BMW - BMW Z1

BMW Z1

The BMW Z1 is a two-seat roadster automobile developed by BMW. It was produced from March 1989 to June 1991. Merely 75% of all cars were sold to the home market Germany. The Z1 features very special doors which drop down into the door sills. A total of 8,000 cars were produced. All the Z1s were left-hand drive, except the final one built.
The body was made from plastic and could be removed completely from the chassis. The side panels and doors are made of General Electric's XENOY thermoplastic. The hood, trunk, and roof cover are GRP components made by Seger + Hoffman AG. The car is painted in a special flexible lacquer finish developed jointly by AKZO Coatings and BMW Technik GmbH.

The entire vehicle was designed with aerodynamics in mind. Specifically, the entire under tray is completely flat and the muffler and rear valance were designed as integral aerodynamic components to decrease turbulence and rear lift. The front end reportedly induces a high-pressure zone just forward of the front wheels to increase front-wheel traction. The Z1 has a drag coefficient of 0.36 Cd with the top up or 0.43 Cd with it down.

Both the engine (the BMW M20B25) and the five-speed manual gearbox (the Getrag 260/5) were sourced from the E30 325 IX. The 2.5 L (2,494 cc) 12-valve SOHC straight-six engine sits tilted 20 degrees to the right to accommodate the low hoodline. The engine produces 170 hp (127 kW) at 5,800 rpm and 222 N·m (164 lb·ft) of torque in its original form. The car has a dry weight of 1290 kg. Several tuners had programs for increasing the performance of the Z1 by either upgrading or replacing the engine. This car had the ultra rare Mosselman Turbo installed as a dealer option when new.