In the mid 1985 BMW decided to found a new internal division Technik GmbH. It was to be an advanced design and engineering counterpart to be company’s already proven and highly successful Motorsport division. By late Technik’s engineers had launched the Z1 roadster, the first in the wave of modern roadsters. Z stood for zukunft, the German for future. It was an appropriate name given the nature of the vehicle that was being developed. The Z1 would play an important role in shaping the future technology of other BMW vehicles. The Z1 was masterminded by Ulrich Bez and styled by Harm Laagay; shortly after the launch, both men left for Porsche where they had earned themselves deserved reputations as innovators. Although not reveled at the launch, the A1 started life as a ‘mule’ used to develop the complex and clever rear suspension for the 1991 3 Series. Technik, however, put in a much bigger effort than simply manufacturing what at first looked like a re-bodied 325i carbriolet. The Z1 was built on a steel backbone chassis, which gave the car all its strength. The 13 exterior bolt on plastic didn’t provide any strength the Z1 could be driven without them. It also used massive still sections into which the side doors would slide and disappear, giving the driver a truly open driving experience. The car’s actual ‘floorpan’ was a high strength, foam cored sandwich panel bolted to the metal chassis.
At its launch, the car proved to be a revelation in terms of handling and grip, and benefited enormously from the beautifully sculpted, had edged styling Production capacity immediately sold out to two years in advance. The BMW Z1 was not only a step into the future. It was the accumulation of everything that BMW had learned over the decades up to that point about production great roadsters. Without the technological jumps that the development of the car helped bring about, fabulous later vehicles such as the BMW Z3 roadster would not have been conceivable.
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