BMW Z1

BMW
Z1 Roadster
Z1
Production period:	1989-1991
Class :	Sports car
Body versions :	Roadster
Engines:	Otto engine : 2.5 liters (125 kW)
Length:	3921 mm
Width:	1690 mm
Height:	1277 mm
Wheelbase :	2400 mm
Empty weight :	1250 kg

The BMW Z1 was presented at the IAA 1987 and was designed by BMW as an image and technology carrier. The factory code was E30 (Z).

Model history

The BMW subsidiary BMW Technik GmbH, founded in 1985, was responsible for planning and executing the project. Notably, here Ulrich Bez and as a designer Harm Lagaay to name. Between the beginning of 1989 and mid-1991 exactly 8000 Z1s were built in a limited series. The daily production was initially a maximum of six vehicles. The price was 80,000 DM when it was introduced, but later rose to 89,000 DM. The Z1 were handcrafted.

particularities

Door mechanism

The vehicle has properties that are otherwise rarely found in series products:

• The doors did not contribute to the stability of the body and could be lowered into the side sills so that it was possible to drive with the doors open.
• As was common in passenger cars until the 1930s, the engine was installed behind the front axle, which brought the weight distribution between the front and rear axles to the ideal ratio. (Today this is also called the front mid-engine .)
• The completely welded, otherwise finished chassis made of sheet steel was hot-dip galvanized in one piece. This extended the service life and increased the torsional rigidity by 25% compared to a chassis made of non-galvanized or pre-galvanized sheet metal. The technology was new at the time and only known from the Renault Espace .
• Non-load-bearing body parts such as side walls, doors, rocker panels, fenders and bumpers are made of thermoplastic and are screwed to the chassis. This should reduce the cost of repairs.
• Flaps (front, hood and tailgate) made of GRP .
• The floor is made of fiber-reinforced sandwich material and is completely smooth from below. It is glued into the chassis and also screwed on. The rear silencer has the shape of a wing profile.
• The (central point-guided double wishbone) rear axle was redesigned and then incorporated into the subsequent large-scale production of the E36 series .

variants

To keep the costs within limits, z. B. used in drive technology on mass-produced parts. With 125 kW of power and 222 Nm of torque, the Z1 was sufficiently motorized. The low weight and the complex chassis made high cornering speeds possible.

There was only one model version of the Z1, the vehicles only differ in the color of the body (initially "toprot", light "fungelb", "primeval green", "dream black" - later also "purblue" and "magic violet") and the interior ( dark gray, light gray, yellow, red).

66 vehicles were converted by Alpina and sold as Alpina RLE (Roadster Limited Edition). Differences to the production version of the Z1 were a 0.2 l larger displacement, 30 HP more power, modified chassis and exhaust system and the 17 ″ Alpina rims with 4 × 100 bolt circle diameter only reserved for these cars. Another eight Z1s were converted by Alpina to the RLE stand at the customer's request. These vehicles then had to be approved for road traffic through an individual approval at TÜV Buchloe.

In 1991 the artist AR Penck designed a Z1 (" BMW Art Car ", see picture).

Technical specifications

	BMW Z1	BMW-Alpina RLE (Roadster Limited Edition)
engine	BMW M20 B25	Alpina C2 / 6
Type / cylinder / valves	In-line engine / 6/12
Displacement (cm³)	2494	2693
Bore × stroke (mm)	84 × 75	84 × 81
Output kW (PS) at 1 / min	125 (170) at 5800	147 (200) at 6000
Torque (Nm at 1 / min)	222 at 4300	261 at 4900
drive	Rear wheel drive
Acceleration, 0-100 km / h	7.9 s	7.1 s
Top speed (km / h)	225	231
Consumption (l / 100 km)	9.2 N (91 RON )	10.5 N (91 RON )
Weight (kg)	1250
Tank capacity (liter)	58
Selling Price (1989)	83,000 DM	116,000 DM

• 

  BMW Z1 with closed doors (primeval green)

• 

  Rear view of the BMW Z1

• 

  Detail view of a sunken door

• 

  Z1- Art Car from 1991

literature

• Jürgen Lewandowski: BMW Z1. The roadster of the future. Südwest-Verlag, Munich 1989, ISBN 3-517-01137-1 .

Web links

Commons : BMW Z1  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ https://www.bimmerarchiv.de/e-code/e30-z1.html , accessed April 23, 2018.
2. ↑ 30 years Z1, welt.de of July 3, 2017 , accessed April 27, 2018.
3. ↑ 7-forum.com, 25 years of Z1 from June 6, 2012 , accessed on April 30, 2018.
4. ↑ Report on the aerodynamics of the Z1 based on material including images from BMW AG , accessed April 29, 2018.
5. ↑ 25 years of Z1 at auto.de , accessed April 29, 2018.
6. ↑ Information on the Z1-Art Car at bmwgroup.com accessed on April 26, 2018.