A LITTLE STORY ABOUT THE CAR AND HIS CURRENT OWNER:

What is the current condition of the car?

The car is in fantastic original condition throughout and has been well taken care of throughout all its life. 

Where was the Z8 located at the time of purchase?

The car was located in Los Angeles and spent all its life in California from the first registration until I brought it back to Germany.

 How and when was the transition from US specs to Euro specs? Do you still have the original parts?

BMW Group Classic is where I had the car shipped right after it arrived in Bremerhaven. They did an in-depth review and converted it to Euro specification. I also chose to switch to the original Alpina wheels because the car looks and drives much better on them. Of course, I kept all the original parts.

How was the buying experience? Did you know the car belonged to Gerard Butler?

I was lucky that the car sat in Los Angeles. The founder of the bmwz8.us board is probably the savviest Z8 expert in the US and he lived in Los Angeles. He helped me to look at multiple Z8 and he also reviewed this Z8 for me. So I had a maximum level of confidence when he returned to me after reviewing the car and said that it was a great example. 

The contact with Gerard Butler was established through the bmwz8.us Website where I posted an ad saying that I was looking for a black over black Z8 in very good condition with low mileage. The sales guy who worked for Gerard Butler wrote me that he had a car for me but only said it was from a celebrity owner. I later learned that it was Gerard Butler’s car. Btw: It is worthwhile to google “Gerard Butler BMW Z8”. There are quite a few images online of him driving the car in and around LA. 

Tell me about yourself:

I grew up in Trier, Germany and my father spent many weekends with me at Nürburgring where the passion for classic cars was ignited. And this passion kept on growing over the years. So today I am fortunate to own a couple of very special classic cars. I greatly enjoy and take care of them and drive them to classic car events and occasional road trips in the beautiful countryside around Berlin. Besides being a classic car enthusiast, I am an Entrepreneur, a happy husband, and a father of 3 wonderful kids. 

Do you have any related anecdotes, like what did you enjoy most about the Z8 for example?

I fell in love with the Z8 when I first saw it on the road. But it was a very superficial fascination. There are so many beautiful details about the car that I only discovered after I bought the car. Like the buttons and switches. Everything has been well thought through by BMW and many details never made it into any other production car – at least that I know of. And I am not alone with my passion. I have been approached countless times by strangers asking me about the car. My highlight moment was when an 8-year-old girl stopped in the street on her way to school to look at the car for minutes and take photos. It is a timeless car for fans of all ages.

What is your favorite detail?

It’s hard to name one because the car really is a composition of many many beautiful details. If I had to name one, it would be that the car looks great with the top down and the top up but it is the only car I know that looks best with the hardtop mounted.

Do you belong to any BMW Club?

Yes, I became a member of the German BMW Z8 Club right after I bought the car and I met many nice people and learned a lot about the car and how to best take care of it.

How can you describe your driving experience?

I would say the Z8 is the only real Gentlemen’s Muscle Car that has ever been built. The sound and the torque of the naturally aspirated V8 are fantastic and create a thrilling driving experience. At the same time, it is (almost) as much fun to cruise through the city as it is to go on a spirited drive in the countryside.

Any James Bond experiences?

The car is so elegant and beautiful – it always inspired me to sit a bit more upright in it. Dressing up and taking my wife to a nice dinner in the city was always a highlight.