BMW Z1
| BMW Z1 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | BMW |
| Production | March 1989 – June 1991 |
| Designer | Harm Lagaay (1986) |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Compact luxury sports car (S) |
| Body style | 2-door roadster |
| Platform | BMW E30 |
| Related | BMW 3-Series |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 2.5 L BMW M20B25 I6 |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,447 mm (96.3 in) |
| Length | 3,921 mm (154.4 in) |
| Width | 1,690 mm (67 in) |
| Height | 1,227 mm (48.3 in) |
| Curb weight | 1,250 kg (2,760 lb) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | BMW 507 |
| Successor | BMW Z3 |
The BMW Z1 is a two-seat roadster automobile developed by BMW inspired by its famous predecessor the 507. It was produced from March 1989 to June 1991. The Z1 featured doors which dropped down into the door sills. A total of 8,000 cars were produced. All the Z1s were left-hand drive.
The first example of the Z1 was released by BMW to the press in 1986 and later officially presented at the 1987 Frankfurt Motor Show. Initial demand was so fierce that BMW had 5,000 orders before production began. However, demand dropped significantly around 1988 and BMW ended production in 1991. There is speculation that the drop in demand was due to the early inflated demand from speculative investors. In 1988, however, BMW was quoted as saying that they had 35,000 orders for the Z1.
The BMW Z1 was designed over a three-year period by an in-house division of BMW Forschung und Technik GmbH. The development of the Z1 is attributed to Ulrich Bez and his team at BMW Technik GmbH (Harm Lagaay, Alexander Pregl, Rudolf Müller, Lutz Janssen, Wolf-Henryk Menke, Dieter Schaffner, Klaus Faust, Sabine Zemelka, Patrick Ayoub and Stephan Stark). Control of the project was turned over to Klaus Faust when Bez left for Porsche in October 1988.
The BMW Z1 was used to develop and debut several technologies. Z1 designer Harm Lagaay mentioned that Z1 production helped generate patents for BMW's high-intensity discharge lamp, integrated roll-bar, door mechanism, and underbody tray.
The Z in Z1 originally stood for Zukunft (German for future) and would later be used on other cars in the line: the Z3, Z4, and Z8). All of these vehicles (including the Z1) are two-door roadsters (except for the few M coupe and Z3 and Z4 hardtop models).
The chassis was specially designed for the Z1 and features a number of innovative features: removable body panels, continuously zinc welded seams, a composite undertray, and the unusual dropped doors. Parts of the car (including the engine, gearbox, and front suspension) were borrowed from the BMW E30 325i and 325Ix, but the Z1 remains largely original.
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Wikipedia