Everything You Need to Know About BMW Z Series

BMW is a well-known automobile company in the world, and it is also regarded as the leader of the high-end automobile production industry. BMW was founded in 1916 and is headquartered in Munich. Over the past 80 years, it has evolved from an original aircraft engine manufacturing plant to an enterprise group that today is dominated by high-end cars and produces world-renowned aircraft engines, off-road vehicles and motorcycles, and ranks among the top 20 automobile companies in the world. BMW has also been translated as "Bayer". When you drive a BMW Z Series two-seater cabriolet or coupe, all you want to do is the same: never reach your destination and enjoy the freedom and driving pleasure brought by the Z Series.

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Roadster-Z1. It is named Z1 because it is named after the initial letter "Z" in German Zukunft (Zukunft translates to "future" in Chinese), and then BMW starts with the letter "Z" for all two-door convertible sports cars. . As a model that was put into production by the concept car , the design and manufacture of the BMW Z1 was already very avant-garde and advanced at the time. For example, its doors are not opened inside and outside like the traditional doors, but the vertical lift type is adopted. The door is hidden in the side sill of the car when getting off the car. This is inspired by traditional convertible sports cars that use metal or fabric as the door. For the manufacture of the car body, BMW Z1 adopts the hot-dip galvanizing method of welding a metal plate after being pressed, which can increase the torsional rigidity of the frame by 25% compared with the traditional method. A thermoplastic material is used, which can resist slight collision.

In terms of power performance, in order to reduce R&D expenses, Z1 uses the E30325i engine , gearbox and suspension device, but the rear suspension of Z1 adopts a new multi-arm four-link design, which is also the first to use multi-arm four-link Models with mounted suspension. Z1's 2.5-liter SOHC six-cylinder engine can produce a maximum power of 170 horsepower and a maximum torque of 222Nm , with a maximum speed of 225km/h. The power performance is not very prominent, and it can only be described as "barely". At that time, the price of Z1 was between 83,000 and 89,000 marks . During the five years from 1987 to 1992, BMW produced only 8012 Z1 sports cars, of which about 80% were sold to the German market, and a little more than 5%. In the Italian market, 4% is sold to France . Today, the Z1 is also the most popular car model for car collectors from various countries .

In 1985, someone had predicted BMWTechnikGTmbH team will make some amazing moves, then president EberhardvonKuenheim also created a slogan: "fast will overtake slow", and thus, in 1987 Z1 at the Frankfurt Motor Show on Was born, and thus opened the prologue of the BMW Z series.

Z Series Expander-BMWZ3

(1995-2002) After the BMWZ1, the BMWZ3, which pushed the BMW Z series to a whole new height, was launched, and it was given "rich" in the model, up to 7 models. In addition, the Z3 is the first new BMW plant to be completely located in Spartanburg , South Carolina . Z3's design philosophy is to combine safety, power, comfort, sportiness and essential traditions. The above elements and its pricing strategy are combined to attract the attention of young consumers and open up a series of Z series models. In the market, BMW at this time has made every effort. In May 1996, the first batch of BMW Z3 was delivered to the owner who was proud of her, and within a short period of time the Z3 jumped into the best-selling model of its kind. Today, there are 170,000 BMW Z3s around the world. The Z3 maintains the classic sports car style-slender and sleek engine cover, low waistline and short rear end. After the improvement, the waistline reached the lowest point near the seat, and then obviously upturned at the rear. The design of the rear of the car is completely new: the trunk lid has been redesigned to have a unique style, the rear light cluster is "L" shaped, showing a simple and modern charm, and the rear bumper has the same width as the rear axle wheelbase. The interior of the Z3 has also been improved in a series of important details: the sports steering wheel is more compact (with dual-stage ignition airbags), the roof joints are first insulated with heat protection technology, and the plastic surface gives one A pleasant and comfortable feeling, coupled with a redesigned central instrument panel, all of which make this BMW sports car's interior level to a new level. In terms of performance, the optional engines include: 1.8L four-cylinder engine with balance shaft and maximum output of 118 hp; 2.0L in-line six-cylinder engine with maximum power of 150 hp; and 2.8L in-line six-cylinder engine with maximum power 193 horsepower. 

BMWZ3 Coupé In 1998, the Z3 Coupé appeared in the world. At that time, it was a very dynamic two-door sports car with a rounded roof line. Power is commendable: equipped with 3.0L6 cylinder engine, the maximum output power reached 231 horsepower. In addition, it is said to have the general handling of karts (especially the performance on corners).

Now running on the road-BMWZ4 (2002-present)

This is currently the most familiar BMW Z series model. The Z4 model was first released in the US market in 2002 and released in other regions of the world in 2003. According to BMW officials, its positioning is much higher than the previous Z3 model. Rather than being a high-end luxury sports car, it is an upgraded version of the Z3 after its name change.

In terms of appearance, the design of the new Z4 is very rich in design taste. The designer deliberately used bright lines to create the outline of the new Z-series sports car. This design is mainly based on the BMW Z4 and CSI that appeared at the international large-scale auto show earlier. Concept cars. On the flat front, the center is a traditional BMW ghost mask with a large volume. Both sides of the headlights are focused like fish eyes, extending the body line to the door part. It is a breathtaking effect, and the rear part is the whole car. The essence is that the gently tipped tail and the small round taillights make the overall structure full of three-dimensional sense. In order to further reveal the beautiful lines of the Z4, the owner also used body trim accessories designed by BMW tuning expert ACSchnitzer, including the head and lips, The tail lip, body side skirt feet, two independent fixed tail wings and side sand board command lighting ornaments suddenly make the body shape more dynamic , fully demonstrating the unique charm of the racing car .

The design of the Z4 is improved on the basis of the Z3, the long hood , the seat that almost fell on the rear axle, etc... The new car's upwardly inclined tail is more attractive, plus the bumps on both sides The clear lines make the new car look more domineering than the Z3 . In terms of performance, it mainly continues some things of Z3, and the change is not very big: At present, in the Z4 engine matching, the factory provides 3.0 and 2.4L new improved inline six-cylinder naturally aspirated engines, compared to the old ones. 2.8 In addition to the engine's total exhaust volume increased by 200CC, the biggest change is the intake manifold and air flow changes, coupled with the Double-NANOS valve timing system to extend the engine's suction and exhaust operation, thereby exerting the engine's largest explosion The horsepower has been increased from 193 horsepower to 231 horsepower, and the torque has increased from 2.0kgm to 30.6kgm/3500rpm than before. As for the modification, the owner only replaced the high-flow style of K&N, and the high-performance dead air throat of ACSchnitzer, so that the engine's suction and exhaust efficiency has a better performance, which promotes the engine speed and horsepower. The 3 liter in-line on the Z4 After the six-cylinder engine was improved by the factory, the horsepower jumped sharply to 231 horsepower, an increase of 31 horsepower.

Z4's car design is mainly simple and wide. As the factory's main driving car, the materials and decoration of the trim parts are delicate and clever, which shows the sense of the times and is also elegant . In the compartment, the owner added about eight decorative pieces made of ACSchnitzer made of white carbon fiber to the Z4, including the center console , the wave stick console entry-level armrest and the steering wheel . Compared with the original titanium silver, it has a more texture and sense of time. Combined with the aluminum alloy hand levers and pedals made by the same factory , it has become an uncompromising ACSchitser modified model car.

In addition, it is worth mentioning that the Z4 has greatly improved its safety. In the EURO-NCAP test conducted in May 2004, the BMWZ4 achieved the best results of the Roadster model. It is equipped with a pressure-relief tire, which can continue to travel for a distance even if the tire is completely decompressed. Because in 80% of cases, tire pressure loss starts with a slow air leak, Z4 is equipped with a leak alarm indicator. Another innovative technology standard on the Z4 is the two-stage brake signal lamp. In the case of emergency braking , the additional LED in the brake light is activated, which serves to enhance the reminder of vehicles in the rear.

Z4's suspension system design is derived from BMW's 3 Series, and some modifications have been made to accommodate the flat design of the body. The basic Z4's high rigidity frame and perfect 50:50 body weight distribution, its handling performance has been full of flexibility and stability Sex. To improve the control to another level and direct the practicality of daily use, the shock absorber is replaced with the reinforced parts of ACSchnitser. This modified shock absorber based on the original model strengthens the telescopic impact of the hydraulic core. The body maintains sufficient shock absorption on the curved road, and it also has the comfort of original shock absorption. At the same time, the special short spring directly reduces the height of the body by about 20-30mm, which makes the flat Z4 feel more ground, providing excellent Steering control and road feel.