BMW Z8: history repeating?

By Richard Heseltine

| 24 Jun 2025

Classic & Sports Car – BMW Z8: history repeating?

The traffic is threatening to set like concrete. It’s early evening rush hour in Berkshire, and now is not a good time to be feeling very self-conscious.

Alongside us, a maxed-out hot hatch discharges atonal dance beats at the volume of artillery fire, but its driverʼs face is a picture of blank amazement.

His companion, meanwhile, offers a half-smile before taking a photo on her mobile.

Dignity is relative when youʼve forgotten to douse yourself in sunblock and have since taken a turn for the crimson.

ʻOurʼ BMW Z8 is noticeable, thatʼs for sure, as much for its dramatic styling as its striking cabin.

The BMW Z8’s cabin might not be for everyone, but it’s comfortable and feels special

It screams ʻlook at meʼ, the surprising part being that those who have passed comment thus far believe itʼs a new model.

The thing is, it wasn’t entirely new even when it first broke cover in concept-car form at the Tokyo motor show in 1997, if only stylistically.

Like so many other manufacturers in the late 1990s, BMW wasnʼt above cannibalising its back catalogue for this former range-topper as retro design became the hot ticket.

The Z8 unashamedly cribbed the sublime 507 and, like its 1950s inspiration, this glamorous soft-top was greeted with mixed reviews – although it has since gone on to become highly sought-after.

It might seem hard to believe now, but Z8 values once dropped like a stone, yet those days are long gone.

That the BMW Z8 happened at all is remarkable, given that the original idea pre-dated the pastiche boom.

Legend has it that the car was conceived at a leaving do hosted in the factory museum in 1993.

BMWʼs then-chairman Dr Bernd Pischetsrieder and his number two, Wolfgang Reitzle, toasted the departure of a colleague before going for a wander.

On stopping to survey the fluid lines of a 507, they were lulled into a sepia-tinged fug of nostalgia and conversation turned to BMW producing a modern take on the theme.

Four years later, the result of their brainstorming broke cover in Japan and caused a furore.

Although the production-ready BMW Z8 lost the Z07 concept’s headrest fairing, the road car remained remarkably faithful to the show car

The Z07 concept represented pure show-car theatre.

Styled by Danish-born Henrik Fisker under former Fiat man Chris Bangle, it was unquestionably inspired by the BMW 507 – although the 1950s-themed styling also stretched to a sports-racer-like headrest fairing extending behind the driverʼs seat.

Such was the response to the car, BMW was almost obliged to put it into production.

That said, it could be argued that it was intended for manufacture from the get-go as a means of showcasing new construction techniques: the Z8ʼs use of a bespoke aluminium spaceframe chassis – with body panels fabricated from pressed aluminium – proved this was no mere cut-and-shut saloon-cum-parts-bin lash-up.

Unlike, say, the Porsche Boxster, the BMW Z8 didnʼt lose much of its stylistic impact during the transition from concept to production reality.

The head fairing was deleted, the windscreen was extended ever so slightly, the front/side indicators were relocated to the faux chrome air vents in the wings and a deeper front airdam was installed for stability reasons.

Otherwise, the production model remained remarkably faithful to the one-off that had sired it.

The same was true inside, with most of the Z07 concept carʼs Michael Nimic-conceived cabin being carried over intact.

Beneath the rakish skin, the front end was suspended by MacPherson struts and the rear via a multi-link set-up and coil springs, with anti-roll bars at both ends.

The BMW Z8’s 400bhp V8 is shared with the E39 M5 and provides blistering performance

Powering the beast was a 4941cc, all-alloy M Power V8 shared with the boisterous E39-generation BMW M5.

Their power outputs were identical: a thumping 400bhp at 6600rpm and 368lb ft at 3800rpm.

The car tipped the scales at 1585kg (180kg less than the M5), and this translated into a 0-60mph time of 4.7 secs, 0-100mph in 11 secs and a top speed governed electronically to 155.4mph if the factory statistics were to be believed. There was no reason not to.

The BMW Z8 went on sale in 1999, its profile being boosted by a marketing tie-in with the so-so James Bond film The World Is Not Enough – even if the Bavarian roadster appeared only fleetingly (and the stunt cars were actually rebodied Dax Tojeiro chassis).

To some media types, however, the artful artifice of old-style design was too much to stomach.

The public, on the other hand, was more receptive, and BMW couldnʼt produce them quickly enough despite the £80,000 price-tag.

This figure reflected the large amount of hand-finishing required during assembly, with no more than 10 Z8s being completed per day.

Whatʼs more, punters could also opt for various custom paint finishes and special trim treatments, via BMWʼs Individual department.

Production of the Z8 ended in November 2002, although that wasn’t quite the end of the story.

The BMW Z8’s squat stance matches the muscular bodywork

In 2003, the model morphed into the Alpina V8 Roadster, which did away with sporting intent and adopted more of a boulevardier design.

The M5 engine made way for a 4.8-litre V8 from the Alpina B10 V8S, while a reworked five-speed Steptronic transmission replaced the previous six-speed manual ʼbox.

Peak power was reduced to 375bhp, but, bizarrely, the electronically limited top speed was raised to 161mph.

The Buchloe concern had initially wanted to shoehorn in its version of the BMW M73 V12, but it wouldnʼt fit because the engineʼs sump would have occupied the same space as the rack-and-pinion steering system.

Softer suspension settings and conventional tyres, rather than the previous run-flat items, made for a more relaxed tourer, with 450 of the 555 cars made heading to the United States.

In a first for the Alpina marque, these cars were sold via the BMW North America dealership network.

Just eight V8 Roadsters found their way to the UK, one being acquired by pop crooner Ronan Keating.

Some 5703 BMW Z8s of all kinds were made to 2003, which is some way north of its inspiration (a mere 252 507s were built).

As with most exotica, secondhand values took a plunge, but they bounced back remarkably quickly.

The BMW Z8’s air vent is a nod to the 507 that inspired it

Unlike its 1950s predecessor, the BMW Z8 seems huge in every direction – especially for a two-seater roadster – yet appearances are deceptive: by current standards, itʼs positively dainty.

The Z8 is 14ft 5¼in long (4400mm, or an inch more than a 507) and 6ft wide (1830mm) – itʼs shorter even than a Porsche 911 of its day.

Thankfully, the styling stops short of being just a slavish retread (think Ford GT), although you could argue that few customers had so much as seen a BMW 507 up close. Perhaps that was the new modelʼs saving grace.

It is an attractive car. The stance is perfect, the rear three-quarter view being particularly accomplished thanks to the hunched wing line and those slender tail-light clusters.

Unlike so many other recycled designs, it doesnʼt seem contrived; it has a look all of its own.

There are one or two naff details, though, not least those chintzy vents punched into the wings, which up close appear horribly cheap and nasty.

Itʼs only once you climb aboard that it veers towards the stomach-turning. On the positive side, at least itʼs comfortable.

The superb seats embrace your contact points without pinching and the driving position is excellent, with the steering wheel and pedals in line rather than randomly offset, as they are with a great many other exotics we can think of.

The BMW Z8’s back end is finely resolved

Commendably, all of the controls are unique to the BMW Z8; there are no cast-offs here.

This serves to make it feel all the more special – more expensive, even – although the instruments arenʼt easily visible at a glance thanks to their positioning in the centre of the dashboard.

It isnʼt necessarily the most appealing of cabins, either. Much of this is due to the ghastly ʻbanjoʼ-style steering wheel and the bright red leather trim.

You almost feel compelled to don a long furry coat and a feathered fedora, because the overall effect is more garish than designer-cool.

The use of body-coloured plastics, brushed aluminium, polished chrome and scarlet leather no doubt looked fabulous in a Bavarian styling studio, but itʼs plain embarrassing when youʼre stuck in traffic in Bracknell, wishing that the options list had stretched to an invisibility cloak.

But, and itʼs an important ʻbutʼ, the BMW Z8 more than makes up for its tacky interior treatment with outright performance. That, and noise.

Itʼs hard not to snort like a pig as it detonates its V8 fanfare out of the tailpipes with a sky-filling lack of subtlety.

Off the line, it is super-quick. Press the Sport button and throttle responses are halved: the Z8 can reach 30mph from a standstill in less than 2 secs, and youʼre into three-figure speeds shortly thereafter.

What may come as a surprise is how easy it is to drive.

The M Power quad-cam V8 feels unburstable up to the 7000rpm limiter, yet it will pull away from 40mph in sixth without a protest.

The engineʼs flexibility is astonishing, although the gearshift action feels a little baulky despite the short throw between cogs.

The Z8’s six-speed gearbox is a bit baulky, but there’s so much torque that it’s rarely a problem

The BMW Z8 is blisteringly quick in a straight line, then, but historically it fell down – fell over – when you arrived at a corner.

The use of run-flat tyres was a last-minute decision, and itʼs one that cost the car dearly.

Scroll forward to today and itʼs unlikely you will encounter an example still employing its original rubber, with more conventional low-profile Bridgestones, as here, making all the difference.

The steering is precise and doesnʼt feel overly assisted, and ultimately itʼs the front end that washes away first.

But understeer is mild, and it takes brutal stabs on the throttle with the Direct Stability Control disengaged to get the rear end to budge out of line at all.

The large vented discs offer bruising levels of retardation, 60-0mph taking 2.5 secs according to the brochure.

There is less buffeting than you might imagine, too, which makes it all the more enjoyable to drive at speed.

The V8 dominates the driving experience; this is the Z8ʼs trump card. Drive one with enthusiasm and you can see the appeal. Itʼs writ large, and in upper case.

Sure, it does send out conflicting messages: the BMW Z8 is dragster-quick but also refined.

It feels more like a luxury GT than it does a sports car, although thereʼs relatively little room for your luggage in the shallow boot.

It isnʼt a point-and-squirt B-road fun car, but nor is it a cruiser.

Yet, by trying to describe what it isnʼt, you miss out on what it is: a classically handsome roadster that, unlike many other retro-styled vehicles, has endured – improved even – with grace.

The car maker clearly set out to create an instant classic, to the extent that it guaranteed a 50-year supply of spares.

On many levels, it succeeded. The BMW Z8 is a true original, rather than a low-resolution copy of a past master.

Images: Tony Baker

Thanks to: BMW GB and Paul Michaels (hexagonclassics.com)

This was first in our August 2014 magazine; all information was correct at the date of original publication

Factfile

BMW Z8

Sold/number built 1999-2002/5703
Construction aluminium spaceframe with pressed aluminium body panels
Engine all-alloy, dohc-per-bank, 32v 4941cc V8, with electronic fuel injection
Max power 400bhp @ 6600rpm
Max torque 368lb ft @ 3800rpm
Transmission six-speed manual, RWD via DSC III traction control
Suspension independent all round, at front by MacPherson struts, rear multi-link, coil springs; anti-roll bar f/r
Steering power-assisted rack and pinion
Brakes ventilated discs, with servo and ABS
Tyres 275/40 ZR18 Bridgestones
Length 14ft 5¼in (4400mm)
Width 6ft (1830mm)
Height 4ft 3¾in (1317mm)
Wheelbase 8ft 2½in (2505mm)
Weight 3494lb (1585kg)
Mpg 13.2
0-60mph 4.7 secs
Top speed 155.4mph (limited)
Price new £80,000