We cannot, in good conscience, recommend this car.

So, we'll put our consciences aside for a moment and tell you how much fun it is! Boy, is this car fast! It's scary fast.

When you step on the gas, in just about any gear, your eyeballs go to the back of your head. It's certainly one of the fastest cars we've ever driven. For that reason, it's almost useless to own one of these: there's nowhere in civilization where you can really make use of it. You'd be in danger of killing someone within about six seconds of hitting the gas pedal.

The neat thing about the car is how well it handles. It really sticks to the road, and makes cornering fun. It's got fatter, lower tires than the regular Z3, and the suspension has obviously been tweaked in favor of performance too.

It's also got some of the best brakes we've ever experienced. Unfortunately, it's almost impossible to stop gently with them. They're so effective and sensitive that your passengers will be suing you for whiplash--if they don't get whiplash from the acceleration.

On the plus side, the M Roadster does a great job with the gauges, which are surrounded by beautiful, old-fashioned chrome rings.

The M Roadster is the Motorsports version of the Z3, and it lives up to that billing. It was an exciting car to drive, but unfortunately there's no legal or ethical way to make use of such a car in most of the United States of America. It's an exercise in machismo and this year's best example of testosterone poisoning.

View cars.com model report on this vehicle.

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