 910

  Z3 roadster 1.9

Re: Impala Brown with unusual options

Post by mrscalex »

Quite possibly. Hopefully the owner will reply to email me and enlighten us all. Would still like it to be something special. It could be that and rebuilt from a write-off.
ImageImage
2001 Z3 2.2 Topaz Blue (Trudy) - Keeper rebuilt from a write-off
2002 Z3 2.2 Titan Silver (Cookies) - Keeper rebuilt having been bought with a seized engine
2002 Z3 3.0 Sapphire Black (Peanut) - Keeper awaiting rebuilding having been bought as an abandoned project
Plus Willy, Kodak & Maycee - All 2.2 Sport projects. Yes, 6 is a lot of Z3s :)
Always happy to try and help with spares :)
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