Classic Car: BMW Z8

Henrik Fisker is responsible for some of the most beautiful cars ever made. He designed the Aston Martin V8 Vantage and worked with Ian Callum on designing the Aston Martin DB9. He also designed the BMW Z8. The Z8 is two-door, two-seater, front-engine, rear-wheel drive roadster with a hardtop. The Z8's production run was from 1999 to 2003, with 5,703 Z8s built.

I recently saw the Z8 at the April 2011 and October 2011 editions of Houston Cars and Coffee. This is one beautiful car. Both times, the Z8 had the top up. One Z8 had the hood up and the engine looks great. It is great to see a car used in a James Bond film in person. I just love the styling of the Z8.

The Z8 is powered by a BMW Motorsport 4.9L V8 engine from the E39 M5, paired with a six-speed manual transmission, that produces 394 hp and 368 lb-ft of torque. The Z8 goes from 0 to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds and has a limited top speed of 155 mph. Disengage the limiter and the Z8 will reach a top speed 186 mph. A new Z8 went for $128,000. It is beautiful and fast. It maybe a little bit expensive by late 90's early 2000's standards, but there is nothing like it on the road.

The Z8 was featured in James Bond: The World is Not Enough, Honey, Mischief 3000, It's All Gone Pete Tong, Fastlane, and the Tuxedo. Motorweek has reviewed it. It also has been featured on Clarkson: No Limit and Jeremy Clarkson: Head to Head. Clarkson reviewed the Alpina Z8 during Series 2, Episode 3, where he says the car has terrible handling. The Z8 is also playable in The World is Not Enough, James Bond 007: Agnet Under Fire, 007 Racing, Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2, Crackdown, Project Gotham Racing 3, Drift City, Drag Racer, Drag Racer 3, Need For Speed GT, Forza Motorsport 4, Pursuit Force, Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice, and GT Racing: Motor Academy.

This is one of the best looking cars I have ever seen that came from Germany. It is one of the all time greats that wears the BMW badge. Even though it went out of production in 2003, the cheapest Z8 I saw for sale was $88,000. A new Z8 went for $125,000. A Corvette made during the production run goes from $14,000 to $50,000. The Z8 keeps its value and I have seen a few Z8s go for over $125,000 on Auto Trader. The Z8 is definitely a collector's car, especially when it people are selling it above its original selling price. The Z8 is beautiful and is fast. Anyone who collects German cars needs to have a Z8 in his/her collection. It is good car for cruising, whether the top is up or down.

CarJunkie
Photos taken from a camera phone.
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