Quote:
Originally Posted by Holland Harry
If I am correct the rear axle in your E90 was first introduced in the Z1.
The Z8 was not a prototype that went in production as the Z1 was. The Z1 wasn't intended as a production model but as a study. And the Z1 was handbuild by BMW Technik GmbH instead of BMW itself. The aerodynamics, the sliding doors and the rear axle were the new items. The engine and the front axle were just old E30 parts. But never the less the car changed the image of BMW. And that was what the car was intended for.
Everything was probably done before somewhere else but not combined in a roadster those days.
And the last time I looked this was a BMW forum not a Audi or GM history channel.  |
Sorry that I got your feathers ruffled. Yes it's a BMW forum, but it doesn't mean we need to drink the Kool-aid, or ignore the advancement of the art from other manufacturers. A world full of only BMW cars would be tragic. It’s a forum – a place to share ideas…
I'd call the Mazda Miata a milestone car (with respect to roadsters), one that was in the planning stages by 1982 and in full-rate production in 1990; it re-birthed the classic 2-seat roadster market, worldwide.
Outside of the detail design elements, the Z1's rear axle looks pretty much like every other BMW rear axle and not anything like the E90's. Funny how the Z3 used the E30 rear axle - known for its compact yet functional design.
It's nice to say "Everything was probably done before", but the Pontiac Fiero was truly an introduction of a new mass-production automotive construction method. It (the Fiero automated spaceframe manufacturing process) was quite an endeavor for its time and was studied heavily by both business and production disciplines during its development.