01 · Überblick
A 507 for the year 2000
The Z8 is BMW’s production tribute to the 507 of 1956. The design with the wide kidney grille and the side air intakes was created by Henrik Fisker; the interior was designed by Mike Ninic and Bruno Amatino, the steering wheel by David Carp. The production version was shown at the IAA in 1999, and the Z8 was built from March 2000 to July 2003.
The tribute to the 507 served as an exclusive technology carrier, used to test innovative vehicle concepts and new materials. The body is a self-supporting aluminium spaceframe — the first of its kind developed by BMW — with a bolted-on outer skin; the cavities are deliberately left unsealed, since aluminium does not rust. The sills and bumpers are made of polyurethane and remain elastic up to an impact speed of 4 km/h. The tail lights use neon tubes.
Under the long bonnet sits the S62B50 from the M5 of the E39 model line: 4,941 cc, 400 PS at 6,600 rpm, 500 Nm at 3,800. Paired with a six-speed manual gearbox with a centre shifter and rear-wheel drive. Top speed is limited to 250 km/h, zero to hundred takes 4.7 seconds.
The car could only be ordered with full equipment — down to the hardtop with its stand, a birth certificate booklet, and a Kyosho model in 1:18 scale in the ordered colour combination. 5,703 cars were built by hand.
02 · Historie
Four years of handcraftsmanship
From concept to the final car.
- 1997 BMW shows the Z07 concept at the Tokyo Motor Show. The design is by Henrik Fisker and openly references the 507.
- 1999 Presentation of the production version at the IAA in Frankfurt.
- 03/2000 Start of production. Built by hand at the Z8 Manufaktur in Munich, exclusively with full equipment.
- 2002 Mid-year sees the launch of the Alpina Roadster V8: 4,837 cc, 381 PS, 520 Nm and a five-speed automatic transmission. The target markets are the USA and Japan.
- 07/2003 End of production after 5,703 BMW Z8 and 555 Alpina Roadster V8 units.
03 · Modellübersicht
Z8 and Alpina Roadster V8
Two variants. The Alpina is not the sharper interpretation but the more relaxed one: less power, more torque, automatic.
Quelle: Werks- und Literaturangaben · geprüft
Technische Daten anzeigen — komplette Modellmatrix
| Modell | Motor | Hubraum | Leistung | Bauzeit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMW Z8 | S62B50 | 4.941 cm³ | 400 PS (294 kW) | 03/2000–07/2003, 5,703 units |
| BMW Alpina Roadster V8 | Alpina F5 | 4.837 cm³ | 381 PS (280 kW) | 2002–2003, 555 units |
04 · Karosserievarianten
Karosserievarianten
Roadster
The only body style. 4,400 mm long, 1,830 mm wide, 1,310 mm tall, wheelbase 2,505 mm, kerb weight 1,660 kg, drag coefficient 0.39. A hardtop was part of the standard equipment. A Z8 Coupé existed only as a factory vehicle and never went into production.
05 · Motoren
The S62B50
The V8 from the M5 of the E39 model line — unchanged in power and torque in the Z8, but in a car that is 200 kilograms lighter.
S62B50 · 4.941 cm³ · 400 PS geprüft
Eight-cylinder V engine, longitudinally mounted behind the front axle. Bore 94.0 mm, stroke 89.0 mm, compression ratio 11.0:1. Two overhead camshafts per cylinder bank, four valves per cylinder, chain drive, bucket tappets with hydraulic valve clearance compensation, five-bearing crankshaft. Electronic fuel injection. Six-speed manual gearbox with centre shifter, rear-wheel drive. Top speed is electronically limited to 250 km/h.
Technische Daten anzeigen
| Bauart | Eight-cylinder V engine, four valves per cylinder, two overhead camshafts per bank |
| Einbaulage | longitudinally mounted behind the front axle |
| Hubraum | 4.941 cm³ |
| Bore × stroke | 94,0 × 89,0 mm |
| Verdichtung | 11,0:1 |
| Leistung | 294 kW (400 PS) at 6,600/min |
| Drehmoment | 500 Nm at 3,800/min |
| Getriebe | Getrag six-speed manual gearbox, centre shifter |
| Höchstgeschwindigkeit | 250 km/h, electronically limited |
| 0–100 km/h | 4,7 s |
| Verbrauch | 14.5 l/100 km according to EU standard, Super Plus |
Data table, German Wikipedia entry on the BMW Z8
Alpina F5 · 4,837 cc · 381 PS geprüft
Alpina modified the V8 to 4,837 cc: 93.0 mm bore with an 89.0 mm stroke, compression ratio 10.5:1. Less peak power, but 520 Nm and a five-speed automatic transmission. The purpose was clearly stated: to make the car more appealing for the US and Japanese markets. This was accompanied by 20-inch wheels. 555 examples were built.
Technische Daten anzeigen
| Hubraum | 4.837 cm³ |
| Bore × stroke | 93,0 × 89,0 mm |
| Verdichtung | 10,5:1 |
| Leistung | 280 kW (381 PS) at 5,800/min |
| Drehmoment | 520 Nm at 3,800/min |
| Getriebe | Fünfstufen-Automatikgetriebe |
| Höchstgeschwindigkeit | 260 km/h |
| 0–100 km/h | 5,3 s |
| Räder | 255/35 ZR 20 front, 285/30 ZR 20 rear |
| Stückzahl | 555 |
Data table, German Wikipedia, Alpina Roadster V8 column
06 · Schwachstellen
Reliability & Weak Points
- The S62B50 is the well-known M5 engine. Its issues are the VANOS unit and the chain tensioners; both are well known, expensive, but solvable.
- The aluminium body does not rust, but it does not forgive improper repairs. Repainted or straightened sections are harder to conceal and harder to assess on aluminium than on steel.
- The neon tail lights are a spare parts issue. Failures affect the inverter, not the tube alone.
- The equipment reflects the production standard of 2000: navigation, telephone and on-board electronics are technically outdated. Replacement is possible, but it costs originality.
- Missing accessories — hardtop stand, birth certificate booklet, the Kyosho model — noticeably reduce value, as they were part of the delivery scope.
07 · Technik
Aluminium instead of Steel
Three Locations, One Car
Neon in the Tail Light
Suspension and Brakes
Full Equipment Only
No Motorsport
Technische Daten — Achsübersetzungen & Getriebe
- Length
- 4,400 mm
- Width
- 1,830 mm
- Height
- 1,310 mm
- Wheelbase
- 2,505 mm
- Front track
- 1,553 mm
- Rear track
- 1,568 mm
- Kerb weight
- 1,660 kg
- Drag coefficient
- 0.39
- Transmission
- six-speed manual gearbox (Alpina: five-speed automatic)
- Drive
- rear-wheel drive
- Front axle
- lower wishbones, MacPherson struts, anti-roll bar
- Rear axle
- upper wishbones and trailing arms, struts, anti-roll bar
- Front brake discs
- 334 mm, internally vented, two-piston fixed caliper
- Rear brake discs
- 328 mm, internally vented, single-piston fixed caliper
- Front tyres
- 245/45 R 18 W
- Rear tyres
- 275/40 R 18 W
- Body
- aluminium spaceframe with bolted-on outer skin
- Coolant system capacity
- 12.5 l
08 · Design
The line from the 507 to the Z8
The 507 was built from 1956 to 1959 in 252 examples and nearly ruined BMW. Forty years later, Henrik Fisker took up its design language: the wide, flat kidney grille, the side air intakes behind the front wheels, the long bonnet over a V8.
The difference lies in the intent. The 507 was a sales attempt that failed. The Z8 was planned from the outset as a limited series and image carrier — with a production number set by BMW, not by the market.
09 · Kaufberatung
What matters: completeness and history
With 5,703 cars, every Z8 is documented. The market values mileage, condition and completeness — in that order.
Check the birth certificate booklet, hardtop, hardtop stand and the 1:18 model. All four were part of the delivery scope.
Inspect the body for signs of repair. Aluminium requires specialist workshops; amateur work is recognisable in panel gaps and paint build-up.
Request service documentation for the S62, especially regarding the VANOS and timing chain.
Check the soft top and its mechanism, as well as the function of the neon tail lights for the sidelight and brake light.
For the Alpina Roadster V8, check the Alpina vehicle number and the accompanying documents — 555 cars is a manageable number.
The Z8 is not a car you buy cheaply and then fix up. A complete car with history ends up being the cheaper one.
10 · Die Konkurrenz
The Competition
Mercedes-Benz SL 55 AMG (R230)
From 2002, with a supercharger and more power, but designed as a comfort roadster. The counter-design: technology instead of reference.
Porsche 911 Turbo (996)
Contemporary, faster, more practical for everyday use and cheaper. Anyone wanting performance bought the Porsche.
Aston Martin DB7 Vantage Volante
Similar price range, similar stance: a car sold on form and heritage, not on lap times.
Ferrari 360 Spider
From 2000 and, like the Z8, with 400 PS — but from a high-revving mid-mounted V8. Same number, completely different character.
Maserati Spyder (Cambiocorsa)
From 2001, a 4.2-litre V8 from the shared engine family with Ferrari, 390 PS. With the automated Cambiocorsa transmission, the Italian counter to the manually shifted Z8.
11 · Galerie
Bilder
Aluminium, V8 and the references to the 507.
12 · Quellen
Belege & Literatur
The primary source for the technical data is the data table in the German-language Wikipedia entry on the Z8, which lists BMW and Alpina figures side by side. Image sources and licences are from Wikimedia Commons.