Sometimes a car company surprises all us journalists when it builds a car that we collectively did not think it was capable of. It announces a “halo car” when it did not build one for decades. Maserati did this with the MC12, Mercedes did it with the SLS AMG, and BMW did it with the Z8. Our Pick of the Day is one of these spectacular cars, a 2001 BMW Z8 listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealer in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The story of the Z8 is so interesting that I am actually in the middle of writing a book on the model. In brief, the Z8 came about when BMW’s board saw a classic 507 roadster at a retirement event for one of its members and wondered if the company should build a new version. Remember, this was at a time when BMW was a true volume manufacturer and building more than 500,000 cars a year, so the idea of it building a hand-made car was a wild decision. Happily, the final product was a true masterpiece, and nice examples continue to increase in value in the collector car market.
This 25,236-mile Z8 is painted in Jet Black over a Sportred and Black leather interior. It includes both hard and soft tops and, like all Z8s, this one is fully loaded with all the best technology of the time including xenon headlamps, neon tube taillights, and aluminum chassis and body.
The seller states that this Z8 is in immaculate condition and, looking at the photos, I would agree. This car has had the BMW OEM front suspension brace installed, which is important as these cars have been known to have chassis issues when this is not present.
The interior of this Z8 also looks to be in excellent condition. The leather looks perfect, as do the door cards. In addition, I see no cracks in the lower trim of the seats — another common issue with the Z8. The view of the center instruments has such a cool vintage look and makes the interior look all the more retro.
Under the hood lies the BMW S62 V-8, which produces 394 horsepower and 369 lb-ft or torque. The engine is backed by a six-speed manual gearbox. This is the same engine and gearbox used by the E39 M5; in the smaller and lighter Z8, it was capable of running 0-60 in 4.5 seconds and the quarter-mile in 13 seconds flat.
The Z8 is a sports GT and not a pure sports car. While a bit quicker than a Ferrari 360, it is not the same kind of car. A Z8 is the car you use to cross the country in supreme comfort. Yes, it will do well on a twisty road, but the Z8 is completely out of place on a racetrack. Approach the Z8 with this in mind and I cannot think of any other car of the era that offers the level of performance, exclusivity, and dramatic styling that the Z8 has. Don’t forget too that 007 drove a Z8 that was sadly cut in half in the film “The World Is Not Enough.” All of this adds up to the Z8 being the very definition of a modern classic.
As I mentioned earlier, the Z8 is becoming more and more popular in the collector car world. BMW built a total of only 5,703 Z8s, with only 342 in this car’s color combination. The asking price of this particular vehicle is a very reasonable $189,900. My advice is buy this 2001 BMW Z8 now or pay more later. If my current finances were a bit different, I would be buying this car now and parking it in my garage.
Click here to view this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com
