The Z1 is arguably one of the most special models to ever leave the factory gates of BMW. The crazy doors alone are enough to make this car unique, but the whole car is basically a prototype. This particular Z1 was originally delivered in the Netherlands and comes from the second owner, who has owned the car for 27 years.
If a BMW model starts what a Z, you probably know what that means: it's a roadster (or coupé based on a roadster). However, what not everyone knows is that this letter originally stood for Zukunft (meaning future). A very appropriate name for the first Z model, the Z1. Why? Because it's basically an experimental prototype. One that actually made it into production.
One of the best-known and most striking features of the BMW Z1 are, of course, the doors. Doors that open forwards, backwards and upwards had already been done, but BMW thought there was another way. The Z1 received doors that open downwards. With the push of a button, the doors disappear into the door sills. If you want, you can drive this car with the doors open all day long. Just because you can.
However, the Z1 is not a one-trick pony. There is much more that makes this car special. The bodywork, for example. BMW used various special plastics for this. The doors and side panels are made of Xenoy thermoplastic, whereas the hood and boot lid are made of GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic).
The flat undertray is made out of plastic as well. This ensures optimum downforce, as does the ingeniously designed front and rear bumpers. And then, of course, there's the wedge shape. Add to that the relatively low weight and you have a car with excellent cornering abilities. All of this was designed by Harm Lagaay, who would later go on to design the Porsche 924, Boxster, 996 and Carrera GT.
Under the hood the M20 engine can be found, the 2.5 liter straight-six that was also used in the E30 325i. The front suspension was borrowed from the 325i as well. The rear suspension however, was not derived from the E30. This was a multi-link suspension. This was another novelty: together with the 8-series, the Z1 was the first BMW to be equipped with this type of suspension.
A total of 8.000 units of the Z1 have been built from 1989 to 1991. Only a few dozen of these were originally delivered in the Netherlands. This black one is one of them. After the wife of the owner of the BMW dealer had driven it around for a while, the car has been in the hands of the second and current owner for 27 years.
This car is equipped from factory with:
After the original radio started to disfunction, it has been replaced by a more modern Pioneer radio with Bluetooth. Apart from that, the car is completely original.
There are some signs of use, that are visible on the photos as well:
The tank lid has been broken twice and was replaced by a newly painted tank lid. Apart from that, the car is still its original paint.
The car has always been maintained by the same BMW dealer (BMW Van der Sluis, taken over by Ekris in 1999) and has received a major service this year. The most important points from the recent service history are:
The service history since 1999 is present. See the photos for an overview of the history and the service booklet.
In 1994, the owner's 7-series became somewhat impractical due to family expansion and was replaced with a 5-series Touring. At the BMW dealer the owner saw the BMW Z1 and she fell in love right away. She decided to buy this as a fun car next to the family car. She has not regretted this choice as she has owned the Z1 for 27 years now and has driven about 40.000 km with it. Unfortunately, everything comes to an end. The Z1 hasn't been driven much in recent years and the agility required for getting in the car is starting to decline as well. In addition, the owner has plans to move, with the possibility that the Z1 can no longer be stored indoors. That is why the owner has decided that the time has come to sell the Z1 - of course with a heavy heart.
Seller - Monique
Seller type - Private
Location - The Netherlands
VIN - WBABA91030AL05010
Year/date of production - July 31, 1990
First registration - September 3, 1990
Mileage - 70.250 km
Warranty - No
Body type - Convertible
Engine - 2,5 liter straight-six with 170 hp
Lay-out - Rear-wheel drive
Transmission - 5-speed manual
Exterior colour - Traumschwarz Metallic (278)
Interior colour - Grau/Dunkelgrau
Upholstery - Leather
Smoker's car - No
Owners - 2, including current
Tires - Front: Uniroyal Sport 2 (2008, 5 mm), rear: Fulda Extremo (2004, 4 mm)
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