WILD AND SOPHISTICATED BEAST The designers of BMW's new flagship were inspired by the legendary 506 two seater that made its debut in New York City in 1955. Even though the Z8 has something of the retro look, it still appears as an extremely sophisticated creature. As a bona fide BMW, it retains the elongated twin kidney grille so that its origins are in no way deniable.
Under its streamlined and muscular dress lies a monocoque aluminum frame and each of the exterior body panels is strongly bolted to that extremely rigid structure. The "bottom line" is a sturdy and free of cowl shake platform. The Z8, thanks to structural beams along either side of the central tunnel, does not twist nor flex.
A SHARP ROAD HANDLING As for road manners, they depend on a 50/50 front/rear weight distribution, a fully independent suspension, an extremely sharp steering system and enormous run flat 245/45R18 (front) and 275/40R18 (rear) tires.
The suspension uses the strut/spring combo and integrated rear axle, providing the car with great road handling along with an impressive ride smoothness. Its crisp and precise steering system requiring only three turns lock to lock ensures flawless linear courses around tight corners as well as on rugged surfaces.
Aside from its quite efficient suspension, the Z8's road handling is maximized by the Dynamic Stability Control system to control under/oversteer when the driver gets too daring and too enthusiastic behind the wheel of than wild one. When the system is activated, there is no possibility of wheelspin. When turned off, it even operates automatically when the rear end shows any tendency to get off course in tight situations.