NationMaster - Encyclopedia: BMW Z1

The BMW Z1 is a two-seat roadster developed by BMW Technik GmbH and produced from July 1988 to June 1991. The Z1 featured unusual doors which, instead of opening outward or upward, dropped down into the door sills. Only 8,000 copies of the Z1 were produced. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2316x1392, 643 KB) BMW Z1 Foto by Softeis, 3/10/2004 at/im http://de. ... Automakers or automobile manufacturers are companies that design and manufacture automobiles. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The BMW Z3 was the first modern mass-market roadster produced by BMW, as well as the first BMW model assembled in the United States. ... It has been suggested that Vehicle size class be merged into this article or section. ... 1923 Ford Model T roadster 1950 Jaguar XK120 roadster This article is about the roadster car body style. ... An automobile platform is a shared set of components common to a number of different automobiles. ... In automobile design, an FR, or front-engine, rear wheel drive means a layout where the engine is in the front of the vehicle and drive wheels at the rear. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Internal combustion engine. ... The M20 was an I6 piston engine of BMW. The 12-valve, belt driven SOHC design was introduced in the 1976 BMW 520/6 and 320/6. ... The straight-6 (also inline 6, I-6, or I6) is an internal combustion engine with six cylinders aligned in a single row. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Curb weight or kerb weight is the total weight of an automobile with standard equipment, oil, lubricants, coolant, a full tank of fuel and not loaded with either passengers or cargo. ... BMW E30 318i coach 1987 BMW E30 325es w/diving board bumper E30 Convertible The E30 automobile platform was the basis for the 1982 through 1991 BMW 3 Series entry-level luxury car / compact executive car. ... The BMW 3-Series is a line of compact sedans manufactured by BMW since May, 1975. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 1923 Ford Model T roadster 1950 Jaguar XK120 roadster This article is about the roadster car body style. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A De Lorean DMC-12 with its doors open A Bricklin SV-1 with its doors open A Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing with its doors open The term gull-wing door is used to describe automobile doors which are hinged at the roof. ...

History

The first example of a Z1 was released by BMW to the press in 1986 and later officially presented at the 1987 Frankfurt Motor Show. Initial demand was so fierce that BMW had 5,000 orders before production began. Unfortunately, demand dropped significantly around 1988 and BMW ended production in 1991. There is speculation that this drop in demand was due to the introduction of the Mercedes-Benz SL (Brossaud, 1) and the early inflated demand from speculative investors [1]. In 1988, however, BMW was quoted as saying that they had 35,000 orders for Z1s. Anyway, BMW never exported the Z1 to the U.S.A. See discussion page. 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Main Station Frankfurt Frankfurt International Airport For other uses, see Frankfurt (disambiguation). ... The Mercedes-Benz SL-Class is a series of luxury automobiles. ...

The BMW Z1 was designed over a three-year period by an in-house division of BMW Technik GmbH. The development of the Z1 is attributed to Dr. Ulrich Bez, not to forget the core of his team at BMW Technik GmbH (Alexander Pregl, Rudolf Müller, Lutz Janssen, Wolf-Henryk Menke, Dieter Schaffner, Klaus Faust, Sabine Zemelka and Stephan Stark). Control of the project was turned over to Dr. Klaus Faust when Bez left for Porsche in October, 1988. Dr. Ulrich Bez was born on November 1943 in Bad Cannstatt, Germany. ... Dr. Ing. ...

BMW considered building an all-wheel drive model but this was later scrapped. (Brossaud, 1).

The BMW Z1 was used to develop and debut several technologies. Z1 designer Harm Lagaay mentioned that Z1 production helped generate patents for BMW's high-intensity discharge lamp, integrated roll-bar, door mechanism, and underbody tray. Harm Lagaay is a Dutch automobile designer. ... 15 kW Xenon short-arc lamp used in IMAX projectors High-intensity discharge (HID) lamps include these types of electrical lamps: mercury vapor, metal halide (also HQI), high-pressure sodium, low-pressure sodium and less common, xenon short-arc lamps. ...

Z line

The Z in Z1 originally stood for Zukunft (German for future) and would later be used on other cars in the line: the Z3, Z4, and Z8). All of these vehicles (including the Z1) are sporty, two-door roadsters. The BMW Z3 was the first modern mass-market roadster produced by BMW, as well as the first BMW model assembled in the United States. ... The BMW Z4 is a 2-door, rear wheel drive sports car. ... 2001 BMW Z8 The BMW Z8 was a convertible sports car automobile produced by BMW from 1999 to 2003. ...

Construction

Chassis

The chassis was specially designed for the Z1 and features a number of innovative features: removable body panels, continuously zinc welded seams, a composite undertray, and the unusual dropped doors. Parts of the car (including the engine, gearbox, and front suspension) were borrowed from the BMW E30 325i, but the Z1 remains largely original. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1494x1341, 300 KB) BMW Z1, front view Self-made photograph Jun 19 2005 File links The following pages link to this file: BMW Z1 ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1494x1341, 300 KB) BMW Z1, front view Self-made photograph Jun 19 2005 File links The following pages link to this file: BMW Z1 ... BMW E30 318i coach 1987 BMW E30 325es w/diving board bumper E30 Convertible The E30 automobile platform was the basis for the 1982 through 1991 BMW 3 Series entry-level luxury car / compact executive car. ... The BMW 3-Series is a line of compact sedans manufactured by BMW since May, 1975. ...

The body was reportedly made from three (or five, depending on the source) different types of 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. GE redirects here. ... A thermoplastic is a material that is plastic or deformable, melts to a liquid when heated and freezes to a brittle, glassy state when cooled sufficiently. ...

During the Z1s launch, BMW suggested that owners purchase an additional set of body panels and change the color of the car from time to time. The car could actually be driven with all of the panels completely removed, similar to the Pontiac Fiero. BMW noted that the body could be completely replaced in 40 minutes, although Z1 owners have reported that this may be optimistic. [2] This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The entire vehicle was designed with aerodynamics in mind. In specific, the entire undertray 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. [3] The Z1 has a drag coefficient of 0.36 C_d with the top up or 0.43 C_d with it down. A muffler (USA name) or silencer (name in the United Kingdom and other areas) is a device for reducing the amount of noise emitted by a machine such as an internal combustion engine or a gun. ... The drag coefficient (Cd or Cx) is a number that describes a characteristic amount of aerodynamic drag caused by fluid flow, used in the drag equation. ...

Doors

One of the most interesting features of the Z1 is its unusual doors. These doors retract vertically down into the car's body instead of swinging outward or upward. The inspiration for these doors came from more traditional roadsters which often feature removable metal or cloth doors. Because removable doors did not fit within BMW's design goals, the retractable doors were installed instead.

Because the body, with its' high sills offers crash protection independent of the doors, the vehicle may be legally and safely driven with the doors up or down. However, see discussion page.

The windows may be operated independently of the doors, although they do retract automatically if the door is lowered. Both the window and door are driven by electric motors through toothed rubber belts and may be moved manually in an emergency. [4]

Driveline

As mentioned above, both the engine (the BMW M20B25) and the five-speed manual gearbox (the Getrag 260/5) were sourced from the E30 325i. The 2.5 L (2494 cc) 12-valve SOHC engine sits tilted 20 degrees to the right to accommodate the low hoodline. [5] The engine produces 170 hp (127 kW) at 5800 rpm and 222 N·m (164 ft·lbf) of torque in its original form, although several tuners have programs for increasing the performance of the Z1 by either upgrading or replacing the engine (see modification, below). A common complaint is that the gearbox isn't well-matched to the engine or the car's sportiness (Brossaud, 10). The M20 was an I6 piston engine of BMW. The 12-valve, belt driven SOHC design was introduced in the 1976 BMW 520/6 and 320/6. ... A manual transmission (also known as a stick shift, straight drive, or standard transmission) is a type of transmission used in automotive applications. ... Single overhead cam (also SOHC) refers to the internal combustion engine design where one camshaft is located above the valves. ...

Suspension

The rear suspension, called the Z Axle, was specially designed for the Z1. [6] It was one of the first BMWs to feature a multi-link design. [7] A multi-link suspension is a type of vehicle suspension design typically used in independent suspensions, using three or more lateral arms, and one or more longitudinal arms. ...

The Z1 was outfitted with 15 in (381 mm) diameter by 7 in (178 mm) wide wheels on both the front and rear, shod with 205/55VR-15 tires. [8] A driving wheel on a steam locomotive. ... A tire or tyre (see spelling differences and etymological origins) is a device covering the circumference of a wheel. ...

Interior

Although the unique doors are innovative, larger customers have commented that the high door sills make exits and entries difficult. Additionally, the interior is hand-assembled and may suffer rips and tears after years of use. (Brossaud, 16).

The instruments on the Z1 are styled like motorcycle gauges, and the tachometer on the Z1 has a red needle, whereas all other gauges have a white needle. Tachometer showing engine revolutions per minute, and a redline near 5800 RPM A tachometer measures the speed of rotation of a shaft or disk (from Greek: tachos = speed, metron = measure), as in a motor or other machine. ...

Production

As mentioned above, BMW only produced 8,000 Z1s. The vast majority of these (6,443) were sold in BMW's native German market. [9] The country to receive the second-greatest number of Z1s, Italy, received less than 7% of the total sold domestically. BMW was reportedly unable to build more than 10–20 Z1s each day. [10] None were initially sold in North America, although it is uncertain whether examples have been independently imported since the car's launch. There is at least one in Sarasota, FL. World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ...

There are reports that BMW built 12 Z1s during 1986 and 1987, bringing the total to 8,012 vehicles (Brossaud, 7). [11] However, most sources report the 8,000 figure.

More than half of all Z1s (specifically, 4,091) were produced for the 1990 model year. 78 Z1s were reportedly used as test mules, although most were later sold without a warranty and, presumably, at a lower price.

The Z1 was available in six exterior colors and four interior colors, although the vast majority (6,177) were red, black, or green with a dark-grey interior. [12] Light yellow exterior (fun-gelb in German or fun yellow in English; 133 examples made) or red interior (38 examples made) are the rarest Z1 colors. The colors swimming pool blue and oh-so-orange were reserved for the car's designers, Bez and Lagaay.

Reportedly, some 1,101 Z1s were delivered without a factory radio installed. In these vehicles, BMWS AG installed an aftermarket radio in its place.

BMW Z1s officially imported to France for sale there have yellow headlights instead of the clear ones found elsewhere (Brossaud, 8).

Price

New Z1s reportedly sold new for 83,000–89,000 DM [13] [14] or between €42,000 and €45,500. As of 2001, used BMW Z1s were selling for between FF125,000 and 250,000 (between €19,000 and €38,000) in France including a 19.6% VAT (Brossaud, 18). One example fetched just over £20,000 at Bonham's 2004 Olympia auction. [15] ISO 4217 Code DEM User(s) Germany, Montenegro, Kosovo ERM Since 13 March 1979 Fixed rate since 31 December 1998 Replaced by â‚¬, non cash 1 January 1999 Replaced by â‚¬, cash 1 January 2002 â‚¬ = 1. ... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and also: The International Year of the Volunteer The United Nations Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations Events January January 1 - A black monolith measuring approximately nine feet tall appears in Seattles Magnuson Park, placed by an anonymous... The franc is the name of several currency units, most notably the French franc, the currency of France until it adopted the euro in 2002; and the Swiss franc, still a major world currency today due to the prominence of Swiss financial institutions. ...

Modification

German motor tuners Alpina, Hamann-Motorsport, and Kelleners reportedly had programs for the enhancement of the Z1. [16] The Hamann program included a 220 hp 2.7 L or a turbocharged 245 hp 2.5 L engine. Kelleners' included a 286–330 hp 3.0 L engine. Air foil bearing-supported turbocharger cutaway made by Mohawk Innovative Technology Inc. ...

Alpina had a special arrangement with BMWS AG to modify BMW Z1s into RLEs, or Roadster Limited Edition. Alpina reports having built 66 of these, although BMW notes that 82 can be tracked through Alpina. The RLE featured an upgraded 200 hp 2.7 L engine, sport muffler, tires, and assorted plaques and stripes. The 0–100 km/h time dropped from 8.4 s to 7.1 s, top speed increased from 219 km/h to 228 km/h, and price increased to 116,000 DM. [17]

At least one Z1 has been modified with a 330ps E34 M5 engine. [18] BMW 525i, E34 Touring version The BMW E34 is the version of the BMW 5 Series automobile built from February 1988 to 1995 (Touring until 1996). ... The BMW M5 is the high-performance version of the BMW 5-Series automobile made by BMW Motorsport. ...

Paraphernalia and other information

It is reported that Minichamps, Schabak, Revell, and Herpa have made die-cast and plastic models of the Z1. Additionally, 16,000 phone cards (10,000 in February 1992 and 6,000 in November 1997) featuring pictures of the Z1 were issued in France. (Brossaud, 26-28) Minichamps is a die-cast car producer founded as Pauls Model Art GmbH in 1990 in Germany. ... Schabak is a die-cast toy producer from Germany. ... Revell plastic model kit of 1964 Ford Thunderbolt Revell is a company based in the USA ( Northbrook, IL 60062) dedicated to produce plastic and die-cast models of cars, planes, military vehicles and ships. ...

The BMW Z1 also had a very small part in the Jackie Chan film, Armour of God II: Operation Condor. Chan Kong-Sang known as Jackie Chan (born on April 7, 1954 in Hong Kong, China) is a Chinese martial artist, actor, director, producer, stuntman and singer. ... Armour of God II: Operation Condor is a 1991 Jackie Chan film, the sequel to his hit Armour of God. ...

BMW World reports that Z1s can be imported to the United States for show or display purposes. [19]

External links

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Independent is a British compact newspaper published by Tony OReillys Independent News & Media. ... February 4 is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... German (called Deutsch in German; in German the term germanisch is equivalent to English Germanic), is a member of the western group of Germanic languages and is one of the worlds major languages. ...

References

Categories: BMW vehicles | Roadsters | Rear wheel drive vehicles | Sports cars January 2 is the second day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... BMW M GmbH (previously: BMW Motorsport GmbH) is a subsidiary of German car manufacturer BMW AG established in May 1972 with just eight employees. ... The BMW or New MINI is a car produced by BMW since 2001. ... Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is a BMW subsidiary responsible for the manufacture of the Rolls-Royce Phantom. ... BMW has used the following engines in its vehicles: // Straight-4 1961 - 1. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... See also 1990s, the band The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive, sometimes informally including popular culture from the late 1980s and shortly after the year 2000. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The 2010s decade comprises the years from 2010 to 2019, inclusive. ... The Rambler American introduced in the late 1950s was an early compact car. ... The BMW 1 Series is a range of compact automobiles from German manufacturer BMW. The 1 Series was first offered to the public in 2004 as a hatchback replacing the 318ti range. ... The BMW 700 was a small rear-engined car produced by BMW from 1959 to 1965, based on the BMW 600 (which was based on the Isetta). ... The BMW 1 Series is a range of compact automobiles from German manufacturer BMW. The 1 Series was first offered to the public in 2004 as a hatchback replacing the 318ti range. ... The BMW 3 Series is a line of compact luxury sports sedans manufactured by BMW since May 1975. ... BMW 1602â€”1. ... BMW E21 is the platform designation for the first BMW 3-Series automobile, produced from 1975 to 1983. ... BMW E30 318i coach 1987 BMW E30 325es w/diving board bumper E30 Convertible The E30 automobile platform was the basis for the 1982 through 1991 BMW 3 Series entry-level luxury car / compact executive car. ... 318is CoupÃ© 1995 316i Compact 1996 M3 CoupÃ© E36 convertible The E36 automobile platform was the basis for the 1991-1999 BMW 3 Series entry-level luxury car / compact executive car. ... The E46 automobile platform is the fourth generation of BMWs highly successful 3 Series. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A mid-size car, frequently referred to as an intermediate, is an automobile with a size between that of a compact and a full-size or standard-size car. ... The BMW 5 Series is a series of midsize luxury automobiles manufactured by BMW in Germany. ... BMW 1602â€”1. ... The BMW E12 automobile platform was the basis for the 1972 through 1981 BMW 5-Series automobiles and the first platform to bear the 5-Series name: the 5 denoting BMWs fifth New Class platform. ... The BMW E28 automobile platform was the basis for the 1982 through 1988 BMW 5-Series automobiles. ... BMW 525i, E34 Touring version The BMW E34 is the version of the BMW 5 Series automobile built from February 1988 to 1995 (Touring until 1996). ... 2000 BMW 540i E39 The E39 automobile platform was the basis for the 1996 through 2004 BMW 5 Series. ... The BMW E60 automobile platform is the basis of the 2004-onwards 5-Series automobile. ... The BMW F10 is an automobile platform in BMWs 5-series expected to go into production in the 2011 model year, as a replacement for the BMW E60 platform (after 7. ... 2001 BMW 750iL A full-size car is a term used in North America for an automobile larger than a mid-size car, usually having a wheelbase greater than 2. ... The BMW 7 Series is a luxury sedan made by BMW. It replaced the New Six models in 1977. ... The BMW New Sixes were a line of luxury six_cylinder automobiles produced from 1968 to 1977. ... The BMW E23 is an automobile platform that was the basis for the first BMW 7 Series automobile. ... The BMW E32 automobile platform was the basis for the 1987 through 1994 7-series of automobiles. ... 2001 BMW 740 iL and 1998 BMW 7 Series The BMW E38 automobile platform was the basis for the 1994 through 2001 7-series of automobiles including the 725tds, 728i, 730i, 730d, 735i (These models were not available in the United states and Canada), 740i and 740iL 4-Door Sedans... E66 BMW 745iL The BMW E65/E66 automobile platform is the basis for the 2002 through present 7-series of automobiles. ... The BMW F01 is an automobile platform in BMWs 7-series expected to go into production in late 2008, as a replacement for the current 7-series (BMW E65/E66) platform. ... 1995 Buick Riviera coupÃ© 1990 Mercedes-Benz 560SEC coupÃ©, noted for its large, angular design A coupÃ© (from the French for cut) or coupe is a car body style with a close-coupled interior offering either two seats or 2+2 seating (space for two passengers up front and for... The BMW 6 Series is two distinct lines of automobiles from BMW, both coupÃ©s. ... BMW 1602â€”1. ... BMW 3. ... BMW E24 (1976 - 1989) (1989 Pictured) The BMW E24 automobile platform was the basis for the first production of BMW 6-Series CoupÃ©s, manufactured between the 1976 and 1989 model years. ... The BMW E63 and E64 automobile platforms are the basis for the coupe and convertible versions of the 2004 6_Series respectively. ... 1996 BMW 850 CSi The BMW 8 Series (chassis code BMW E31) was a V8 or V12-engined 2-door 2+2 coupe built by BMW from 1989 to 1999. ... 1996 BMW 850 CSi The BMW 8 Series (chassis code BMW E31) was a V8 or V12-engined 2-door 2+2 coupe built by BMW from 1989 to 1999. ... 1923 Ford Model T roadster 1950 Jaguar XK120 roadster This article is about the roadster car body style. ... The BMW Z4 is a 2-door, rear wheel drive sports car. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... The Bugatti Veyron 16. ... The BMW M1 is a supercar automobile, and was the first and only mid-engined BMW. It employed a twin-cam M88/1 3. ... 2001 BMW Z8 The BMW Z8 was a convertible sports car automobile produced by BMW from 1999 to 2003. ... The Honda CR-V is a crossover SUV based on the Honda Civic platform. ... The BMW X3 is a compact luxury crossover SUV produced by the German automaker BMW. It is based on the BMW 3-Series automobile platform. ... The BMW E83 automobile platform was the basis for the 2004 through present X3 compact SUV. It is the first BMW since the M1 to not be built at a BMW factory. ... The BMW X5 is a mid-size luxury crossover SUV sold by BMW since 2000. ... The BMW E53 automobile platform was the basis for the 2000 through present X5 SUV. It will be replaced by the BMW E70 in the future. ... The BMW E70 automobile platform will be the basis for the future X5 SUV. It will replace the BMW E53. ...

Contents

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