First of all, you have to have a spare BMW Z8 and this was built by BMW from 2000 to 2003 in a comparatively manageable number of little more than 5,700 vehicles in a complex manual process. The elegant roadster design based on the grandiose BMW 507 and the V8 naturally aspirated engine from the M5 of the E39 generation made the open two-seater an upcoming classic during its production period, which it quickly became. On the classic market, the mostly well-preserved models often fetch top prices despite some market amplitudes and even models with impressive mileage can hardly be found for less than 200,000 euros. If you don't like the attached hardtop - available as an option at the time - and still want to own a closed BMW Z8, the two brothers Willem and Kaess Smit from Smit Vehicle Engineering now have the perfect dream car for you - a Z8 Coupé, which is not remotely reminiscent of the strange BMW Z3 Coupé in the shape of a sneaker and has nothing in common with the more elegant successor to the BMW Z4 Coupé. However, the extremely exclusive driving pleasure must be worth 500,000 euros.

“We are brothers and engineers at heart. Smit Vehicle Engineering and our first vehicle, Oletha, are the result of our longstanding desire to build something beautiful together. We founded this company to express ourselves and our values ​​through our physical creations and to share these creations with others," says company founder Willem Smit. “The lifelong fascination with the automobile, passed down from father to son, has always been central to our relationship as brothers. The BMWs of our childhood first captivated us with their sensual and emotional appeal, and then later with the elegance of their design and technology,” adds his brother Kaess, “this vehicle should be the best tool for driving. In doing so, we are working to restore the balance and connection between man and machine.”

With the Oletha project based on the BMW Z8, the two founders of SVE incorporated their technical and manufacturing experience in the automotive and aviation industries. The brothers' previous employers included General Electric, Tesla Motors and Singer Vehicle Design. Now the two car fans turned their dream into reality and created an open BMW Z8, which became a luxury coupe worth seeing. While the outer skin including the front, doors, hood and rear have been modified by extensive carbon work, the Z8 that has become the SVE Oletha also gets a new heart. Instead of the magnificent V8 suction engine from the BMW M5 of the time with the internal designation S62B50, which delivered 294 kW / 400 hp, the S65 high-revving engine from the BMW M3 of the E92 generation is now working under the bulbous bonnet of the small series coupé with an extendable rear spoiler. By increasing the displacement to 4.4 liters, the otherwise 420 hp V8 suction engine elicits more than 450 hp and a maximum speed of 8,500 rpm, which is transmitted to the rear axle via a manual six-speed gearbox. The carbon body together with the omitted fabric roof reduces the curb weight of the luxury model, which was once made in Bavaria, to less than 1.5 tons. This is how slimming down makes you happy.