At the start of 1985, BMW set up a division called BMW Technik GmbH to develop concepts for new vehicles and technologies, the Z1 was the first car developed by the group and in early 1987, BMW announced that the Z1 would enter production. The "Z" in Z1 originally stood for Zukunft, the German word for future. The Z1 was produced from March 1989 to June 1991 all at BMW's plant in Munich,Exactly 8,000 cars were produced. All the cars were left-hand drive, and the majority (6,443) were sold in BMW's native German market.

 

This two seat roadster has several unique features. The doors retract vertically, instead of traditional designs which swing outward or upward and the body with its high sills, offers crash protection independent of the doors. It’s possible (although perhaps not legal in some countries) for the Z1 to be driven with the doors lowered. The windows may be operated independently of the doors, although they do retract automatically if the door is lowered. Both the window and door are driven by electric motors through toothed rubber belts.

 

In addition to the unique door design, the Z1 body featured several other innovations; removable plastic body panels, a flat undertray, a roll-hoop integrated into the windscreen surround and continuously zinc welded seams. The car is painted in a special flexible lacquer finish developed jointly by AKZO Coatings and BMW Technik GmbH

 

The sole drivetrain configuration is a 2.5 Litre M20 straight-six engine and five-speed Getrag manual transmission sourced from the E30 325i. The engine is a 2,494 cc (152 cu in) SOHC straight-six engine, which produces 125 kW (168 hp) at 5,800 rpm and 222 N⋅m (164 lb⋅ft) of torque.