Let’s be clear from the start, today’s Z3 is NOT the car from the movie Goldeneye, it just looks a lot like it. We’ll have to see if that familiarity, along with its price, has you shouting action!

The Aspen is a species of tree. Many of the shade providers are classified in the taxonomic subgenus ‘Populous’ which also includes the Populus alba or White Poplar. Most of that makes total sense when exemplified by last Friday’s , which also happened to be, in fact, white.

At $4,500 however, that Aspen didn’t prove to be althogether very popular. In fact it was felled by a decisive 65-percent Crack Pipe vote. Perhaps if it had evidenced some other noteworthy aspect, like say having been in a famous movie or TV show, then things would have turned out differently.

Speaking of which, I was getting lunch last Saturday at a new Texas Taco place near my digs when I noticed a woman also waiting in line who looked vaguely familiar. It struck me that she had played a reoccurring role on the one-hit wonder Freaks and Geeks so when I got home I IMDB’d the show to see if I was right.

It turns out that not only was she on F&Gs but more recently she also shot a movie in which she gets all kinds of naked. I mean like a lot. I have no problem with that but I’m still glad I didn’t look up her filmography while I was standing next to her in line. Awkward!

The cult of celebrity is a weird affliction. We like to fawn over actors because they seem to live a lifestyle to which many of us aspire—that is, aside from when we’re all standing in line together for hipster tacos. It’s such a beguiling force that we oftentimes seek to experience even the most remote connection to our favorite shows and movies. I mean, how many pizzas have been tossed on the roof of that poor Albuquerque couple’s house after it appeared in Breaking Bad?

Tangential Hollywood connections are often all you need, and they don’t much more tenuous than that of today’s whose seller claims is connected to the 17th Bond film, 1995’s Goldeneye.

This is not one of the cars used in the film, however as the present owner notes in , it’s not all that hard to find an Atlanta Blue Z3 with a biscuit interior and matching soft top that looks enough like the one driven by Jimmy B to pass.

Now, I’m not quite sure just how many wanna-Bond Z3s this guy has. The pics in the ad show two different vanity plates—YOLT007 and QBMW007. I’m guessing that it’s just one car and he’s just got a friend at the DMV or something. A number of the pics in the ad appear to be from several years back, so maybe one set of plates simply stayed with a previous owner.

The car does look like Bond’s from the film. Aside from being able to show it off as a such at car shows, it also simply presents as an exceptionally nice Z3. The paint is excellent and the top features a clear rear window, both bonuses on a Z3 from the Goldeneye era.

The interior likewise presents very well, and features an aftermarket head unit with Bluetooth as a stand-in Bond gadget. A five speed stick sits below that.

The gearbox is paired with an M44B19 four. That DOHC 1.9-litre was good from the factory for 138 horsepower and 133 lb ft of torque. No, that’s not a lot but then if you’re looking a performance roadster then you really shouldn’t be looking at a Z3 at all. Go play with a Miata or Boxster S if you want that.

Here that engine has seen some love, all of which is detailed in the ad. There’s just 97,000 miles on the clock, and the car comes with a clean California title.

Does it come with any of Bond’s toys? No. It’s also a few years late and an American version of the car so it’s not quite even a perfect match for the movie homage and hence wouldn’t bring Pierce Brosnan to tears as the memories come flooding back.

At $5,300 it might bring tears of joy to a new owner. At least one who’s looking for a tidy example of BMW’s little Roadster. The question however, is should they save the Kleenex? What do you think, is this little Bimmer worth that kind of cash? Or, is that just too much to bring home this homage?

You decide!

San Fernando Valley, CA , or go if the ad disappears.

H/T to MovieMaestro10 for the hookup!

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