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 North America due primarily to the car's side-impact crash capabilities – or, more to the point, incapabilities. The 3,922-millimetre 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 1,452 kilos (3,200 pounds). But, you know what? It didn't much matter, because we drove nearly 330 kilometers 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.
Before hopping aboard, we were certain that the Z1 would drive like a plastic-y stiff-shelled prototype. That was the first surprise: it didn't. The ride and steering were really well dialed-in, with only a little neutral play in the steering wheel on-center. Bumps were handled surprisingly well, with even the roadway weather-stripping in curves only minimally disrupting our trajectory. General stability at even the fastest speed we drove (around 160 km/h) was exactly as we'd expect from a perfectly maintained 325i coupe. Midway through the drive, we took a closer look at the odometer and verified an unbelievable total of just 10,000 kms. No wonder it drove like new.
[Autoblog Canada]
