[ad_1]
There are some cars that just shouldn’t exist, and yet they do. Cars like the fantastical Lamborghini Countach, or Dodge’s neo-Cobra, the venomous Viper, seem to be too eye-popping, jaw-dropping, and incredible to be anything more than a wishful dream of some automotive graphic designer. Yet, they have come, gone, and in the process inspired millions of men’s, women’s and children’s driving tests. BMW has also made plenty of exciting cars over the years, though most of them like the incredible E30 and subsequent M3 were, and are, more production cars that don’t garner quite the same reaction as say, the too-crazy-to-be-true i8. But, when Bimmer decided to bring to life a real-life version of their Z07 concept car from the 1997 Tokyo Motor Show called the Z8, the world was never the same.
- Bespoke Aluminum Chassis
- Perfect 50/50 Weight Bias
- Center-Mounted Minimalist Interior
- Trim: Base, Alpina
- Model: Z8
- Engine/Motor: 4.9-Liter NA V8/4.8-Liter NA V8 (Alpina)
- Horsepower: 394-HP/375-HP (Alpina)
- Torque: 383 Lb-FT/368 Lb-FT(Alpina)
- Drivetrain: Rear-Wheel Drive
- Transmission: 6-Speed Manual/5-Speed Auto (Alpina)
- MSRP: $128,000/$140,000 (Alpina)
- Naturally Aspirated Small Block German V8
- 0-60 MPH In 4.2 Seconds
- Henrik Fisker Design
- Only 5,703 Ever Made
- Resale Prices Double Original MSRP
- We Don’t Own One
Henrik Fisker Designed The BMW Z8
The Z8’s design comes from a man whose name would all mean a lot more to us about a decade after this car appeared. Henrik Fisker, (who would later go on to pen his own Fisker Karma), was in charge of the Z8’s exterior. Chris Lempert got charged with creating a functional, yet classically-clean interior that paid homage to the simplicity of car designs of the ’50s. Chris Bangle, who by the mid to late ’90s had already established himself, and his design style, as something of a standout among the BMW faithful. Many of his ideas were polarizing to BMW purists, citing the “Bangle-Butt” rear-end design as something of an eyesore. But, to those that saw the style as an innovative change to Bimmer’s otherwise bland body type, especially on cars like the V10 E60 M5/E63 M6 we would see in later years, complaints were at a minimum. Either that or it was simply too hard to hear them with a 150 mph wind blowing past your ears. But no matter what you might have thought of his other work, the Z8 was simply a masterpiece. With its long hood, raked windshield, and flowing rounded edges, it was a style that even non-car enthusiasts stopped and stared at.
The BMW Z8 Was Powered By An M5 Motor
Power for the Z8 came from a slightly modified version of the M62 engine that powered the much heavier BMW M5 in 2000. For those that forget, that engine used eight individual drive-by-wire butterfly throttles, while a double VANOS timing system helped the engine make both low-end torque and high-end horsepower. No supercharger, no turbo like today’s less than aurally engaging M3, just a naturally-aspirated 4.9-liter (sometimes called a 5.0-liter) small block German V8 that made 394 horsepower at 6,600 rpm and 369 pound-feet of torque at 3,800 rpm. That power was then routed through a glorious six-speed manual transmission, and then on to a shorter rear gear (compared to the M5’s), where a set of Bridgestone Potenza RE040 tires (measuring 245/45WR-18 up front and 275/40/WR-18 out back) waited to put that power to the pavement with alacrity.
But the Z8 was more than just a retro German muscle car. Beginning with an all-aluminum monocoque space frame foundation, its suspension consisted of mainly aluminum to help keep unsprung weight to a minimum. Coil-over struts up front and a multi-link, coil spring rear help the Z8 stay firmly planted on the tarmac. Big (for 2000) 13.1-inch front and 12.9-inch rear vented disc brakes helped keep speed in check, while the Z8’s overall curb weight checked in at a svelte 3,487 pounds that were perfectly balanced 50/50 front to rear.
The BMW Z8 Could Rocket From 0-60 MPH In 4.2 Seconds
The E39 M5 was a monster in its own right, but then take that same powertrain and subtract about 500 pounds and add it to a better-balanced chassis, and we have the Z8. Stomp on the ‘go’ pedal, and you’re treated to a snarl that could rival today’s Camaro Z/28. The Z8 rockets from 0-60 mph in a blistering 4.2 seconds, from 0-100 mph in just 10.2 seconds, and through the quarter mile, in a C5 Z06-challenging 12.6 seconds at 111.8 mph. As with most German hot rods, top speed got limited to 155 mph, but if that limiter somehow got disabled, 180 mph would have been an achievable number in this car. Scrubbing off that speed from 60-0 mph takes just 116 feet, and the Z8 is even somewhat reasonable when it came to fuel consumption with a 12/19/15 city/highway/combined MPG.
Sitting inside the Z8 just feel special. The most obvious is the center-mounted gauge cluster and instrument panel. Looking over the “banjo-style” steering wheel allows for a clear view of the road and nothing more, except the long sloped hood of Z8. Nappa leather and brushed aluminum work together to envelop both driver and passenger in a sumptuously posh bubble of luxury. Even the knobs for the HVAC system got carved from aluminum. The infotainment screen got hidden behind a retractable panel, giving the interior of the Z8 a show-quality level of elitist minimalism, we’ve come to expect by car’s like today’s ultra-exclusive Bugatti Chiron.
And then just as quickly as it arrived, the BMW Z8 was gone after 2002. But, thankfully that wasn’t the last the world would see of the Z8… at least not exactly.
From BMW Z8 To The Alpina Roadster V8
What was normally thought of as a BMW tuner, Alpina acquired the Z8 project officially from parent BMW. From that point forward, technically there was no more Z8, but now the Alpina Roadster V8, and while they looked almost identical, they were exceedingly different cars. Where the BMW Z8 was a purebred laser-focused sports car capable of taking on a Ferrari F355 (or its successor the 360 Modena) and coming out on top, the Alpina Roadster V8 got engineered to be more of a softer grand touring machine in the same vein that the Cadillac XLR would be in coming years.
The Z8’s S62 engine got dropped, and in its place was an Alpina-tuned 4.8-liter M62 V8 that made a lesser 375 horsepower, yet higher 383 pound-feet of torque. The subsequent powerband made for easier power delivery, fitting for long cruises as opposed to a track day slalom course. Keeping with that “let’s just cruise” attitude, the Z8’s six-speed manual was also jettisoned in favor of an Alpina-spec ZF five-speed automatic transmission. Not surprisingly, the Alphina Roadster V8 was about half a second slower than the Z8 in all comparison tests, but with only 555 of these machines made, did speed past the Z8’s $128,000 price tag by a full twelve grand.
The BMW Z8 And Alpina Roadster V8 Have Doubled In Value
With only a total of 5,703 models built (including the 555 Alpina units), the BMW Z8 was collectible about 15 seconds after it the end of production. Not to mention that the Z8 added to its legend by following in the Z3’s footsteps as one of James Bond’s silver screen starlets. Sadly, for those of us who went to see The World Is Not Enough specifically to see the BMW Z8 in action, we were infuriatingly disappointed after about 14 minutes when the Z8 was inexplicably cut in half and never seen again. But we digress… for those models that still exist in one piece, they will cost quite a bit more than the original MSRP. According to Classic.com, the average resale price of a Z8 is $204,844. And while that cost might seem a bit staggering, the even rarer Alpina Roadster V8 ratchets things up even further with an average resale value of $287,144.
While most of our Price, Specs, And Features articles are inherently objective, the Z8 is one car that your humble author has always had a distinct appreciation for, and infatuation with. Having had the opportunity to race one of these German hot rods in a modified Pontiac Trans Am WS6, we can unabashedly vouch for the fact that the BMW Z8 is not only even more beautiful in person, but also wickedly fast. While it may have flown under the radar for a couple of decades, it won’t take much longer for the world to realize that the BMW Z8 has the perfect combination of looks, exclusivity, performance, style, and charisma. So, like so many cars we’ve seen come and go, the BMW Z8 feels like a car that should never have existed, but thanks to some forward-thinking gearheads, it does exist, and may just be the closest thing to a perfect sports car there has ever been.
[ad_2]
Source link