BMW Z8 ROADSTER

1999 – 2003

The car was featured in the 1999 film The World Is Not Enough, It was driven by Bond until being sliced in half by a helicopter equipped with tree-cutting saws in Azerbaijan. So far in the film series, this marks the only occasion when Bond has expressed concern about being upset with James wreaking havoc on cars and equipment. Ironically, this takes place after Desmond Llewelyn makes his final appearance on the screen as Q.

Performance

The $128,000 car had an all aluminum chassis and body and used a 4.9 L (4941 cc) 32-valve V8, that developed 400 hp (300 kW) and 500 N·m (370 ft·lbf) torque. This engine, known internally as the S62, was built by the BMW Motorsport subsidiary and was shared with the E39 M5. The engine was located behind the front axle in order to provide the car with 50/50 weight distribution. The factory claimed a 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) time of 4.7 seconds; Motor Trend magazine achieved 0–96 km/h (0–60 mph) in 4.2 seconds. Road and Track measured the car’s lateral grip at .92. Car and Driver magazine also tested the car and found that it outperformed the contemporary benchmark Ferrari 360 Modena in three important performance categories: acceleration, handling, and braking. As with most BMW products, its top speed was electronically limited to 155.4 mph (250 km/h); the car’s maximum top speed with an unlocked chip was 170 mph (270 km/h).