2000-’03 BMW Z8/ Alpina Roadster V8
For decades, BMW has been a mass-producer. Limited-run vehicles, like its M1 and Z1, have been rare occurrences. The Z8 was one of those special rarities, with just 5,703 built and considered a future classic from the moment it debuted. This model’s lifespan was short and exciting, but the Z8, and its Alpina Roadster V8 derivative, have certainly lived up to their own hype.
It was the 1997 Tokyo Motor Show where enthusiasts got their first tastes of what would become the Z8. BMW’s Z07 Concept had all-aluminum construction covering the contemporary M5’s V-8 engine and mechanicals. Its gorgeous body — penned by Danish stylist Henrik Fisker — combined BMW 507 and Jaguar E-type influences, while the unique interior seemed to reach further back, to the 1930s.
The following spring, BMW purchased Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd., and began planning 2003’s ultra-luxury Phantom. The Bavarian automaker felt a limited run of aluminum-bodied cars would demonstrate its technical prowess while providing a trial for building
