The Z1 is an absolute rarity in the United States, not just because it wasn’t sold there back in the day. BMW only built 8,000 units, so seeing one in the metal is a special occasion, no matter where you are. The video below features a Z1 built in 1989, the first year of production for what BMW considers the spiritual successor to the gorgeous 507.
This petite roadster with its vertically sliding doors has an interesting backstory. BMW gifted it to General Electric as a token of appreciation for the company’s help in developing the Z1. The story goes that GE’s Plastics division assisted with the car’s composite resin body. In return, GE received this Z1 and displayed it for several years at the Horizon pavilion in Epcot Center.
Eventually, GE decided to part ways with the car, which ended up in Colorado before finding a new home at a design studio in Los Angeles a few years ago. The attached video documents the car’s 1,200-mile journey from California back to Colorado in the nimble, convertible sports car developed by the skunkworks team at BMW Technik.
We won’t spoil the trip’s details, but it’s worth noting that the two-seater Z1 performed flawlessly. Having sat unused for years, it had to be mechanically refreshed before embarking on such a long journey. Swiss Motors, based in Culver City, spruced up BMW’s original Z car. It involved changing the 20-year-old tires and rebuilding the alternator, among other work, like a fresh battery and new fluids.
Here’s a juicy tidbit you might not know: GE originally developed the headlights for the Z1. However, BMW pulled out of the deal and opted for a more squared-off design. It left GE with the tooling and an unused curved headlight design. That design was later purchased by Dodge and used in the first two generations of the V10-powered Viper.
