It’s genuinely difficult to look at a car like the BMW Z8, then look at modern BMWs, and understand how one brand created both. The Fisker-designed Z8 is a work of retro-design art, with looks inspired by the BMW 507 from the 1950s. Its rarity also makes it incredibly special and highly desirable, so when one goes up for sale on Bring A Trailer, we take notice.
This BMW Z8 is more special than most, though, because it’s a one-owner car that only has 17,000 miles on it. It also comes with a car cover, spare parts, and a stand for its removable hard top. Unsurprisingly for a car with only 17,000 miles, this Z8 looks near-perfect. Its Jet Black paint is a bit boring, as is the black leather interior, but the car is so good looking, it doesn’t really matter much. It’s so clearly inspired by the BMW 507 but with a more modern twist. It also has some funky tech that was pretty radical back in the early ’00s, such as neon taillights. Although, I hear those are difficult to replace.
Its interior color might be boring but its classic sports car design is fantastic. The vintage-style steering wheel, central gauges that are canted toward the driver, and an overall design that would look at home in The Great Gatsby.
Powering the BMW Z8 is the same 4.9 liter naturally aspirated V8 as the E39 M5, pushing out 394 horsepower and 368 lb-ft of torque. It’s mated to a six-speed manual transmission and powers only its rear wheels, as the car gods intended. On paper, it sounds like the Z8 would be a blast to drive on a canyon road but it’s far better as a long-legged cruiser. In fact, it may be one of the very best GT car in BMW’s history.
At the time of writing this, the current bid is $165,000 and there are still three days left on the auction. So it could reach $200,000 by the end. Whoever gets it though is getting a precious, unique little slice of BMW history.
[Source: Bring A Trailer]
