BMW Z1 Roadster
- Details
- Published on Friday, 10 August 2012 06:26
The BMW Z1 was a two seater roadster developed and manufactured by BMW. It was produced from March 1989 to June 1991 and its successor was the Z3 roadster. It falls under the BMW E30 platform of cars and was fitted with a 2.5 litre M20B25 straight-6 engine.
The Z1 roadster featured doors which ‘dropped down’. A sum total of 8,000 cars were produced. All the Z1’s were left hand drive, except the final one built which was hand built which was the only right hand drive BMW Z1 in the world.
The wheelbase 2447 mm, length 3921 mm, width 1690 mm, height 1227 mm and the curb weight 1250 kg.
The first example of the Z1 was released by BMW 1987 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The BMW Z1 was designed over a three year period by an in-house division of BMW. The BMW Z1 was used to develop and debut several technologies. The BMW Z1 production helped generate patents for BMW's integrated roll-bar, door mechanism, and underbody tray.
The chassis was specially designed for the Z1 and features a number of innovative features such as removable body panels, continuously zinc welded seams, a composite undertray, and the unusual drop down doors. The body was made from plastic and could be removed completely from the chassis. The side panels and doors are made of XENOY thermoplastics. The car is painted in a special flexible lacquer finish.
The entire vehicle was designed with aerodynamics in mind. In specific, the entire undertray is completely flat and the exhaust 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.
The 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.
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, although they are not legal in the U.S.
Both the engine BMW M20B25 and the five-speed manual gearbox, the Getrag 260/5’s were sourced from the BMW E30 325 IX. The 2.5 L 12-valve SOHC straight-six engine sits tilted at 20 degrees to the right to accommodate the low hoodline. The engine produces 170 Hp or 127 kW at 5800 RPM and 222 N·m of torque. Several tuners have programs for increasing the performance of the Z1 by either upgrading or replacing the engine.
The rear suspension, called the Z Axle and was specially designed for the Z1. It was one of the first BMW’s to feature a multi- link design. In the 1990s, the Z-axle would be used on a variety of BMW vehicles, including the E36 3-Series range of cars.
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