There’s rare, and then there’s the ALPINA Z1. BMW produced only 8,000 units of the petite roadster with sliding doors, but the version modified in Buchloe was even more exclusive. Just 66 units were built between July 5, 1990, and September 19, 1991. One of these cars will be auctioned on May 24 at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.
Broad Arrow is selling car #23, which has just 29,479 kilometers (18,317 miles) on the clock. Officially known as the BMW ALPINA Roadster Limited Edition (RLE), it originally retailed for 116,000 Deutsche Marks. That was a significant premium over the standard BMW Z1, which was priced at DM 83,000. As expected, this example won’t come cheap either. The auction house estimates it will fetch between €120,000 and €150,000. However, it’s being offered with no reserve, so there’s a theoretical chance of snagging it for less. Of course, that’s provided collectors aren’t lining up to claim such a rare gem.
Although ALPINA also reportedly converted seven additional Z1s to RLE spec, this is an original Roadster Limited Edition. This means the two-seater sports car has a proper ALPINA chassis number and a numbered plaque. While about half the production run was sold in Europe, this Top Red example with gold side decals was initially delivered to a customer in Japan. It was later imported to the Netherlands in 2017 and remains in excellent condition.
Compared to a standard BMW Z1, the ALPINA RLE swapped the 2.5-liter inline-six for a larger 2.7-liter engine from the B3 2.7. Output increased by 30 horsepower to 200 hp, and torque jumped by 39 Newton-meters (29 lb-ft) to 261 Nm (193 lb-ft). That extra muscle enabled a 0–62 mph (100 km/h) sprint in 7.1 seconds, according to a test by Auto Motor und Sport. It made it 1.3 seconds quicker than BMW’s official figure for the standard Z1.
Additional upgrades included distinctive 17-inch ALPINA wheels wrapped in 235/40 tires and shorter front suspension springs. The pint-sized roadster also received an individually numbered badge on the Momo steering wheel.
If you’re more interested in something new, BMW is also unveiling a fresh one-off and possibly the new M2 CS at this year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. A full set of images is available at the link below.
Source: Broad Arrow Auctions
