2000 - 2003 BMW Z8: Starting The Millennium In The Best Way Possible.
The BMW Z8 is one of my top five favorite BMW’s! The simplistic roadster design is sporty and sleek. The BMW Z8 was one of the first BMW’s of the 2000′s and it is truly one of the best.
The Z8 is a beautiful car all around. Inspired by the original and also wonderful BMW 507, the Z8 invokes the retro feel of the 507 while also remaining modern and relevant (unlike some other retro styled cars from the early 2000′s). The Z8 has a fantastic use of shape, the Z8′s rather rounded and roadster shape makes the car appear elegant while also sporty. The rounded and bubbly headlights are very well cool looking and make the car look a tiny bit more aggressive.
Interestingly enough this car was designed by Henrik Fisker, who later went on to design the Fisker Karma and you can see a lot of design cues from this car in the Karma. The most obvious design cue that the Karma has from the Z8 is the horizontal grille. Unlike most BMW cars, the Z8 takes the normally vertical kidney grille and turns it horizontal. I feel like this works in this case, I think that the kidney grille would look atrocious on this car. The Fisker Karma also has the aforementioned headlights.
On the top; BMW Z8. On the bottom; Fisker Karma Revero
The rear end of the BMW Z8 is also quite impressive. I like the rather small tail lights as they aren’t intrusive and generally blend in very well with the sleek Z8. The rather rounded back end of the Z8 invokes the classic 507 as well. This truly does do a good job with being retro while not compromising the interior.
The Z8 had a very minimalist interior. There are quite a few aspects of the Z8′s interior that shine out though. The number one eye catching design inside the Z8 is the steering wheel. The Z8′s wheel is a four pronged wheel with four separate spokes per prong. This is a very art deco looking design that works very with the Z8′s retro design. I personally believe this to be one of if not the coolest steering wheel BMW has put into a production car.
Another very cool element in the Z8 are the numerous oversized gages above the climate vents and radio. The gages remind me a lot of an airplane cockpit, with huge screens telling you everything you might need to know as you drive down the road in your Z8.
This car managed to look fantastic with an all black interior which is something many cars aren’t able to pull off. However, with red accents the Z8 also looks quite beautiful. However I feel like black looks a little more sleek and matches with the exterior more. The materials in the Z8 are also quite high quality and and good looking.
Stylish and sporty exterior and interior styling that’s sure to catch many peoples eyes
A very fast and well performing sports car.
Supposedly pretty reliable
A bit skimpy when it comes to features and tech.
The Z8 is overall a very beautiful car and will always be one of my favorite BMW’s of all time. The design on the interior and exterior is beautiful and invokes the retro 507 without feeling too heavy handed.
Exterior Styling Final Rating; 45/50
Interior Styling Final Rating; 38/50
Overall Styling Rating; 83/100
Next Review: A retro styled car that did not work quite as well
