Spawned from a 1997 concept car called the Z07 that was in turn a tribute to a roadster of the late 1950s, the BMW Z8 production car embodied an immersing sense of performance and luxury. While BMW already had a rear-wheel drive, two-seat roadster with the
BMW Z3, the Z8 was the opportunity for the German car company to push the vehicle concept to new heights. A 400-horsepower 4.9-liter V-8 engine co-developed for the 1999 BMW M5 was the chosen powerplant to launch the premium roadster. The factory-estimated acceleration time of the BMW Z8 from 0 to 62 miles per hour was 4.7 seconds. The top speed of the BMW Z8 was electronically limited to 155 miles per hour. In addition to Nappa leather and standard aluminum hardtop roof, the Z8 was also noteworthy for integrating a number of modern, innovative qualities. The body and chassis utilized an extensive amount of aluminum. One of the unique items found on the Z8 were turn signal lights using fiber optic illumination at the front. The rear turn signals and brake lights used neon tubes claiming to react up to ten times faster than conventional vehicle lighting. The steering wheel of the BMW Z8 also incorporated an electronic theft-deterrent system making the car difficult to steal. In 2003, reputable BMW tuner Alpina modified 555 Z8s with differing trim and performance traits called the V8 Roadster. While the base vehicle was exclusively fitted with a six-speed manual transmission, the Alpina V8 Roadster featured a five-speed automatic gearbox. Always intended to be a limited run vehicle, production for the high-end Z8 ended after the 2003 model year with roughly 5,700 examples released globally. The BMW Z8 is swiftly recognized for its role as a Bond vehicle in the 1999 feature film The World is Not Enough.
