BMW Z8 Review, Exhaust Sound, Features

Call us at 484-612-4147 or email [email protected] for pricing. Two BMW Z8 roadsters are for sale at Motorcars of the Main Line. Choose between two 22,000-mile cars in Bright Red over red leather and Topaz Blue over creme leather. The E52 Z8 was the undisputed flagship of BMW in the early 2000s and an instant classic. Features alongside James Bond on screen and fortified with almost 400 horsepower on the road, the Z8 combined concept car styling with the E39 M5's fearsome S62 V8. The 2000-2003 BME Z8 was both show and go in one all-aluminum package. The Bright Red car is one of only 291 made in that color and one of only 77 built with a matching red leather interior. Topaz Blue car is one of 319 made in blue and only 138 built with a creme interior. 5,703 BMW Z8s were made, but over 4,700 of them were silver or black; bright colors are rare, and the combinations on these Z8s are rarer still. Both cars feature color-matched hardtops with rear defrosters, ventilation ducts, and luxury headliners. The heart of every BMW Z8 is the S62 V8. It's the exact same engine as the E39 M5, but there are two key distinctions: 1) the Z8 weighs 500 pounds less 2) the Z8 has a 3.38 rear axle ratio against the tall 2.81 ratio of the M5. While the M5 was capable of accelerating with the speed of a standard C5 Corvette in its era, the Z8 was closer in performance to the Dodge Viper. Period road tests documented acceleration from 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds, quarter mile times of 12.8 at over 111 miles per hour, and later adhesion of over .9g on skidpad testing. A BMW S62 engine starts with a 4.9 liter all aluminum block and four-cam four-valve heads. Redline is 7,000rpm, the power output is 394 horsepower, and the torque is 369 lb*ft. The differences between an S62 and an M62 are immense. First, the S62 has a compression ratio of 11:1 vs 10:1 on an M62. The S62 has hollow cam shafts for lower intertia and parasitic losses. The S62 has one throttle butterfly and throttle body per cylinder in the interests of maximizing throttle response. The S62 also has dual cold air intakes and twin mass airflow sensors to match. While an M62 has single-row timing changes, the more durable S62 has double row chains. And the S62 has a semi-dry-sump lubrication system with an oil pan that is mostly flush to the bottom of the engine block like a classical dry sump with only a small scavenge well on one end and extra oil scavenges to ensure oiling during hard cornering. Crankshaft and connecting rods are forged. The engine management computer has been upgraded, and comfort / sport engine mappings can be selected by the driver. Each Z8 is constructed of unstressed external aluminum body panels over an aluminum space frame. Few aluminum space frame cars have been built due to the expense of using this fabrication method. While it permits an extremely high strength-to-weight ratio, the drawback is a high cost to manufacture. For the hand-built and brand-defining Z8 flagship, this was not a concern. The engine sits far back in the chassis of the car; this endows the BMW Z8 with 50:50 weight distribution. As a consequence of the front-mid situation of the engine, BMW was able to make the Z8 its first V8 car with rack-and-pinion steering. The steering rack sits ahead of the engine. The exterior design is based almost in its entirety on the 1997 BMW Z07 concept car by Henrik Fisker. That car, in turn, was a modern interpretation of the 1956-1959 BMW 507 roadster by Albrecht Goertz. Few changes were made from Fisker's prototype, and the Z8 presents as a concept car for the road. BMW debuted the use of neon lights on the Z8 in order to create a striking effect of surreal light and instant-on action. All four turn signals and the side markers on the quarter grilles are neon tubes; headlights are bi-xenon high intensity discharge units. Interior appointments on the Z8 are luxury grade and inspired by 1950s roadster design. A banjo-style steering wheel overlooks a sweeping dashboard with centered gauges and a well-equipped center console. The car includes power heated seats, one-touch up and down windows for both passengers, power mirrors, and a power operated soft top. The interior amenities include a 250-watt Harmon Kardon sound system with ten speakers, CD player, AM/FM capability, and an integrated navigation system. Realizing that technology dates quickly, Fisker and his design team hid the unit under a retractable panel. Switchgear on the dashboard is largely aluminum with metallic brushed finish. Automatic climate control is equipped, and an automatic dimming interior rear view mirror is fitted. The roll bars behind the seats are leather wrapped. Each car includes a tonneau cover to conceal the soft top when retracted and present a more polished appearance. The blue car also includes a wind breaker that attaches to the back of the headrests and reduces buffetting when driving with the roof retracted.