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| Z1: few were made, but now a highly-prized collectable |
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The existing ranges were updated throughout the 1980s; the second-generation 5-Series (1981-88) marked the debut of a turbodiesel engine (524td) and the 5-series Touring estate, and the Mk 3 range (1988-95) included V8 engines. Second-generation 3-Series models (1982-1990) included four-door versions and the first four-wheel drive model, the 325iX, as well as the 324d diesel. Four-seater convertible models made their debut in 1986, and the compact 3-Series Touring in 1987, kicking off demand for a new breed of more 'lifestyle'-oriented estates. The second-generation 7-Series range (1986-94) brought BMW's first series-production 12-cylinder engines since World War II, in the 300bhp 750i and long-wheelbase 750iL limousine.
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| M3: dominated touring car championships |
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The 'M' Motorsport division was busy, too. The M1 was not directly replaced, but a new two-door based on the 3-Series platform had hit on a winning formula: the M3. This took the Touring Car World Championships in 1987 and dominated its race categories; over 17,100 road-going versions, with 195bhp straight-six engines were also sold. Meanwhile, BMW's Technik GmbH division produced a plastic-bodied roadster prototype to showcase its work on alternative body construction. Produced between 1988 and 1991, the Z1 had a pressed steel monocoque chassis, a bonded plastic floor and Bauer-supplied thermoplastic panels, with electrically-operated doors which dropped down into the side sills. Mechanically, it shared its 2.5-litre, 170bhp engine and much of its suspension - bar the special rear so-called Z-axle - with the 3-series, but the Z1 was a bit too obscure - and expensive - to sell in huge numbers. Not only did it come just in advance of a massive revival in the roadster market, the unusual design of the doors precluded exports to the USA and then the all-new Mercedes SL made its debut; just 8000 Z1s sold between 1988 and 1991. These are now, however, in the hands of enthusiasts, who hail their originality and rarity. Time has been less kind to the overweight and underwhelming Claus Luthe-designed 8-Series coupe (1989-99), an opulently-equipped V8 or V12 barge which failed to make the same impact as its predecessor, the 6-Series. Nonetheless, BMW ended the 1980s with a strong foothold in the Japanese car market, sales increasing six-fold, the new FIZ Research and Development centre in Munich up and running, and new factories in Regensburg and Steyr (Austria). There was also the entry into Formula One racing; in 1983, Nelson Piquet won the world championship in a BMW-Brabham.
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