Convertibles, sports cars and roadsters: you were always the special love of the BMW and BMW developers lovers: These cars pull their train through the entire history of BMW, set accents of their respective eras Model: 1928 BMW celebrated the premiere automotive with the ‘DIXI’, an open two-seater, powered by a 750-cc four-cylinder engine, with its 15 hp to the small convertible proud 85 km / h acceleration. The entire price was 2,175 Reichsmark. From the so-called AM 4 (AM = execution of Munich, a development of the DIXI), there were 1932 in addition to the four-sedan is also one of four (1933) as well as two-(1934) Cabriolet. All three types had the 795-cc four-cylinder engine with 20 horsepower, an impressive top speed of 90 km / h possible. The 2825 sedan costing reichsmark the Cabrios 3.250, – (two seater) and 3460, – (four-seater). At the same time, BMW was in 1933, the smallest six-cylinder in the world at the market: the type 303 with a 1173 cc (per cylinder only 195.5 cc) and 30 hp power, of course, as a beautiful open two-seater. The six-cylinder Folgetyp had some more horsepower, it was the BMW 315 with 34 hp (from 1,475 cc), as a four-seater in both closed and open implementation (1934) a “bestseller” when one may say so. Go to ‘Superstar’ to move in today’s terms to remain in the same year, however, became the sport’315 ‘, a two-seater convertible with vollversenkbarem canopy, so a true roadster, using the remarkable athletic performance sporting his appeal was fair (40 hp, 130 km / h peak).

Further stages of the white-blue convertible History: 319, 335, and of course the open 80-horsepower two-seater sports’ BMW 328 ‘with the famous leather strap across the bonnet. He was the most successful sports cars of the road decaying 30-years. Even today he is, for example, as’ Mille Miglia winner ‘328 unforgotten. From her character a true forerunner of the Z1, such as the BMW press office said, from this text is derived. After the Second World War, after the almost total dismantling, BMW was only in the early 1950s the automotive industry in Munich again, because the former car plant is now in the ‘SBZ’ and was, therefore, to the Russians lost. Under the Munich car was then of course also open to some version. As an absolute sensation was of Graf Goertz designed BMW-507-Roadster (1956-59), now as then for lovers tremendously high rate in the stands. With its 3.2-liter eight-cylinder engine (150 hp, 220 km / h) at the time he cost 26,500 marks. In the 1960s, we loved the small fleets as BMW 700 Convertible from Baur (1961-64, two-cylinder engine 40 hp, 135 km / h fast), then came the convertibles of the two-zero number, also from the car company from Stuttgart manufactured. Later Baur also expanded the types 316 to 325i (1976 to E36) in roll-bar design. And finally, there has been since 1986 as the 325i schönes bild Vollcabriolet four with fully retractable roof, “a car that much of the new convertible enthusiasm contributed. What a pedigree for the Z1!,” Said the press people for BMW.

Legendary BMW Z1 Roadster was developed by the technology develops, the BMW AG satellites using the same schema as the ‘Motorcycle GmbH’ and the ‘Motorsport GmbH’ (later ‘M GmbH’) was founded. This dynamic unit on the outskirts of Munich’s major group should be the future of the department research, predevelopment, development and production palpate. The possible areas were therefore due by the reinvention of the windscreen wiper liebgewordenes as example to the variable stroke or a sporty image for the 1990s.

Precisely at 1 January 1985 was 100% owned subsidiary companies’ BMW Technik GmbH “with the internal abbreviation ‘ZT’ was founded. The defined objective of this company was “Developments in the field of automotive engineering, which are capable of basic directions to redefine or modify, in other words’ Trend Setting ‘to enable.” It should therefore revolutionary new techniques to be developed without the constraint of feasibility in a subsequent series production. Ulrich Bez took over the leadership of BMW Technik GmbH Harm M. Lagaay, design chief of the ‘GmbH’, and later head of design at Porsche remembered in 1985: “By early 1985, I was asked by Ulrich Bez asked if I have to ‘GmbH’ as design chief wants to start. Although only a few staff there, but this was already the first working title: ‘freedom on four wheels’. ”

Bez and his team are not bogged in the development of ’screw loose nuts’, but presented with the Z1 a’ Concept Car ‘for the new millennium on the wheels. “After the dream-car era of the twelve-cylinder car means Motorsports said the mid-1980s objective analysts, future researchers and the subjective feelings of the drivers back to the long believed dead in classic roadster,” said Marco Kühnel. The result of this project, the Z1, should never go into production and was only intended as a research automobile. Accordingly, the entire vehicle body very unconventional. On 2 August 1985 were Eberhard von Kuenheim, Chairman of BMW AG, on his first visit to the ‘GmbH’ first draft roadster to work on ‘Freedom on four wheels’ shown. At the time, had virtually no automotive manufacturer nor a roadster in the Program. Eberhard von Kuenheim took note of the observations and opted for the continuation of the project. At the next meeting on 26 November 1985 saw the BMW Board of Management and the result declared spontaneously that a running prototype will be manufactured, then in July 1986 was completed.

The first report in ‘auto, motor und sport’ magazine 16/1986 beat like a bomb. Already on 22 July, one, four more prototypes to the wheels to make. The first prototypes were not sure that the car in a series production is produced. So was 22 July 1986 also marks the beginning of the actual design. On 18 December took the Board of BMW AG, the decision to the Z1 in series connection: “Check it once, as a realization of the concept of a production quantity in the smallest quantities, say one to five cars per day, to be carried out.” It was done! On 8 September 1987 was the BMW Z1 at the IAA in Frankfurt.

In the first BMW roadster to the modern times have been very many new innovative ideas a reality: For example, the front mid-engine with a well-balanced axle ratio and good crash behavior. A new steel-plastic composite has been a far greater body stiffness than conventional cabriolets achieved. The whole concept was supported by a screw Kunststoffbeplankung most repair-friendly design. Another requirement was, even without spoilers little aerodynamic lift by a subfloor of training to achieve. Another distinctive feature of the ‘Z1′ said research was the prototype in the construction of a car once occurring retractable doors. Similarly, a completely new rear axle design, and new plastic technology. These characteristics were guarantors that this car is no mass-produced product and it was only in the small print run of 8,000 copies ultimately built. A number of the first 2,500 and a little later to 5,000 had been raised.

Generally apply the engineer Ulrich Bez and designer Harm Lagaay still regarded as the fathers of the Z1-Roadster. There are also other members of the core team of the GmbH are: Alexander Pregl, Rudolf Müller, Lutz Janssen, Dieter Schaffner, Klaus Faust, Sabine Zemelka and Stephen Stark. The then head of BMW Technik GmbH boxes Z1 through all the adversity to the production model with full conviction and enthusiasm. At the IAA 1987, then driving the first prototype päsentiert. The excitation of the public “Z1 fever wave ‘were more intense than ever, personifizierbar: Lagaay and Bez, in Frankfurt a tie from the grauschwarzgefleckten camouflage leather for the interior and a belt buckle in the Z-shaped bore. Designer Lagaay floated a separate Z1 accessories and accessories program, which is now very much in demand among collectors is.

On 1 October 1988, shortly after the completion of the Z1 moved Ulrich Bez as technology executive for Porsche AG. Thus closed the circle again, because Bez Lagaay as BMW came before their engagement by Porsche AG. “When Bez So would a car, so if it were a Z1 – but only until October 1, 1988, because of the corporate identity,” said Marco Kühnel. Nothing describes the emergence of the Z1 roadster as good as this BMW-Presse report, which given his presentation in 1987 was published: “His predecessor are history, legend yes, he is now tangible, pleasurable experience the present and its name indicates it, the future . The Z1, since its first presentation at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt in September 1987 event and the subject of countless dreams. dream cars, and has also left its advantages Roadster: From the pure sports car BMW 328 are from the mid-1930s, only 467, 507 from the elegant 1950s, even just 252 vehicles have been built. In this exclusive family branch of the Z1 series, because of him, if the capacity in the former pilot plant of the Munich BMW plant even at full speed running, hardly a day more than ten copies in lovingly hand-made. The BMW Z1 is a pure roadster in the definition of Dudens, ‘an open, two sports cars’, the fact out that it features the traditional’ sportiness, distinctive driving experience and motoring whistle ‘with the latest technology. Driving with lowered doors also prepares a special attraction. The BMW Z1 is uncompromising when it comes to the original joy of driving is: open, two seats, sporty – almost a bit elementary. But he is equally uncompromising when it comes to quality, advanced technology and security. Roadster This is the opposite of a mass durchoptimierten car, the maximum number of requirements are met as well as possible. A strong, maybe even a little idiosyncratic character he has. A genuine BMW flat. As a BMW Technik GmbH, a subsidiary of BMW AG, for about three years in Munich Hanauer Street started the work, was a roadster still no speech. The order of the day almost a hundred designers, engineers and technicians of the team was simply: ‘ Are creative, innovative, effective ‘. BMW had a small technology-created entity, free from the organizational structures and the scope of choices for the large-scale ideas. A small dimension due to its extremely flexible, independent company, whose goal is to forward – products and processes in the automotive sector. One of the tasks was to pilot a project in an accelerated development process to complete. No sooner had they established the technique GmbH went out intensively with a project to address, in which several new technologies as a development project together could be combined. And who should be surprised that the enthusiasm and the accumulation of car specialists with gasoline in the blood a roadster came out – a classic sports car-style avant-garde, the Z1. ”