BMW Z1 Price Guide

The BMW Z1 is one of the most technically adventurous cars the company has ever produced. It is a two-seat roadster with doors that retracted vertically into the sills rather than opening outward. That wasn’t the only moment of Munich madness, however. The Z1 also has a fully galvanised steel monocoque with bolt-on plastic body panels, and a multi-link rear suspension that was simultaneously the most sophisticated and most expensive setup on any BMW road car of the era. It was a rolling engineering experiment that happened to be charming to drive.

The Car

Produced from 1989 to 1991 at BMW’s newly established Munich facility, the Z1 used the M20B25 2.5-litre straight-six from the 3 Series E30 producing 170bhp in a car weighing just 1,250kg. The electrically operated drop-doors descended into the sills in eight seconds; the car was legal to drive with them down. The plastic body panels were designed to be removable and replaceable. This was a novel approach to accident repair that also meant body colours could theoretically be swapped. The Z axle rear suspension, developed specifically for the Z1, was subsequently adopted for the E36 3 Series and influenced BMW’s rear suspension development for a decade. Just 8,000 Z1s were built, but their influence stretched wide and far.

Buying

The Z1 is a genuine collector’s car with a devoted following. The drop-door mechanism requires periodic attention as the electric motors and guide rails need maintenance. Plastic body panels do not rust but can fade or crack with age. The M20 engine is well-understood and straightforward to maintain. Any Z1 should be inspected for door mechanism function and structural integrity around the sill area where the doors retract. The BMW Z1 community is small but knowledgeable.