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About this Collectable
The Z1 is arguably one of the most special models to ever leave the factory gates of BMW. The crazy doors alone are enough to make this car unique, but the whole car is basically a prototype. This particular Z1 was originally delivered in the Netherlands and comes from the second owner, who has owned the car for 27 years.
If a BMW model starts what a Z, you probably know what that means: it's a roadster (or coupé based on a roadster). However, what not everyone knows is that this letter originally stood for Zukunft (meaning future). A very appropriate name for the first Z model, the Z1. Why? Because it's basically an experimental prototype. One that actually made it into production.
One of the best-known and most striking features of the BMW Z1 are, of course, the doors. Doors that open forwards, backwards and upwards had already been done, but BMW thought there was another way. The Z1 received doors that open downwards. With the push of a button, the doors disappear into the door sills. If you want, you can drive this car with the doors open all day long. Just because you can.
However, the Z1 is not a one-trick pony. There is much more that makes this car special. The bodywork, for example. BMW used various special plastics for this. The doors and side panels are made of Xenoy thermoplastic, whereas the hood and boot lid are made of GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic).
The flat undertray is made out of plastic as well. This ensures optimum downforce, as does the ingeniously designed front and rear bumpers. And then, of course, there's the wedge shape. Add to that the relatively low weight and you have a car with excellent cornering abilities. All of this was designed by Harm Lagaay, who would later go on to design the Porsche 924, Boxster, 996 and Carrera GT.
Under the hood the M20 engine can be found, the 2.5 liter straight-six that was also used in the E30 325i. The front suspension was borrowed from the 325i as well. The rear suspension however, was not derived from the E30. This was a multi-link suspension. This was another novelty: together with the 8-series, the Z1 was the first BMW to be equipped with this type of suspension.
A total of 8.000 units of the Z1 have been built from 1989 to 1991. Only a few dozen of these were originally delivered in the Netherlands. This black one is one of them. After the wife of the owner of the BMW dealer had driven it around for a while, the car has been in the hands of the second and current owner for 27 years.
Equipment
This car is equipped from factory with:
- Leather upholstery
- Electric doors
- Radio (not original any more, see modifications)
Modifications
After the original radio started to disfunction, it has been replaced by a more modern Pioneer radio with Bluetooth. Apart from that, the car is completely original.
Remarks
There are some signs of use, that are visible on the photos as well:
- Slight curb damage on the rims (front left, rear left, front right)
- Small scratch on the rear right rim
- Stone chips on the hood
- Scrape on the left front of the bumper
- Scratch on the cover of the convertible top (+ retouched scratch)
- Scratch on trunk lid
- Small hole in the convertible roof at the B-pillar on the left
- Leather wear on the door sills, seats and meter dome
- Various small scratches
The tank lid has been broken twice and was replaced by a newly painted tank lid. Apart from that, the car is still its original paint.
Service history
The car has always been maintained by the same BMW dealer (BMW Van der Sluis, taken over by Ekris in 1999) and has received a major service this year. The most important points from the recent service history are:
- March 18, 2021 - 70.045 km - BMW Ekris: major service + MOT
- April 5, 2018 - 68.899 km - BMW Ekris: major service + MOT
- April 9, 2009 - 62.948 km - BMW Ekris: service + battery replaced
- April 10, 2006 - 58.816 km - BMW Ekris: service + timing belt replaced
The service history since 1999 is present. See the photos for an overview of the history and the service booklet.
Included with sale
- The (2) original keys, including the original key fobs
- Service booklet
- Original BMW toolkit (complete)
About the seller
In 1994, the owner's 7-series became somewhat impractical due to family expansion and was replaced with a 5-series Touring. At the BMW dealer the owner saw the BMW Z1 and she fell in love right away. She decided to buy this as a fun car next to the family car. She has not regretted this choice as she has owned the Z1 for 27 years now and has driven about 40.000 km with it. Unfortunately, everything comes to an end. The Z1 hasn't been driven much in recent years and the agility required for getting in the car is starting to decline as well. In addition, the owner has plans to move, with the possibility that the Z1 can no longer be stored indoors. That is why the owner has decided that the time has come to sell the Z1 - of course with a heavy heart.
Summary
Seller - Monique
Seller type - Private
Location - The Netherlands
VIN - WBABA91030AL05010
Year/date of production - July 31, 1990
First registration - September 3, 1990
Mileage - 70.250 km
Warranty - No
Body type - Convertible
Engine - 2,5 liter straight-six with 170 hp
Lay-out - Rear-wheel drive
Transmission - 5-speed manual
Exterior colour - Traumschwarz Metallic (278)
Interior colour - Grau/Dunkelgrau
Upholstery - Leather
Smoker's car - No
Owners - 2, including current
Tires - Front: Uniroyal Sport 2 (2008, 5 mm), rear: Fulda Extremo (2004, 4 mm)
The description of this Collectable has been created with the utmost care, based on information from and validated by the seller. The Collectables performs a (pre) selection based on the information provided and consults public sources for any irregularities. However, bidders themselves must ascertain the correctness of the description and can, if desired, have a personal investigation carried out. All Collectables on our platform can be subjected to any possible inspection, investigation or valuation by buyers in advance, of course in consultation with the seller. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions for more details.
