The last time BMW had offered an open two seater was between 1956 and 1959 when the legendary 507 was in production.

BMW Technik was given the green light to proceed with what became the Z1 concept in August 1985. Z stood for Zukunft, the German word for future.

One year later, the first road-going Z1 prototype had been completed and BMW management were so impressed they immediately sanctioned a production run.

The Z1 was assembled around a steel monocoque with a 2447mm wheelbase. Hot-dipping the chassis in zinc resulted in a 25% stiffer assembly which was particularly beneficial around the panel seams and joint overlaps.

This vehicle was delivered new to Portugal and was meticulously maintained ever since. With only 21.000 original quilometres, this BMW is brand new.