1989 BMW Z1 [w/video]

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Filed under: Classics, Convertible, Performance, Videos, BMW, Design/Style, Quick Spins

At One With The Wind Gods In Munich's Ultimate Wedgie



We had ventured out to California for a BMW event tied to the huge Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, and there it sat, unapologetically sassy. It was there and then that we decided it was time to finally drive one of BMW's ultimate curio cars, the plastic fantastic Z1 built between 1989 and 1991.

Officially, 8,000 examples of the Z1 were made, nearly 6,500 of them sold in Germany. No Z1s could be imported through normal channels to the United States due primarily to the car's side-impact crash capabilities - or, more to the point, incapabilities. The 154.4-inch long Z1 was built on a somewhat dedicated chassis using significant bits from the E30 325i. Under full load (as we tested it here with driver, a passenger, all fluids and a bit of luggage), the 167-horsepower Z1 is a little porker at 3,200 pounds. But, you know what? It didn't much matter, because we drove nearly 200 miles in this well-intentioned albatross, and it provided a totally unique driving experience. Having said that, while we are proud to have finally had the opportunity to pilot the Z1, we are quite okay with the fact that we'll probably never do it again.Continue reading 1989 BMW Z1 [w/video]

1989 BMW Z1 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 07 Oct 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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