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Fifteen years ago, the roadster was considered dead in this country. The last Triumphs and MGs were so unreliable that many buyers soured on sports cars. Then came the Mazda Miata, which proved that people would buy a small, fun-to-drive convertible – if it was also a good car. The BMW Z3 is cut from much the same cloth, but it's like a Miata on steroids. The interior is German spartan, with round gauges and knobs, and clean lines. The engine makes a throaty noise, but the base 2.5-liter model I drove lacked gusto. Supposedly, the 2.8-liter version packs much more punch. Handling is taut and the car is well-balanced, but you can get this car into trouble if you don't keep your concentration up. BMW has also released a Z3 coupe, complete with a shapely hardtop that makes it look a bit like the old MGB-GT. Warning: Of the cars in this group, this is the one most likely to draw a mid-life crisis remark.
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More on the Z3 from the 
