BMW Z8

 The spectacular 507 roadster, built during 1956-59 in only 253 examples, is considered by many enthusiasts and collectors to be one of the most beautiful cars ever built.  In developing the Z8, BMW designers were challenged to imagine what the original 507 would be like if it had never ceased production and had evolved over four decades. The result of this creative direction is a thoroughly contemporary interpretation of that famous and coveted roadster – a car that is truly a perfect blend of performance and sensuality; of modern technology and classic elegance.

The world’s first look at the Z8 concept was the Z07 design study displayed at the 1997 Tokyo Auto Show and shortly thereafter at the1998 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Again encouraged by favorable public reaction, BMW decided to build the Z8 in limited numbers.
BMW 507 designer Count Albrecht Goertz has paid the Z8 the ultimate compliment: “If I were to design the 507 today, it would look like the Z8.” Vastly different from the esthetic of current exclusive high-performance cars, the front-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car features a long hood, tapered overhangs, a cockpit positioned toward the rear, and a low beltline. The front-fender air vents or “gills,” here with integrated fiber-optic turn signal lights, are a design element usually associated with the classic 507 even though the concept dates from earlier BMWs. In a world of sharp-edged, angular sports cars, the Z8 is romantically curvaceous.

The roadster’s advanced lighting technology includes Xenon lowbeamheadlights with dynamic auto-leveling and, concealed in the leadingedges of the headlamp covers, high-intensity washers. The Z8 is the first carever with neon turn signals and brake lights that illuminate ten times fasterthan conventional bulbs, giving other drivers more time to react.Another example of the attention to detail the designers lavished onthe Z8 is the two round red lenses bracketing the rear license plate. The leftone is a rear foglight; the right one is a backup light that, despite its redlens, illuminates white for reversing.

Building the Z8 in Germany is as unique a process as is the car itself.Z8 bodies are constructed and painted at BMW’s Dingolfing plant,approximately 60 miles northeast of Munich; the front and rear bumpers aremanufactured at the nearby Landshut facility. Completed bodies are thenshipped to the former pilot-plant area of the company’s Munich factory forfinal assembly. There, a small team of highly skilled craftspeople largelyhand-build Z8s in 31 assembly steps. The complete construction andfinishing process takes about 10 times as long as that for a 3 Series sedan.

The Z8 cockpit continues the theme of a modern re-creation of the507. Thus in the tradition of great sports cars, the Z8 has a pushbuttonstarter for its engine. The ignition switch is mounted on the dash, just above the starterbutton instead of in the traditional steering-column location. A newelectronic steering lock, along with BMW’s Coded Driveaway Protection, helps deter theft. Other standard equipment includes heated leather seats, a powerroadster top and a removable aluminum hardtop with heated rear window.The extensive Nappa leather upholstery and trim is accented withbody-color painted surfaces and aluminum control knobs, all connoting–5–more–astounding attention to detail. Interior trim consists of aluminum and colorkeyed painted surfaces; among the few changes for ’02 are new choices for combining trim colors with the four available upholstery schemes.

There was never any question about what engine should power theZ8. The 3.2-liter aluminum V8 that powered the original 507 was, at thetime, BMW’s most powerful engine. For a car that personifies BMW’spassion for driving, only the most powerful road engine in BMW history, theS62 5-liter V-8 - also found in the M5 sedan - would do. Delivering 394horsepower and 368 lb-ft. of torque, the Z8’s aluminum engine is completelycivilized in traffic and around town, thanks in part to its infinitely adjustable,electronically controlled valve-timing system.

Called High-Pressure Double VANOS 1, the system varies valve timing on the intake and exhaust valves ofboth cylinder heads – thus on all four camshafts – helping optimize power,torque and emission control. The “high-pressure” designation signifies thefact that this engine, like other BMW M engines but distinct from regular productionBMW powerplants, includes a dedicated oil pump for theVANOS system.The engine’s “drive-by-wire” throttle system operates eight individualintake throttles and includes M Driving Dynamics Control, which allows thedriver to select between Normal and quicker Sport response characteristics.A unique g-sensitive engine-lubrication system automatically ensures properoil circulation in hard cornering situations. Because a V-8 engine’s cylinderheads are canted at a 45° angle, there could be insufficient natural oil flowout of the heads under extreme cornering loads. In addition to the usualpressure pump, there are two scavenging pumps, one for each cylinderbank. In straight-ahead driving, these pumps pick up oil from the rear of the1 – VANOS = VAriable NOckenwellen Steuerung = variable camshaft control, or variablevalve timing.–6–more–engine and return it to the sump. In hard cornering (0.9g or more), the Dynamic Stability Control system’s lateral-g sensor switches magnetic valves to different pickup points, at the curve-outer side of each head and the pan.

The original 507’s body was aluminum. Taking up that tradition in a21st-century form, all the Z8’s body panels, except its bumpers and doorhinges, are aluminum. Here BMW has taken the use of this lightweight alloya step further and designed an entire space frame in aluminum. Thisconcept combines moderate weight with body rigidity that is unparalleled byany other open sports car in this category.The monocoque frame is made of extrusion-pressed beams much likethe trusses of a timber house. Nearly 1,000 rivets and 190 ft. of fusedwelding seam (MIG) hold the frame and body panels together. The frame ismade largely in-house at BMW’s Dingolfing plant, where the existingaluminum processing center also makes the 3 Series convertible hardtop,M3 hood and 7 Series hood and front fenders.The space frame, which is 30 percent lighter than if it were made ofsteel, provides exceptional torsional rigidity to eliminate most of the body or–7–more–“cowl” shake usually associated with an open-top car: “The chassis is rigidenough,” commented Car and Driver in April 2001, “to harness [the engine’s]thrust without any creaks or groans.” This also provides an extremely stableplatform for precise suspension tuning, and contributes to excellent driverfeedback. The central frame’s stiffness also allows much lower side sillsthan is normally the case for a roadster.Pairs of unique aluminum “Y” arms that connect the Z8’s front and rearsections to its space frame provide much of the torsional rigidity andaccident protection. In a crash, the arms are designed to crumple,absorbing energy and transferring forces to the sturdy center floor pan.In simulations of the rigorous European Union’s 40-mph offset crashtest, the Z8’s passenger cell remained completely intact. “Smart” 2-stageairbags, safety belts with force limiters and automatic tensioners, twinRollover Protection hoops behind the seats, and a reinforced windshieldframe provide additional protection.

The Z8’s impressive technology also includes Dynamic StabilityControl (DSC), one of the most advanced vehicle control systems in theindustry. Scenarios where DSC could help “save the day” include thosewhere the driver might have misjudged a traffic situation; failed to matchspeed to road conditions; had a lapse of attention; or been confronted withan unavoidable or critical situation.With wheel-speed sensors and a powerful microprocessor at its heart,DSC incorporates a range of functions that facilitate full and effective use ofthe Z8’s immense performance and handing capabilities with an addedmeasure of safety. It incorporates all-speed traction control; electronic brakeproportioning for always-optimum distribution of brake force among the fourwheels; antilock braking; Dynamic Brake Control, which assists the driver inobtaining the shortest stopping distance in an emergency; and enhancementof vehicle stability during hard cornering and accident-avoidancemaneuvers.In this last function, figuratively speaking, DCS could be described as a “giant hand” gently exerting its influence on a car to help stabilize it when the driver’s abilities or actions might not be able to do so. DSC employs its highly sophisticated technology of sensors, computing power and actuating systems to achieve stabilizing effects that can be likened to such a “hand.”

Ordering and taking delivery of a car as exclusive as the Z8 should bea memorable experience; BMW has taken steps to ensure that it is just that.Owners awaiting delivery of their roadster will be offered a high-quality scalemodel of the Z8. A handmade book will be presented to the owner of each  Z8 upon delivery, including photographs of his or her car in production and actual paint and upholstery samples from the car. Z8 owners are offered the opportunity to take delivery of their roadster at BMW headquarters in Munich, Germany, where they may even watch the final assembly of their roadster. Munich delivery also includes a tour of the Z8 assembly area, and an optional European tour is offered. Alternatively, delivery is also possible at the BMW Performance Center at Spartanburg, South Carolina. The purchase of a Z8 includes a special driving course at the BMW Performance Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina.