derBayerische January/February 2023 - 22

■ (Above from Left) The Z8's center-mounted instrument cluster is elegant simplicity. The Z1 has a padded bar along the top of the windscreen that can
be used for entry and exit. (Below) Some consider driving these Zs a religious experience.
Lothar's unique and exceptional cars,
this Z8 gets driven.
The first thing I noticed when I
slid into the driver's seat of the Z8
was the long hood and pronounced
curves of the fenders leading up to
the headlights. It is so much more
apparent from inside the car than
from the outside. I've never driven an
E-Type, but I imagine the driver's
view over the hood of the Z8 would
look something similar to the classic
Jag.
The second thing I noticed from
the driver's seat of the Z8 was the
incredible sound the V8 engine
and exhaust produced. It burbles so
nicely and just exudes " power " .
When Jack and I took the Z8 for a
drive, we encountered a Ferrari 360
pulling out onto the road behind us.
The Ferrari's V8 was quite highpitched
while the Z8's V8 produced a
much deeper, throatier sound in
comparison. Don't worry, I behaved
- though because I was driving a
borrowed car, a scene from Ferris
Bueller's Day Off may have replayed
in my head.
After enjoying a number of
stories at Lothar's house, Jack and I
took the cars for a Z-car photo shoot
at a nearby location. An empty
curved road with evenly spaced,
mature trees coupled with a cornfield
and white barn as a backdrop seemed
like an excellent setting for the Zs to
stand out.
Jack and I headed our separate
ways after the photo shoot. I took the
Z1 and Jack took the Z8. When I told
22
a friend about my weekend plans, he
asked where I'd be driving the Z1.
" Everywhere " , I replied. Given that
two of my favorite things are driving
and taking photos of cars, I had
planned to do a lot of both given this
rare opportunity. I took the long way
home from Lothar's house. I minimized
the highways and focused on
fun, twisty back roads - where the Z1
shines.
The feeling of air rushing all
around me while driving my favorite
local roads in the Z1 was incredible.
The wind buffeting almost produced
a massage-like experience on my
arms, legs, shoulders, and chest.
Seeing the pavement pass by on my
left and right was similar to driving a
Jeep with no doors, just much lower
to the ground and with much better
handling. On the topic of vision, I fit
quite well in the Z1. The seat, steering
wheel size, and transmission
tunnel actually gave me more room
than my E30. However it wasn't
perfect. Being 6'5 " , my eyeline was
looking directly into the top of the
windshield frame, so I had to
scrunch down a bit to see where I
was going.
Because the drivetrain is very
similar to a late-model E30 325i, the
2.5L inline six-cylinder engine and
Getrag 260 5-speed transmission
were familiar to me. However
during our Z1 orientation, as Lothar
explained, in the Z1 the transmission
and rear differential are
connected via a torque tube. The
engine in the Z1 chassis sits much
further back than that of the E30, so
the car feels very balanced. The
shifter was precise, but it was rather
tall and the throw was long. The
clutch felt great. The steering ratio
seemed tighter, which was a
welcome experience compared to
the four-turn lock-to-lock my E30
requires.
After enjoying the car into the
evening, I brought it home and
parked it in my garage. However, it
wasn't in the garage for long as I had
set my alarm for 5 a.m. the following
morning to go to a local Cars and
Coffee event. The weather was great,
albeit a bit chilly, but the excitement
of driving the Z1 with the doors down
made me forget about the cooler
temperature.
At Cars and Coffee, the Z1 drew
a crowd despite being amongst a
number of modern supercars. Most
people had never seen a Z1 before,
let alone one in person. People were
enamored by the Z1's door operation,
the color combination, and the
history of the car (I did my best to
relay all of the facts that Lothar had
told me, plus others that I had
researched myself). Sharing Lothar's
cars with such a large group of automotive
enthusiasts really made for an
enjoyable morning. It also made me
recall something Lothar said to me a
few times - that he really enjoys
sharing his enthusiasm and passion
for his automobiles - which is
precisely why he offered Jack and me
the opportunity to take these two
iconic cars for a weekend, so as to
truly experience them. As Lothar has
so many great stories to tell about his
life experiences, my weekend with
his Z1 and Z8 will surely be one a
story I'll be sharing for a long time.
Thanks, Lothar!
derBayerische

derBayerische January/February 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of derBayerische January/February 2023