2000 BMW Z8

The late 90s and early 2000s were something of a special time for BMW, an era that now has been firmly cemented as their golden age. With era-defining models like the E39 5-Series, E38 7-Series and E31 8-Series sharing forecourt real estate.

Whilst utterly brilliant, those cars are all a bit practical and BMW execs felt the range lacked something. So at the 1997 Tokyo Autoshow, they presented the Z07 concept, a design study to imagine what a modern-day 507 would look like. Its styling honoured the car that celebrities like Elvis loved but with a modern twist.

This car was originally supplied in November of 2000 to its first owner in Rome. The car remained on the continent for 15 years, when it was registered in the UK. The car is finished in Jet Black over a two-tone Black and Cream interior. The paintwork is in excellent condition, Jet Black or Schwarz 2 is a colour deeply popular with customers as a true non-metallic Black. 

The wheels, which are BMW Style 59, are unique to the Z8. They’re 18” in diameter and wrapped in a matching set of Michelin Pilot Sport 5 tyres. Unlike modern BMWs, the Z8 features a complete lack of exterior model designation, further cementing its upper-echelon status. All Z8s were supplied with a hard top roof, though many have been lost or damaged and replaced with aftermarket replacements, this car retains its all-important genuine BMW original. 

The interior continues the mid-century theme, it’s like a SMEG toaster, but it’s actually usable. The wrap-around dash extends into the door cards and is finished in body colour. It houses a centrally mounted gauge cluster that is carefully offset towards the drive.

The upper and lower dash sections are trimmed in black and cream leather respectively with careful double stitching. The wire-spoked steering wheel is a design masterpiece, no artificially chunky flat-bottom steering wheel here! The seats, which naturally are heated, are finished in two-tone black and cream hide.

Pop the bonnet, and you’ll find the 4.9-litre S62 V8 borrowed from the holy grail of M5s, the E39. It’s mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. It is undoubtedly one of BMW’s greatest engines, the makes nearly 400bhp and revs to 7,000rpm. It’s also built a reputation for being a remarkably stout power plant, though this car has covered just 30,000km from new.

Despite the limited kilometres, maintenance has not been washed over. When the car arrived in the UK, it was converted and prepared for UK roads by Joe Macari, at this time the Vanos accumulator was replaced.

More recently, in February of 2022, the car was subjected to a thorough inspection and recommissioning by Grosvenor Motor Company. The work, which included the replacement of a variety of bushes, hoses, clamps and detail items like centre caps has firmly renovated this example to pristine shape. This kind of detail does not come cheap, with the work amounting to just under £9,000. In late 2023, the car was fitted with a new dual-mass flywheel and clutch kit, as well as a pair of rear shock absorbers with work on this occasion totalling nearly £6,000.

It’s abundantly clear, that this example has been extremely well maintained, enjoyed and beloved and is now ready for its next caretaker. The Z8 exists in a bubble, it’s not a true BMW M-Car despite the origins of its engine, and it sits somewhere alongside equally iconic models that sit on the fringes of BMW society. The original M1 Supercar, the Skunkworks 1M coupe of the late 2010s and the ludicrous 850 CSI.

If you want your slice of nostalgia with the ultimate V8 soundtrack, this is the car for you. Somewhat ironically, the least cool thing about this car is that it was a Bond car, and that’s saying something.

As with all our vehicles, a full digital folder is available on request containing more images, walk-around videos, and scans of the service history. The car can also be viewed by appointment at our West London showroom.