We could spend all day bemoaning car auctions’ impact on vehicle pricing. Sites like Bring a Trailer and Cars and Bids invite frenzied buyers to offer wild sums of money for cars that might otherwise be considered ordinary. Some vehicles on those sites, however, are worth the coin, and we think this 2001 BMW Z8 is one of them. The 22,000-mile car’s auction is almost over at the time of this post, and its sky-high price tag is actually warranted. The BMW Z8 is exceedingly rare to begin with, but this car’s color combination of black over tan leather makes it even more of a unicorn, as only 229 were made in that combination.
The Z8 took inspiration from BMW’s classic roadsters.Bring a Trailer
Even the car’s designer is noteworthy. Though he may be focusing on his own electric vehicle brand now, Henrik Fisker’s 12-year run at BMW was the stuff of legend. Fisker’s work included the design for the Z8, as well as contributions of the original X5 SUV, which is now part of an expansive BMW SUV and crossover lineup.
The Z8 reached legend status when it shuttled Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond in The World Is Not Enough, but the cars were (and are) worthy of standing on their own. Under the hood, BMW installed a 394-horsepower 4.9-liter V8, which gave the car a claimed 0-62 mph time of just 4.2 seconds. That power reached the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission, and this car has had maintenance performed to keep the drivetrain purring for years to come.
This Z8’s color combination makes it exceedingly rare.Bring a Trailer
If you’re wondering where this Z8’s current bid price of $162,500 lands on the car’s overall value spectrum, there’s some good news, depending on how you view spending six figures on a car. Hagerty estimates that a Z8 in good condition should draw around $155,000, while a car in excellent condition should get $199,000. This car’s mileage and condition match up with its price, which falls on the lower end of that range, and should allow it to be an actual driver for the right person. After all, what’s the fun of buying a car just for display?
