Classic car prices are getting out of hand as of late. Hell, even not-so-classic cars are fetching insane money. North American-spec E36 M3s are going for almost $20k in great shape and, as a great lover of the E36-gen 3er, I can promise they shouldn’t be worth that much. Porsche 944s are getting expensive now which, just, why? However, there is one car that’s been expensive for long time, is still expensive, and is worth the money — the BMW Z8.

This recent example on Bring-A-Trailer recently sold for $143,000. That’s almost exactly as much as the starting price of a brand-new Porsche 911 GT3. Still, I reckon it’s money well spent.

When the BMW Z8 debuted, it was a beautiful design throwback to the original BMW 507. Designed by Henrik Fisker, the BMW Z8 was a stunning machine, one that hit all the right notes; long hood, short deck, short overhangs and muscular haunches. It was gorgeous and still is today. So even as just a standing object, it’s lovely to be around and just look at. It’s also rare, with only 2,543 examples making their way to the US. That drives its value up as well.

But then there’s what it is as an actual car. Under that pretty hood is a 4.9 liter naturally-aspirated V8 from an E39-gen BMW M5. It’s a wonderful engine with a great noise and more than enough power. Okay, so while its 400 some-odd hp isn’t exactly impressive in today’s age where 500 hp barely gets you into the cool club, it’s more than enough. It also gets a six-speed manual gearbox and limited-slip rear diff. So it has some handling goods to go with its punchy V8 and pretty looks.

Plus, it has the added benefit of having been a James Bond car. Admittedly, it was only a Bond car for about fourteen seconds before a giant buzz-saw cut it in half, but a Bond car nonetheless. And that will give it permanent “Cool” status in every enthusiast’s book. Not only that but it helps hold the car’s value. It will always have some sort of cultural intrigue, so the car should always hold its value well, making it a good investment. So while expensive, we reckon that the BMW Z8 is still worth the high asking price.

[Source: Bring-A-Trailer]