Perhaps the quintessential “retro look” car of the 1990s and 2000s, the BMW Z8 had been some six years in the planning prior to its official launch at the 1999 Frankfurt Motor Show. Its designer, Henrik Fisker, had previously been heavily involved with the design of the E30 M3, although his new charge had its roots in the Z07 concept car of 1997 - which in turn took heavy styling cues from Albrecht von Goertz’s timeless 507 design of 1955. The classic twin-nostril, long bonnet stance of the 507 was refined and updated for the Z8 - and, crucially, for the late twentieth century - whilst the choice of a torquey V8 engine and provision of a stylish detachable hardtop also harked back to the original car.

Featuring an aluminium spaceframe chassis and body, the Z8 used BMW’s 5.0-litre S62 engine, as fitted to the contemporary M5 saloon. Throughout the design process, BMW had been mindful of weight, and extensive use of aluminium and other lightweight components meant that the car came in at a respectable 1,585 kilograms, with near 50:50 front to rear weight distribution. This, allied to its potent 400 horsepower capability, propelled the Z8 to 60 mph in a little over four seconds, and 0-to-100 mph-to-0 in a mere 14.5 seconds. The Z8’s dynamic performance was similarly impressive, its ultra-stiff stressed-skin chassis affording the car a level of grip through corners comparable to the then class-leading Ferrari 360 Modena, whilst at the same time permitting a ride quality superior to many every day saloons.

Arguably the Z8’s greatest achievement was to package cutting edge technology so discreetly and stylishly as to not conflict with the car’s retro aesthetics. Despite boasting features such as traction control, stability control, airbags and GPS navigation, none were overtly visible in the cockpit, which boasted a body colour dashboard - as the 507 had done before - and a centrally mounted instrument cluster, the latter permitting the driver an unimpeded view of the road ahead.

An initial preliminary batch of 19 show and press cars aside, production of the Z8 commenced in earnest in 2000, continuing for just four years and totalling a mere 5,703 units. Of this number, a little over 2,500 were supplied to the US market; the remainder being distributed primarily to Continental Europe.

This particular example is one of just eight BMW Z8s supplied new to the U.K. and is one of 37 finished in the desirable colour scheme of Topaz Blue with a Crema and Black leather interior. Having covered just 364 miles from new, it unsurprisingly remains in near perfect original condition in every respect having been in storage in North London for the last seventeen years. The PDI check stamped in the service book was carried out on 19th August 2002 by BMW Crossflags of Dumfries, Scotland and a second service carried out by BMW main dealer Hexagon in Finchley, on the 8th June 2004 with 361 miles recorded. For peace of mind it is having a service carried out by BMW Sunningdale at the time of writing to confirm the car is in excellent running condition. The electric roof and windows all operate as expected and testament to the cars condition an unused Motorola Star Tac telephone with its protective screen film is mounted in the central cubby. The factory handbooks in their original leather wallet accompany the car along with a leather Z8 key cover, service keys, as well as a complete tool roll, along with the factory hardtop and wind deflector. There can be few - if any - more authentic examples of this highly collectable modern classic. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to purchase perhaps the lowest mileage Z8 in existence.

Please note that this lot is currently on display at CARS in Chobham at Alpha 319 Chobham Business Centre, Chertsey Road, Chobham, Surrey, GU24 8JB and can be viewed on appointment on Thursday October 29th and Friday October 30th between 9am and 5pm. Please contact our office at +44 (0) 20 7851 7070 or email Britta Buchmann at bbuchmann@rmsothebys.com to secure your appointment. Should you want more information on this lot, feel free to email jlittle@rmsothebys.com