1991 BMW Z1
On Wednesday we took a look at the history of Classic BMW roadsters, from the 3/15 DA-3, which premiered in 1930, to the 507, which ended its production run in 1959 (check it out
here). After the 507 was discontinued, BMW was on financially-shaky ground, and would spend the next several years cementing its reputation as a quality car manufacturer. In 1989, thirty years after the 507's demise, BMW made a return to the roadster market with the Z1.
The "Z" in Z1 stands for "zukunft," which means "future" in German. While the Z1 may have been envisioned as a new and boundary pushing model for BMW, it was based on an already proven BMW platform: the E30. There were some changes made to the E30 design, however. While the engine, transmission, and front suspension made the transition virtually untouched, many other parts of the vehicle were either modified or replaced. Most obvious to the naked eye is the door mechanism utilized in the Z1. Rather than having a door mounted on hinges that would swing front, back, or up, BMW designers came up with a drop-down door that would recede into the sill. The Z1 could be driven with the door raised or lowered, and for this reason it is considered unsafe, and hence illegal, in the United States.
1990BMW Z1
The Z1 exhibited other notable advancements for BMW designers. For example, the Z1 was perhaps the first BMW vehicle designed using a rigid adherence to aerodynamics. The bottom of the car was covered with a flat undertray designed to reduce drag, and even the mufflers were shaped with an eye towards providing downward aerodynamic pressure on the rear of the car in order to increase traction. A testament to this design is that the Z1 had a drag coefficient of 0.36 with the top up. The modern Z4 has a drag coefficient of 0.34 and the benefit of another 20 years of automotive design technology. Also, the Z1 acheived that drag rating despite that fact that it was constructed of completely interchangable body panels. Within the space of an hour, a Z1 owner could completely remove and replace every body panel on the car.
While the Z1 was a technical marvel, it didn't fair so well in the market. As was often the story for BMW roadsters, the Z1 was initially heralded as a great new roadster and many people couldn't wait to get their hands on one. However, production problems and the complexity of the vehicle limited BMW to only producing about 15 of the cars per day, raising the per capita production costs. These costs were eventually passed on to the consumer and demand began to fall. Certainly not helping the situation was the fact that Mercedes-Benz released a new generation of their SL coupe and convertible that which had a bigger and more powerful engine than the Z1. The Z1 was discontinued in June of 1991, with only 8,000 being made (some sources claim 8,012 were produced).
BMW Z3
In 1996, the Z3 was released, and just like the Z1, it was based off of the same platform that supported the contemporary 3-Series vehicles. The E36 Z3 acheived great success in the auto markets, but this success wasn't completely due to the quality of the vehicle. BMW is credited with running one of the most sophisticated promotional programs of the time when introducing the Z3, supported largely by the vehicles appearance in the James Bond movie
GoldenEye. Exposure from that movie, as well as a handful of special James Bond Edition Z3s trageted directly at the most wealthy drivers, caused a demand for the Z3 that did not evaporate. The Z3 was eventually retired in 2002 to make way for the Z4.
BMW Z8
1957 BMW 507 Roadster
A year after the Z3 had first premiered, a BMW concept model called the Z07 was displayed at Tokyo Auto Show. The concept was not initally meant to go into production, and was instead an exercise meant to display how the classic 507 roadster's design could be incorporated into modern BMW models. The concept proved to be so appealing and caused such a sensation that BMW decided to put it into production, renaming it the Z8. Just like the 507, the Z8 was powered by a V8, but unlike the 507, the Z8 had a successful production run. BMW initally planned the Z8 as a limited run model and only produced 5,703 of them. While some complained that the car handled horribly and that the aerodynamics of the vehicle caused excessive wind noise in the cabin, regardless of whether or not the otp was up, the Z8 as a whole was a reincarnation of the classic BMW roadster that had been missing since 1959.
2009 BMW Z4
The Z4 is the current BMW roadster, and the new generation model, premiering this year, is set to be more impressive than the previous generations. While the first generation Z4 was available in both convertible and coupe versions, the new model will only be offered as a hard-top convertible. The previous generation of Z4 produced good sales figures and proved to be a popular model in the company's lineup, and they are expecting the newest Z4 to continue that tradition.
Also, there may just be a new Z model in the offing. Speaking at the Geneva Motor Show this week, lead BMW designer Adrian van Hooydonk, who took over for Chris Bangle, confirmed the existence of the Z10 ED. The model is currently in concept stages and there are currently no plans to show it to the public, but van Hooydonk noted that it would be powered by an inline six-cylinder engine that had been tuned using BMW's EfficientDynamics technology (hence the ED in the model name). The goal is to produce a 400 bhp supercar that doesn't guzzle too much gas. BMW hopes for a 15% increase in fuel efficiency by implementing new technologies. If the Z10 ever makes it into production, it will likely be billed as a competitor against the Audi R8.
In contrast to its shaky start, the BMW roadster is going strong and is gaining in popularity every year. The Z4 likely won't see any redesigns or replacement for another few years, and the Z10 ED probably won't even be displayed as a concept for another year or two, so that's the history of BMW roadsters thus far.
