Manufacturer	BMW
Production	1989–1992 1996–present
Class	Roadster, Coupé

The BMW Z Models traditionally are roadsters manufactured by the German automaker BMW beginning with the Z1. The Z range has been produced in four different series with five generations, including coupe variants, one super car, and one concept.

The 1989 Z1 was a limited production European run for BMW, whereas the 1996 Z3 was the first mass-produced roadster for BMW. The original Z in Z1 stood for Zukunft (German for future). The only current Z model is the second generation of the Z4 series.

History

Z vehicles can be largely differentiated by the underlying platform:

Series	Model/Platform	Class	Production
Z1	E30 based	Roadster	1989–1991
Z3	E36/7 & E36/8	Roadster & coupe (respectively)	1996–2002
Z4	E85 & E86	Roadster & coupe (respectively)	2002–2008
Z4	E89	Roadster (with retractable hardtop)	2009–present
Z8	E52	Supercar/roadster	2000–2003
Z9	Concept	Concept coupe & convertible	1999–2000

E30 based Z1, 1989-1992

Main article: BMW Z1

The BMW Z1 is a two-seat roadster developed by BMW and produced from March 1989 to June 1991. The Z1 featured unusual doors which, instead of opening outward or upward, dropped down into the door sills. Only 8,000 examples of the Z1 were produced.

E36 based Z3, 1996-2002

Main article: BMW Z3

The Z3 was the first modern mass-market roadster produced by BMW. The Z3 was introduced as a 1996 model year vehicle, shortly after being featured in the James Bond movie, GoldenEye. The entire 1996 BMW Z3 roadster production run, more than 15,000 roadsters, was sold out by the time the car was introduced. There were a few variants of the car before its production run ended in 2002, including a revised tail styling for 1999 and coupé version for 1999, and M versions for both. It was manufactured and assembled in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

E85/E86 Z4, 2002-2008

Main article: BMW Z4 E85
The first-generation BMW Z4 was known as the E85 in roadster form and E86 in coupé form. It was designed by Danish BMW-designer Anders Warming,.

The Z4's design addresses many criticisms of the preceding Z3; the Z4 was larger, and had a significantly stiffer chassis. It was built in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Initially, the Z4 was available only as a roadster, but in 2006 a coupé version was officially launched. The last of the first-generation Z4 to be assembled in North America rolled off the assembly line on 27 August 2008.

E89 Z4, 2009-present

Main article: BMW Z4

The second-generation Z4 was announced on December 13, 2008, and debuted at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit the following month. Using a retractable hardtop, the new Z4 replaces the previous roadster and coupe versions for the 2009 model year. The top is made of a two-piece lightweight aluminum shell, and takes 20 seconds to fold up or down. Manufacturing has been moved from the United States to Regensburg, Germany.

E52 Z8, 2000-2003

Main article: BMW Z8

The BMW Z8 was a car produced by German automaker BMW from 2000 to 2003. The Z8 was the production variant of the 1997 Z07 concept car, which was designed by Danish Henrik Fisker at BMW's DesignworksUSA in Southern California. The Z07 originally was designed as a styling exercise intended to evoke and celebrate the 1956-'59 BMW 507. The Z07 caused a sensation at the '97 Tokyo Auto Show. The overwhelming popularity of the concept spurred BMW's decision to produce a limited production model called the Z8. 5,703 Z8s were built, approximately half of which were exported to the United States.

Z9 concept

Main article: BMW Z9

The BMW Z9 (or Z9 Gran Turismo, Z9 GT) is a concept coupe introduced in 1999 by BMW at the Frankfurt Auto Show. During the 2000 Paris Auto Show a convertible variant of the Z9 was debuted. The Z9 featured a carbon fiber skin over an aluminum space frame. Much of the styling found on the current E63 6 series is derived from the Z9. The vehicle also featured unique gull wing doors that also opened like a conventional hinged door. The Z9 did not make it into production, but many of its innovations did. The interior included an early concept of BMW's iDrive system, called the Intuitive Interaction Concept. The Z9 featured the world's first V8 turbo diesel, later produced for the BMW 7 Series 740d model.

M variations

The Z3 was the first of the Z series to have a BMW M sibling with the introduction of the M Coupe and M Roadster vehicles. The first generation Z4 also continued the M tradition, with the second generation of the M Coupe and M Roadster vehicles. As of March 2009, there has been no official announcements in regards to a third generation for the M Roadster.

Gallery

BMW Z1	BMW Z3 Black VL
BMW Z4 Roadster (1st Gen)	2009 BMW Z4 (2nd Gen)

Production and sales

Calendar year	Total production	US sales
1996		15,040
1997	57,100	-
1998	53,000	-
1999	51,000	20,062
2000	41,400, 1,400*	16,382, 317*
2001	37,377, 2,202*	14,914***, 970*
2002	25,322, 1,106*	10,490**, 524*
2003	51,011, 1,005*	20,324**, 439*
2004	38,483	13,654**, 110*
2005	28,808	10,045***, 17*
2006	30,981	12,285***, 5*
2007	28,383	10,097
2008	18,006	5,879
2009	22,761	3,523
2010		3,804
2011	18,809	3,479
2012	15,249	2,751

Back to BMW

Last updated on 26 July 2013 at 17:00.

Read More »

The BMW Z8 is a roadster produced by German automaker BMW from 1999 to 2003. It was given the E52 BMW model code.
The Z8 was the production variant of the 1997 Z07 concept car, the exterior was designed by Henrik Fisker and the interior was designed byScott Lempert at the BMW Group Research and Innovation Center (FIZ), Munich. The Z07 originally was designed as a styling exercise intended to evoke and celebrate the 1956-'59 BMW 507. The Z07 caused a sensation at the '97 Tokyo Auto Show. The overwhelming popularity of the concept spurred BMW's decision to produce a limited production model called the Z8. There were 5,703 Z8s built, approximately half of which were exported to the U.S.

Manufacturer	BMW
Production	1999 – 2003
Predecessor	BMW 507
Class	Sports car
Body style	2-door 2-seat convertible
Layout	FMR layout
Engine	4.9 L V8 (S62)
Transmission	6-speed manual 5-speed automatic (Alpina)
Wheelbase	2,500 mm (98.6 in)
Length	4,400 mm (173.2 in)
Width	1,800 mm (72.0 in)
Height	1,320 mm (51.9 in)
Curb weight	1,585 kg (3,494 lb)
Designer(s)	Henrik Fisker (1996)

From concept to production

The original Z07 had been designed with production in mind. As a result, practical and regulatory considerations necessitated very few changes for the production model. Nevertheless, the windshield of the Z8 was extended upward, and a larger front airdam was fitted. Both changes were implemented to provide aerodynamic stability and a reasonably placid cockpit environment. The four-spoke steering wheel of the concept car was replaced by a three spoke design. The hardtop was changed from a double-bubble form with a tapering faring to a single dome with a truncated convex backside. The concept's exotic driver's side helmet fairing was eliminated to allow easy operation of the power soft top.
Despite these changes, the Z8 remained extremely faithful to the concept car. The side-mounted turn indicators were integrated into the side vents in a fashion that rendered them invisible until activated. The vintage simplicity of the interior was preserved by hiding the modern equipment under retracting panels. Complex compound curves were preserved through the use of an expensive MIG-welded aluminum space frame. The Z8 even retained the concept's five-spoke wheel design, albeit without the race-style center lug nut.
The Z8's spaceframe was produced in the Dingolfing Plant and the car hand-finished in Munich.

Features

The $128,000 car had an all aluminum chassis and body and used a 4.9 L (4941 cc) 32-valve V8, that developed 400 hp (300 kW) and 500 N·m (370 lb·ft) torque. This engine, known internally as the S62, was built by the BMW Motorsport subsidiary and was shared with the E39 M5.[1] The engine was located behind the front axle in order to provide the car with 50/50 weight distribution. The factory claimed a 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) time of 4.7 seconds; Motor Trend magazine achieved 0–96 km/h (0–60 mph) in 4.2 seconds. Road and Track measured the car's lateral grip at .92. Car and Driver magazine also tested the car and found that it outperformed the contemporary benchmark Ferrari 360 Modena in three important performance categories: acceleration, handling, and braking. As with most BMW products, its top speed was electronically limited to 155.4 mph (250 km/h).
The Z8 included an innovative use of neon exterior lighting. The tail lights and turn indicators are powered by neon tubes that offer quicker activation than standard lightbulbs and are expected to last for the life of the vehicle.
Every Z8 was shipped with a color-matching metal hardtop with rear defroster. Unlike many accessory hardtops, which are provided for practical rather than stylistic considerations, the Z8 hardtop was designed from the outset to complement the lines of the roadster.

BMW Z8 interior

In order to keep the interior uncluttered, a number of convenience functions were integrated into multifunction controls. For example, the power windows and mirrors were controlled by a single instrument. Also, the center-mounted instrument cluster was canted slightly toward the driver. The displacement of these gauges to the middle of the dash was intended to offer an unimpeded view of the hood and the road ahead.
In order to promote the Z8 to collectors and reinforce media speculation about the Z8's "instant classic" potential, BMW promised that a 50-year stockpile of spare parts would be maintained in order to support the Z8 fleet. Due to the limited volume of Z8 production, all elements of the car were constructed or finished by hand, thereby compounding the importance of ongoing manufacturer support for the type. The price point and production process allowed BMW to offer custom options to interested buyers. A significant number of Z8s with nonstandard paint and interior treatments were produced over the course of the four-year production run by BMW Individual, a division of BMW AG.

Alpina V8 Roadster

BMW Alpina Roadster V8

With production of the Z8 completed by November 2002, for 2003 the Z8 production was replaced by the Alpina V8 Roadster. The Alpina was a departure from the hard-edged sporting focus of the original car, and elements of the new grand touring intent were evident throughout this final edition. Instead of the original six-speed manual and 4.9 L (S62) engine featured in earlier Z8's, the Alpina came only as an automatic, using a five-speed BMW Steptronic transmission allied to a downgraded 4.8 L Alpina-tuned V8 motor from the Alpina E39 B10 V8 S. In order to complete the car's transition from sportscar to boulevardier, relaxed suspension tuning was used. The standard Z8's run-flat tires and 18 in (46 cm) wheels were discarded in favor of conventional tires with softer sidewalls, and 20 in (51 cm) wheels. A new, softer grade of Nappa leather replaced the Z8's less supple specification, and special Alpina gauges were featured on the dash cluster. An Alpina steering wheel with three solid spokes replaced the original, which could not be retrofitted with shift paddles for the automatic. Gear selection was displayed in an Alpina-specific display mounted in front of the wheel.
Performance of the Alpina V8 differed from that of the standard car in that peak power was reduced to 375 hp (280 kW) while peak torque was raised to 383 lbft (519 Nm); this torque was available at significantly lower rpm than the original in order to enable more relaxed cruising. Curiously, the electronically limited top speed was officially raised to 161 mph (259 km/h).
Only 555 of these Alpinas were built, 450 of which were exported to the U.S. market and only eight to the UK. In the United States, this special edition of the Z8 was sold directly through BMW dealerships, marking a first for Alpina, whose cars had never been sold through retail channels in the U.S.

Criticism

The Z8 held BMW production car performance records for several years, and many journalists praised the car. But some in the UK motoring press described the standard Z8 as having terrible handling, most notably Jeremy Clarkson, who while reviewing the Alpina edition on Top Gear (Series 2 Episode 3) described it as a car that didn't know whether it was a supercar or a roadster.

In popular culture

• The car was featured in the 1999 James Bond film The World Is Not Enough and in the games James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire and 007 Racing. In the film, it was driven by Bond (Pierce Brosnan) until being sliced in half by a helicopter equipped with tree-cutting saws in Azerbaijan.
• The car was also featuring in the music video for the theme song, driven by Garbage lead singer Shirley Manson (who could not legally drive at the time).
• A silver Z8 was used in the 2003 episodes "Defense" in the Fox TV series Fastlane used in a chase scene with another sportscar, an orange Nissan 350Z. The same Z8 was used for some driving scenes in the following episode called "Offense."
• The Xbox 360 video game Forza Motorsport 4 features the BMW Z8 as a drivable vehicle.
• Rush drummer, Neil Peart, is the owner of a black one with red interior, and spoke of driving his to Big Bend National Park and back in his autobiography/memoir, Traveling Music: Playing Back the Soundtrack to My Life and Times.
• A silver Z8 was used in the 2002 movie The Tuxedo featuring Jackie Chan as a hapless chauffer must take a comatosed secret agent's place using his special gadget-laden tuxedo.

US sales

Calendar year	U.S sales
2000	317
2001	970
2002	524
2003	439
2004	110
2005	17
2006	5

Back to BMW Z Series
Back to BMW
Last updated on 20 August 2013 at 20:33.

Read More »