BMW Z8

BMW
E52
Sales designation:	Z8
Production period:	03 / 2000-07 / 2003
Class :	Sports car
Body versions :	Roadster
Engines:	Otto engine : 5.0 liters (294 kW)
Length:	4400 mm
Width:	1830 mm
Height:	1310 mm
Wheelbase :	2505 mm
Empty weight :	1660 kg
Previous model	BMW 507

The BMW Z8 (internal model E52) is a sports car produced by the Munich car manufacturer BMW from March 2000 to July 2003 .

design

Henrik Fisker designed the design with a wide BMW kidney grille and side air intakes, which was based on the BMW 507 roadster produced from 1956 to 1959 . The interior was designed by Mike Ninic and Bruno Amatino, the steering wheel by David Carp. Under Adrian van Hooydonk and David Carp, in close coordination with the designers Fisker and Ninic, a concept vehicle called the Z 07 was produced, which has a high degree of similarity to the design of the production model.

Model history

The Z 07 concept vehicle was already on display at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1997 and in Detroit in 1998 . The production version of the car was presented at the IAA 1999.

From March 2000 to July 2003, 5703 units were handcrafted (555 vehicles based on the Z8 were sold by the car manufacturer Alpina ).

Design features

body

The BMW Z8 is a 4.40 meter long, 1.83 meter wide and 1.31 meter high roadster . The structure consists of a self-supporting aluminum frame ( spaceframe ) with a screwed-on outer skin. The cavities are not sealed because aluminum does not rust. This type of construction makes the body relatively light and extremely torsion-resistant. The side sill panels and the front and rear bumpers with integrated antennas for radio, navigation and telephone are made of polyurethane and can be elastically deformed up to an impact speed of 4 km / h.

The rear lights of the vehicle are designed in neon technology.

The roadster top is closed by hand with the assistance of a servo and the tarpaulin is stored in the 203 liter trunk. For the winter, the Z8 has a hardtop with a heated rear window as standard .

inner space

The interior can accommodate two people. The leather-covered seats can be heated and adjusted electrically. The steering wheel with three spokes, each made of four thin metal rods, is reminiscent of the style of the 1950s. The classic impression is reinforced by the round instruments in the middle of the dashboard and the starter button.

drive

The vehicle has the 5.0 liter V8 engine of the BMW M5 (E39S) with the designation S62B50 . The engine has a maximum output of 294 kW and accelerates the Z8 to 100 km / h in 4.7 seconds. Centrifugal-controlled oil suction pumps ensure that the oil film does not tear at high cornering speeds and when the vehicle is tilted accordingly. The power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a 6-speed manual transmission.

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  The front of the Z8 is reminiscent of the BMW 507 of the 1950s

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  Rear view

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  inner space

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  BMW Z8 Hamann (2003)

• 

  In the direct comparison, the similarity of the Z8 to the BMW 507 can be seen

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  dashboard

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  Taillights for the American market with red flashing glasses ...

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  ... and for the European market with orange flashing glasses

Furnishing

The BMW Z8 could only be ordered with full equipment. These included airbags, alarm system, ABS, cruise control, air conditioning, electric steering column adjustment, full leather interior, radio, telephone with hands-free facility, navigation, hardtop, hardtop stand, light alloy wheels, headlamp washer, xenon light, automatic headlight range control as well as a "birth book" and 1:18 model from Kyosho in the ordered color combination. The price was initially 235,000 DM or 122,700 euros at the end of the construction period.

Alpina Roadster V8

BMW Alpina Roadster V8 (2002-2003)

The Alpina version based on the Z8 appeared in mid-2002 . The main difference to the BMW Z8 lies in a more high-torque V8 engine with a maximum output of 280 kW (381 hp) and an automatic transmission to make it more interesting for the American and Japanese markets. Like the Z8, this vehicle was sold in the USA by BMW AG.

555 copies were built in total. By the end of 2003, a total of 450 Alpina Roadster V8s had been delivered to the United States . The remaining 105 units remained for Europe and Japan .

Technical specifications

	BMW Z8	Alpina Roadster V8
Engine designation	BMW S62B50	Alpina F5
Engine type	Eight cylinder V engine
Motor mounting position	lengthways behind the front axle
Displacement	4941 cc	4837 cc
Bore × stroke	94 mm × 89 mm	89 mm × 93 mm
compression	11.0: 1	10.5: 1
Max. Power at 1 / min	294 kW (400 hp) at 6600	280 kW at 5800
Max. Torque at 1 / min	500 Nm at 3800	520 Nm at 3800
crankshaft	stored five times
Valve control per cylinder bank	two overhead camshafts
Valves per cylinder	4th
Camshaft drive	Chain drive
Valve actuation	Bucket tappets with hydraulic backlash compensation
Mixture preparation	electronic fuel injection
cooling	Liquid cooling with an electrically operated fan
Cooling system content	12.5 l
transmission	Six-speed manual transmission	Five-speed automatic transmission
circuit	Middle shift
drive	Rear wheel drive
Braking system	Hydraulic dual circuit brake
Brake assist systems	Brake booster and brake force limiter
Brake type	Disc brakes
Brake disc design	internally ventilated
Brake disc Ø front	334 mm
Brake disc Ø rear	328 mm
Front brake calipers	Two-piston fixed caliper
Rear brake calipers	Single piston fixed caliper
Front suspension	lower wishbones with MacPherson struts and stabilizer
Rear suspension	Wishbones (above) and trailing arms with struts and stabilizer
body	Aluminum with an aluminum space frame
Drag coefficient c W	0.39
Top speed	250 km / h (1)	260 km / h
Acceleration 0-100 km / h	4.7 s	5.3 s
Fuel consumption according to EU standards	14.5 l / 100 km Super Plus	13.2 l / 100 km
wheelbase	2505 mm
Front track	1553 mm
Rear track	1568 mm
Front tire size	245/45 R 18 W	255/35 ZR 20
Rear tire size	275/40 R 18 W.	285/35 ZR 20
Dimensions L × W × H	4400 mm × 1830 mm × 1317 mm
Turning circle diameter on the left	11.2 m
Turning circle diameter on the right	11.6 m
Empty weight (2)	1660 kg	1695 kg

⁽¹⁾ regulated

⁽²⁾ incl. 75 kg for driver

Registration numbers

Between 1999 and 2003, a total of 1,688 new BMW Z8 vehicles were registered in the Federal Republic of Germany. 2001 was the most successful sales year with 693 units.

Source: Federal Motor Transport Authority

The Z8 in film and television

• James Bond 007 - The world is not enough with Pierce Brosnan (1999), as well as in the music video of the accompanying title song by the group Garbage .
• For heaven's sake with Jutta Speidel and Fritz Wepper , driven by Helen Zellweger in 2002 and 2003
• The Tuxedo with Jackie Chan (2002)
• Polizeiruf 110 (episode 248) "Head in the Loop" (2003), script Sabine Thiesler , with Alexander Hosfeld
• Crime scene: In cold blood - Ludwigshafen (2013)
• Downtown torpedoes (opening sequence)
• King of Germany with Olli Dittrich (2013)

Trivia

• The BMW Z8 was chosen by the readers of the “Motor Klassik” magazine in 2003 as a “Classic of the Future” in the “Open Vehicles” category.
• BMW gives a 50-year availability guarantee for spare parts.
• The first Z8 Club with factory support has existed in Germany since March 2005.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} BMW Z07 (1998) - Old Concept Cars. In: oldconceptcars.com. May 20, 2018, accessed on February 17, 2019 (English, with pictures). 
2. ↑ Thomas Gerhardt: "Car of the Week": BMW Z8, roadster legend of the future - auto motor und sport. In: auto-motor-und-sport.de. July 30, 2013, accessed June 18, 2018 . 
3. ^ John L. Stein: 2002 & 2003 BMW Z8 . In: Sports Car Market . 22nd edition. tape 9 , September 2010, p. 54-55 .
4. ↑ Otto Fritscher: (1) BMW Z8 - Too little attention - Auto & Mobil - Süddeutsche.de. In: sueddeutsche.de. February 19, 2000, accessed February 17, 2019 . 
5. ↑ ^{a b} BMW Roadster: ALPINA Automobiles. In: alpina-automobiles.com. Retrieved December 4, 2018 . 
6. ↑ Milestones: ALPINA Automobiles. In: alpina-automobiles.com. Retrieved December 4, 2018 (2002). 
7. ^ ^{A b} Norbert Fröhlich: History - BMW Z8 friends. In: z8-freunde.de. Retrieved on February 17, 2019 (references given there: BMW Z8 birth book (CND included with every BMW Z8 when first delivered in Germany, USA), ATZ Automobiltechnische Zeitschrift 102 (2000) Hefte / Vol. 6 and 7-8; Der BMW Z8). 
8. ↑ IMCDb.org: 2002 BMW Z8 (E52) in “The Tuxedo, 2002” On: www.imcdb.org , April 18, 2009, 7:00 p.m.

literature

• Folker Kraus-Weysser: BMW Roadster. From the beginning to the Z8. Steiger-Verlag, Munich 2000, ISBN 3-89652-219-1
• Rainer Simons, Valentin Schneider: BMW sports cars. Delius Klasing Verlag , Bielefeld 2003, ISBN 3-7688-1454-8
• Ingo Seiff: BMW - The pleasure of driving, Bechtermünz, Echzell 2000, ISBN 3-8289-5374-3

Web links

Commons : BMW Z8  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Z8 on www.bmw.com
• BMW Z8 Club e. V.
• Zwiki.net - Free, German knowledge database about the BMW Z8 in the style of Wikipedia

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