Lot No: 190

1989 BMW Z1 Convertible

Registration no. J656 HGK (UK)

Chassis no. WBABA91090AL00720

'The car (Z1) was not especially cheap to buy, but was built to BMW's traditionally high standards. Some regarded the car as faultless, and it was certainly among the best-handling sports cars, but the important point for BMW was its standing. BMW had returned to making true sports cars after many years' absence.' – Lawrence Meredith, BMW: 1975 – 2001.

A 'concept car' first shown by BMW in 1986, the Z1 sports car revived the 'internal skeleton' method of construction best known for its use by Rover in the 2000 model of 1963. Moulded plastic panels clothed the galvanised steel chassis, which was braced by a moulded composite floor. Unusually, the doors dropped into the body sides to provide access. The running gear was more conventional - MacPherson strut independent front suspension being complemented by a wishbone set-up at the rear - while motive power was supplied by a 2.5-litre, 170bhp version of BMW's overhead-cam straight six driving the rear wheels via five-speed manual gearbox. Top speed was around 140mph, with 60mph coming up in 7.8 seconds. Production began slowly in 1988 at the rate of six cars per day, ending in 1991 after 8,000 units had been built. Demand was strong from the start despite a list price in the UK of £40,000, and today this landmark model continues to be highly sought after by BMW collectors.

This left-hand drive Z1 comes with BMW Group Classic letter stating that it was manufactured in June 1989 and delivered to the BMW dealer Autohaus Schreyer GmbH in Kippenheim, Germany on 25th August of that byear. The car was first registered in the UK on 25th September 2008, the current vendor being the sole owner since importation. Accompanying documentation consists of the aforementioned correspondence, UK V5C document, current MoT certificate (expires 15th April 2012) and a quantity of invoices from Ungeheuer Automobile BMW Service totalling approximately '8,000.

In den Jahren 1988 bis 1991 wurden 8.000 Stück des attarktiven BMW Z1, mit den ungewöhnlichen 'versenkbaren' Türen gebaut. Der 2,5 Liter 6-Zylinder mit obenliegender Nockenwelle entwickelte 170 PS und war gut für eine Spitzengeschwindigkeit von 225 km/h und eine Beschleunigung – Handschaltung und 5-Gang Getriebe waren Standard - von 0 auf 97 km/h in nur 7,8 Sekunden.

Der hier offerierte, Linkslenker wurde laut BMW Classic im Juni 1989 gebaut und im August an den BMW-Händler "Autohaus Schreyer" in Kippenheim ausgeliefert. Die Erstzulassung in Grossbritannien erfolgte am 25. September 2008 und der Wagen blieb bis dato im gleichen Besitz. Zu den Dokumenten die mit dem Z1 versteigert werden, gehören die englischen Fahrzeugpapiere, ein bis zum 15. April 2012 gültiges englsiches TÜV-Dokument (MOT), sowie Rechnungsbelege von "Ungeheuer Automobile BMW Service" über ca. 8.000 Euro.

Estimate: '20,000 - 30,000

Contact the Specialist to discuss this lot or selling in a future sale

Email: Robert Glover

Power by BMW - BMW Powered Motor Cars, Motorcycles & Related Automobilia

Munich, BMW Museum, 1 Oct 2011 at 14:00