Talking about the BMW Z1 is talking about a car that began as an experiment and ended up becoming one of BMW’s most iconic sports cars (it was the starting point for its roadster family) and from the 1990s. Its appeal did not stop there: it remains captivating today, despite the fact that more than three decades have passed since its production ended. Today’s protagonist it keeps a secret: it is a BMW Z1 that, without having been released, accumulates almost a million kilometers.
The first of the BMW roadster family was presented, in 1986, as a prototype. A year later we found out about the production version and in 1988 its production started: before this moment arrived, the Bavarian brand accumulated 5,000 orders. In the short space of time that its production lasted, from 1988 to 1991, shaped 8,000 units Powered by a 2.5-liter inline six-cylinder engine mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.
His name anticipated his goal: the ‘Z’ stands for ‘Zukunft’, which in German means future. BMW conceived the Z1 with a double objective: firstly, to probe the world of convertibles and, secondly, to do it with striking solutions… both for the late eighties and early nineties and for today. Its body panels could be easily removed in a few minutes and its doors were retractable: they were lowered and hidden inside that removable body.
A BMW Z1 with 999,997 kilometers
Now that we have reviewed the particularities of the BMW Z1, we can focus on the specimen at hand: a unit that is almost unused… despite the fact that Its odometer shows 999,997 kilometers. There is a secret behind this apparent longevity.
At that time, the cars had an analog odometer and left the factory with 999,997 kilometers because, in this way, BMW assured its customers that the model in question had not traveled more than three kilometers when it was received. In this way, after setting it up and taking it to the dealership, the odometer would reset and go to zero.
His story
Indeed: this BMW Z1 has not even traveled those three kilometers of margin: it has only been driven once. It was delivered new to Jens Winther, driver of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in 1990 and has been preserved in its original state until 2014, when its current owner bought it from the Danish driver.
Now it has been auctioned by RM Sotheby’s and the figure for which it has been sold is almost as incredible as its mileage: 86,250 euros. Bearing in mind that there are only 8,000 units and that There can’t be many that seem frozen in time like this, The truth is that it is a fairly moderate price.