Business Week (full article):
When BMW, the Munich-based maker of performance cars, launched its zippy Z8 roadster in 1999 with a starring product-placement role in a James Bond movie, aficionados the world over were quick to whip out their checkbooks. Hailed as a descendant of the legendary BMW 507 sports racer, the Z8 featured sharp retro styling, a 394-hp V-8, and a chassis of lightweight aluminum.
But all is not well inside the small cult of Z8 worshippers. For several months, some Z8 drivers have been alarmed by reports that sections of the car's aluminum undercarriage -- specifically, the towers that house the shock absorbers -- were prone to distortion, a condition that could cause upper body panels to go out of alignment.
"INCREDIBLY ANGRY." The supposed structural defect was spotted by members of the Z8 Club in Munich, and it wasn't long before several owners belonging to the organization's U.S. affiliate began checking their cars for signs of damage. Several of the U.S. group, posting on the club's online forum, say they suspect their Z8s are plagued by aluminum that's losing its original shape -- and possibly its tensile strength.
...
BMW officials contacted by BusinessWeek acknowledge that the company has launched an inquiry into the matter. BMW e-mailed this news to Z8 Club Germany members on Jan. 17, the day after BusinessWeek made its first inquiries to the auto maker. Says BMW spokesman Andreas Klugescheid: "There are no known cases with adverse effects on safety."
When BMW, the Munich-based maker of performance cars, launched its zippy Z8 roadster in 1999 with a starring product-placement role in a James Bond movie, aficionados the world over were quick to whip out their checkbooks. Hailed as a descendant of the legendary BMW 507 sports racer, the Z8 featured sharp retro styling, a 394-hp V-8, and a chassis of lightweight aluminum.
But all is not well inside the small cult of Z8 worshippers. For several months, some Z8 drivers have been alarmed by reports that sections of the car's aluminum undercarriage -- specifically, the towers that house the shock absorbers -- were prone to distortion, a condition that could cause upper body panels to go out of alignment.
"INCREDIBLY ANGRY." The supposed structural defect was spotted by members of the Z8 Club in Munich, and it wasn't long before several owners belonging to the organization's U.S. affiliate began checking their cars for signs of damage. Several of the U.S. group, posting on the club's online forum, say they suspect their Z8s are plagued by aluminum that's losing its original shape -- and possibly its tensile strength.
...
BMW officials contacted by BusinessWeek acknowledge that the company has launched an inquiry into the matter. BMW e-mailed this news to Z8 Club Germany members on Jan. 17, the day after BusinessWeek made its first inquiries to the auto maker. Says BMW spokesman Andreas Klugescheid: "There are no known cases with adverse effects on safety."
