What do you do when you are feeling a bit James Bond-y but can’t get your hands on a BMW Z8? Well, you find yourself a BMW Z3 and work with what you have. Or you give this guy a call an ask to borrow his.
Colin Furze is a man of action. So, when he realized a BMW Bond car is what was missing from his life, he decided to build one using a Z3 as the donor vehicle. What came out is a machine that spits fire, lifts itself up via a retractable wheel for easy parking, and can shoot duds at whoever makes the mistake of engaging in a chase.
Inspired from the iconic BMW 507, the Z8 was concocted under the close supervision of former BMW designer Chris Bangle, who at the time was leading the company’s design department. The car was first introduced in concept form as the Z07 at the 1997 Tokyo Motor Show before making a debut as road-going car in 1999 with few styling changes.
Power came from the E39 M5’s 4.9-liter V-8 mounted on an aluminum spaceframe chassis. With a max output of 400 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, the Z8 was a road missile. Back in 2000, Car and Driver pointed out that the Z8 “is scorchingly fast” and “a breeze to takeoff” thanks to the progressive clutch and precise gearbox. and “a breeze to takeoff” thanks to the progressive clutch and precise gearbox.
Price-wise, the Z8 was indeed worthy of a special agent, since each U.S.-bound unit started at $130,000. At least now you can better understand why Colin Furze went for a Z3 instead…