click above image to view 22 pics of the BMW Z1 for sale on eBay

I'll never forget seeing my first BMW Z1. Strangely enough, it wasn't in Europe. It was a summer probably six or seven years ago while I was vacationing in Miami. I was seated outdoors at the News Cafe in South Beach, and it was parked curbside behind a yellow Ferrari F355 Berlinetta. I specifically remember noting that its electric sliding doors were in the "down" position.

I knew what the Z1 was, and that the likelihood of seeing one in the US (where they were never sold) was somewhere between slim and none. Having one in front of me in this unlikeliest of places was abundantly cool, and the car's great-looking in person. In fact, I remarked to my wife that at that moment in Miami Beach, the little BMW over there was about ten times as exotic as the Ferrari parked in front of it. After all, Ferraris in Miami are far from rare. To date, however, I've never seen another Z1, even after making multiple business trips to Europe in the intervening years. So I had to smile when I saw this eBay link.

The car up for grabs has 172,000 km on the odometer (106,000+ miles) and is one of 8,000 ever built. While never federalized, its status as a historically significant vehicle lets the owner get an exemption that allows it to be registered and driven up to 2,500 miles per year. The opening bid is set at $39,000.

It's in Miami.

[Source: eBay]