BMW shocked the world at the 1997 Tokyo Auto Show. Featuring a flawless design from Henrik Fisker, the all-new Z8 was a masterful blend of classic open-top motoring and modern-day high-tech engineering. The all-aluminum, monocoque spaceframe chassis was extrusion-pressed and held together by approximately 1,000 rivets and 57 meters of fused MIG-welded seams. Its inconceivably light 506-pound frame was said to have been as rigid as that of BMW’s closed sedans.

Headlining the Z8 stat sheet is BMW’s brutish S62 4.9-liter all-aluminum, double-overhead-cam V-8 engine producing 395 horsepower and 370 pound-feet of torque. A unique semi-dry sump, g-sensitive engine-lubrication system ensured correct oil circulation, and 45-degree cylinders assured sufficient oil flow out of the heads. Motor Trend was able to achieve a 0–60 time in 4.2 seconds, even faster than the factory’s claimed time of 4.7 seconds, and Road & Track found the BMW Z8 outperformed its contemporary Ferrari 360 Modena in the top categories of acceleration, handling, and braking.

Hand-built by the factory in Muenchen, Germany, this BMW Z8 was completed in May 2001 as one of just 136 Z8s destined for the Canadian market. Cloaked in Jet Black over black and red Nappa leather trim, the car was sold new to its first and only owner 27 June 2001 via Pfaff BMW of Mississauga, Ontario. Service records dating from new confirm the gentle use and dedicated regular maintenance this Z8 has received over its life.

Offering an exceptional level of preservation and history, the car is accompanied by a factory hardtop, original bill of sale, navigational DVD, service invoices from new, and an assortment of owner’s manuals in a leather pouch. Displaying a devoted service history and the model’s most important accoutrements, this one-owner Z8 is a pristine example of BMW’s flagship sports car ideal to show, drive, and enjoy.