Category: All about the BMW E30 (page 1 of 1)

Model history

The BMW subsidiary BMW Technik GmbH, founded in 1985, was responsible for the planning and execution of the project. The names that should be mentioned here include Ulrich Bez and the designer Harm Lagaay. Between the beginning of 1989 and mid-1991, exactly 8,000 Z1s were built in a limited series.

Innovations

The following innovations went into the series product:

Doors that can be retracted into the side sills using a timing belt. This made it possible to drive with the doors open without compromising the stability of the body.

• Front mid-engine, which brought the weight distribution between the front and rear axles to the ideal ratio.
• Hot-dip galvanized sheet steel chassis. By galvanizing the entire, finished chassis, a considerable extension of the service life was achieved. Piece galvanizing increased the torsional rigidity by 25% compared to a chassis made of ungalvanized or pre-galvanized sheet metal.
• Thermoplastic body parts (side panels, doors, sills and bumpers), which are attached to the chassis with screws. This should reduce the effort required for repairs.
• Flaps (front, top and tailgate) made of GRP.
• Optimized aerodynamics thanks to a smooth underbody and a rear silencer with a wing profile. The entire floor is made of fiber-reinforced sandwich material, glued into the chassis and additionally screwed.
• A newly designed rear axle design, which was also adopted in the subsequent large-scale production of the E36 series

 

The first prototype of the Z1 is more reminiscent of the later Z3 Coupe of the E36 series aka “the sneaker”

 

 

 

 

variants

In order to keep costs within limits, large-scale parts were used for drive technology, for example. Despite only 125 kW (170 hp), the Z1 was well motorized; its low weight and sophisticated chassis enabled high cornering speeds.

There was only one model version of the Z1, the vehicles only differed in the color of the body (at the beginning “toprot”, “fungelb”, “urgrün”, “traumschwarz” – later as well  “purblau” und “magicviolett”) and the interior (dark gray , light gray, yellow, red).

BMW Z1 in Top Rot 

BMW Z1 Fungelb 

BMW Z1 Urgrün

BMW Z1 Traumschwarz

BMW Z1 Purblau

 

BMW Z1 Magicviolett

66 vehicles were converted by Alpina and sold as Alpina RLE (Roadster Limited Edition). Differences to the production version of the Z1 were a 0.2 l larger displacement, 30 hp more and a modified chassis and exhaust system. In addition, another eight Z1s were converted by Alpina to the RLE standard at the customer’s request. These vehicles then had to be approved for road traffic through an individual inspection. This acceptance took place at TÜV Kaufbeuren.

Z1
Hersteller:	BMW
Produktionszeitraum:	1989–1991
Klasse:	Sportwagen
Karosserieversionen:	Roadster
Motoren:	Ottomotor: 2,5 Liter (125 kW)
Länge:	3921 mm
Breite:	1690 mm
Höhe:	1277 mm
Radstand:	2400 mm
Leergewicht:	1250 kg
Vorgängermodell:	keines
Nachfolgemodell:	BMW Z3

 

Doors can be recessed into side sills

The construction of the 3.9 meter long BMW Z1 was state-of-the-art. The body consisted of a steel monocoque with pressed and welded sheet metal parts and a glued plastic floor. The developers used plastic elements for the outer skin. These thermoplastic parts were screwed onto the body. The highlight, however, were the doors: They were not opened to the side, but could be recessed into the wide side sills –

Getting in is a bit difficult

 

 

 

Anyone who has ever driven a BMW Z1 will remember the slight crunch as the doors, moved by a toothed belt, slide down in around three seconds. But the whole thing looks so cool that the show-off factor of a Z1 door doesn’t rank too far behind gullwing doors. In addition, the recessed doors ensure even more open-air fun, you almost feel like you’re in a small British roadster. However, it takes a little practice to appear relaxed and casual when getting in and out. Because even with the gates lowered, it’s not easy to squeeze into the small cockpit without contortions.

Plastic makes bodywork particularly light

 

When it comes to driving dynamics, the BMW Z1 left many other open-air racers behind. This wasn’t just due to the curb weight of 1250 kg, made possible by the light plastic body – after all, there were definitely purist roadsters that weighed even less. The Munich-based company chose the 2.5-liter in-line six-cylinder engine from the 3 Series as the engine, a real gem with 170 horsepower and extremely smooth running.

BMW Z1 was crazy expensive

The interior wasn’t spartan, but it wasn’t exactly luxurious either. The sports seats were designed specifically for the BMW Z1, and a lot of storage space wasn’t expected – the roadster was primarily intended for driving and not for traveling. From 1989 to 1991 just 8,000 Z1s were built. With a price of more than 80,000 German marks, the car was also incredibly expensive.

New price:

When introduced in 1988                                                                                    (BMW Z1) 83,000 marks
At the end of production in 1991                                                                       (BMW Z1) 90,000 marks

What you should pay attention to when buying, typical weak points of the Z1

 

Body check

Rust doesn’t play a role in the BMW Z1. Thanks to the plastic body and a galvanized monocoque, this roadster looks as if it was built to last. The disadvantage: Repairs to the monocoque are complex and extremely expensive. Damage to the glued sandwich base is also extremely difficult to repair. For this reason alone, cars in accidents are not a purchase recommendation. You shouldn’t be bothered by the gaps in the BMW Z1. The individual plastic body parts can deform slightly depending on the outside temperature or sunlight.

The door mechanism of the BMW Z1, on the other hand, should work perfectly and without outside help. Otherwise, the toothed belts of the automatic lifting system are probably not tight enough or are even worn out. The belts can be checked behind the brushes for tension and cracks. If these are still the first belts, they should be replaced quickly. Scratches on the outer door skin indicate poor adjustment or a slightly curved sill that is often pushed inwards by body weight when getting out. The door sills have also often suffered greatly. Corresponding spare parts are available in all colors, but are very expensive.

The engine timing belt on the Z1 must be replaced every 4 years according to the maintenance schedule. And the timing belts in the doors have been working away for almost 30 years and are still not allowed to retire?

That can’t be the point!!!

The lifting technology of the doors is a “stroke of genius” – it has never been implemented like this again and was designed for a prototype, so it is not intended for long-term use, especially not for such a long time…

It runs freely outdoors and is therefore relatively unprotected from environmental influences such as dirt, etc. Although it has a high tolerance for these factors, it should be checked and maintained at regular intervals.

Every now and then we have a vehicle with us where the doors have never been serviced. This is usually manifested by incorrect door paths, which, for example, cause cracks in the rear fenders (at the lock at the top) or have damaged the sealing strip on the A-pillar, or simply a very sluggish door operation (door at the top) with a loud “bang” when opening …we prefer to keep quiet about what such a door mechanism might look like…

Some components of the door mechanics and electrics are no longer freely available and are no longer produced by the BMW Group Classic. So if one door “fails”, then the entire Z1 somehow fails…

In my opinion, anyone who risks that has not understood the Z1!

An overhaul of the doors and their technology should be carried out on every Z1 at least every 7 – 8 years, or earlier if the mileage is higher.

Be sure to check the top of the BMW Z1 for fit and wear. An original soft top closes perfectly and can be recognized by the BMW logo in the lower left corner of the rear window.

 

 

Technology check

Thanks to its relationship to the E 30 and E 36, the BMW Z1 benefits from robust and long-lasting mass-produced technology. With regular maintenance and timing belt changes (every four years at the latest), the six-cylinder engine can usually easily reach the 200,000 kilometer mark. However, be careful with rattling noises and loss of power – then the camshafts of the M20 engine are probably broken in. As the machine ages, it sometimes suffers from a defective cylinder head gasket.

The engine electronics and transmission of the BMW Z1 are generally not a cause for concern. Before you buy, you should of course take a look under the car. A heavily oiled underbody on the front right could be caused by a leaking oil cooler. The brake lines are also not considered to be particularly durable. A strong smell of gasoline when starting the vehicle may indicate leaking fuel lines. Typical chassis weaknesses include worn ball heads on the front axle and heavily worn rubber bearings on the rear wishbones.

Weak points

 

 

Door mechanism

subfloor
Arched sills
Cover
Cylinder head gasket
oil cooler
Brake line
Fuel line
Ball heads front axle
Rubber mount on the wishbone
Interior decoration

originality

 

 

 

Der Kofferraum des Z1 ist Rodster Typisch eher nicht vorhanden.

BMW Z1 assessor and rarities

In order to fit at least something into the trunk, BMW had a suitcase set made that made optimal use of the volume of the trunk. These bags were made of a 2-colored dark leather/artificial leather combination and in the “Cucci style” with the imprint “BMW Z1”.

 

 

Of course, the Z1, as it was first presented to us at the time, was born as a design idea right from the start. Rather, it was a developing process in which all sorts of strange prototypes were created, which the following example also shows which paths the BMW designers took for possible future variants of the Z1, as the following pictures of a Z prototype show…

BMW Z1 service booklet