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mwerks.com Miscellaneous Features Following World War II, BMW was prohibited from manufacturing aircraft engines, and was forced to concentrate on motorcycles and automobiles. Like much of German industry following the war, BMW's recovery was not instant, but the products that eventually emerged were not only exceptionally crafted, but also highly distinctive.
Three years later the “baroque angel” created a sensation: When the BMW 502 debuted at the 1954 Geneva Motor Show, pundits enthusiastically welcomed the world’s first series-production light-alloy engine and the first German eight-cylinder engine in post-war history: “The new eight-cylinder V engine in lightweight design by BMW is probably the finest example of engineering excellence ever seen, be it in Europe or in the US”, rejoiced the car magazine Motor-Revue.
BMW Isetta: Mobile in any weather. It goes without saying that the majority of the general public could not afford exclusive vehicles such as these. At the beginning of the ’50s, when the economy was gradually recovering and people were financially better off, demand for motorized vehicles of all kinds began to boom. The significant improvement of living conditions was coupled with a rise in demands with respect to the vehicles’ standard and “weather-protection” features. Whilst not too long ago people had been happy riding a motorbike, possibly equipped with a sidecar, people changed their attitude and no longer wished to wear heavy, weather-resistant clothes. Instead, they wanted to get from A to B without getting wet. This is why the BMW Board decided to include in its portfolio a marketable mini-car. Searching for the right concept, which would be suitable for production under licence, BMW engineers visited various Automobile Shows. In Turin they ran into the avant-garde Isetta made by Iso of Milan. At first sight, the Isetta had a most unusual appearance with its door at the front, side-mounted 2-stroke engine and the narrow rear track, but the BMW engineers recognised the bubble-shaped vehicle’s potential. The loud and weak 2-stroke engine could easily be replaced by a low-noise BMW motorcycle engine and at least the passengers sat next to each other like in a “real” car. A unique feature was the door at the front, which would swing open together with the steering wheel and the dashboard, enabling the passengers to more or less “walk straight into the vehicle”.
When the first BMW Isetta was finally presented to the press at the Tegernsee in the spring of 1955, there was much astonishment. With a great deal of attention to detail, BMW had modified and improved many optical and technological features of the Italian original. New headlights and a new front lid had brought new looks to the body, and a motorcycle engine producing 12 bhp and displacing 250 cc gave the Isetta a top speed of slightly more than 80 km/h (50 mph). This unusual-looking vehicle was well received by the public. It was just the right time for launching an unconventional vehicle. The Italian flair added much to the Isetta’s success as the first wave of holiday-makers was heading south. As early as 1955, about 13,000 Isettas left the Munich plant. Whilst the sale of the Iso Isetta was sluggish in Italy, sales figures in Germany soared to nearly 40,000 in the 1957 record year. Meanwhile, a more powerful variant displacing 300 cc and producing 13 bhp, a modernized body and special versions such as a convertible, a tropical variant and even a mini van were launched. Along with the Glas Goggomobil, the Isetta bubble car became the most successful vehicle of its kind in Germany. Elegant post-war sports car: The BMW 507. While the BMW 328 sports car was a forerunner, another two-seater sports car treaded all-new paths in terms of design and elegance in the mid ’50s: The BMW 507. When Graf von Goertz unveiled his interpretation of an open two-seater sports car in New York in 1955, he not only presented a new car but also set the benchmark in terms of design. Elongated side lines, a curved body and a seemingly never-ending bonnet were the characteristic features of this dream car’s timeless design.
A short while later, the two-seater, which was technologically based on the 502 featuring a V8 engine, also caused a sensation at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The further development of the prototypes leading up to series production was very time-consuming. It was not until 1956 that a variant of the light-alloy V8 power unit with a maximum output of 150 bhp was completed. In November of the same year, the first BMW 507 was given to its proud owner, a member of high nobility. Depending on the transmission, the sports car reached a top speed of up to 200 km/h (124 mph). At a price of DM 26,500 plus an extra DM 1,000 if a hard top was ordered, customers received a sports car with ample space and a bodywork which is still considered to be one of the finest of all times. The list of rich purchasers comprised numerous celebrities in Germany and abroad, such as Elvis Presley, the “King of Rock ’n’ Roll”. Up until 1959 no more than 253 BMW 507 roadsters were produced, 251 of which featured a standard body. Two cars had bodies made by Loewy and Michelotti respectively. Most of these legendary sports cars exist still today, being the most exclusive classic automobiles of the post-war era. 700: The man in the street’s dream car. The economic miracle at the end of the ’50s also involved rising demands of prospective purchasers. The time of spartan small cars was over and customers called for real cars. BMW reacted to this trend, launching the 600 model in 1957, an extended Isetta with a two-cylinder flat engine fitted at the rear. As early as 1959, the curved four-seater was superseded by a much more modern construction, whose pontoon body was for the first time self-supporting: The BMW 700. The 700 quickly made a name for itself, due in particular to its robustness, later becoming famous in popular motor sport. “The BMW 700 coupé with its 30 bhp two-cylinder engine offering an equal amount of interior space and enhanced road-holding reaches the same top speed, identical acceleration rates and certainly higher average values than its legendary predecessor”, official announcements said. The flyweight (640 kg) actually eclipsed the competitors in its class right from the beginning. This is why people called the small car featuring a rear engine in the 40 bhp sports version “working-class Carrera”. The following comparison of November 1962 shows that this car was very favourably priced: The convertible cost DM 6,950, heating inclusive, making it DM 1,250 cheaper than an open Volkswagen Beetle. An open Karmann Ghia was priced at DM 9,500. BMW 1500: The break-through of the New Class. In the mid ’50s, the BMW developers realised that there was urgent demand for a modern medium-sized car. Development work started but initially there were not sufficient financial resources to realise the task of creating a completely new medium-sized car. At the beginning of the ’60s, however, the situation changed from the ground up. Finally, the new “mid-size car” was designed as a stylish, medium-sized four-door vehicle with a sporting suspension set-up and a powerful engine: Comfortable enough to seat five passengers, agile enough for fast stretches. Marketing experts gave it the name “New Class”: In 1961, the BMW 1500 debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
Underneath the bonnet there was an all-new, straight-four engine displacing 1.5 litres. A maximum output of 80 bhp gave it a top speed of almost 150 km/h (93 mph), an excellent value compared to its competitors. A superb suspension further added to the car’s outstanding performance. Its driving behaviour was neutral in almost all conditions. The suspension set-up was firm but not uncomfortable. The interior featured safety features such as padded upper and lower dashboard edges and a low and cushioned steering-wheel hub. The BMW 1500 was very positively received by the international specialist press and customers alike. No more than one year after production start-up, the BMW 1800, a sister model sporting a 1.8-litre engine and delivering 90 bhp, was launched, followed by the BMW 1600 and 2000 in 1964 and 1966 respectively. In 1969, the top model of the New Class hit the showrooms presented in the guise of the BMW 2000 tii, the first BMW production vehicle to feature a fuel injection system. The new coupé line, which had been on offer since 1965 comprising the 2000 C and CS models, was also based on the New Class. The outstanding success of this New Class helped BMW to gain international recognition as a manufacturer of modern automobiles coveted by customers the world over. It is true that production of the BMW 1500 ceased in 1964, but the entire model series, almost identical in terms of looks, continued to exist until 1972. During this period the New Class became the most successful BMW model series. In all, 329,626 saloons came off the Munich production line. BMW had finally turned to a successful high-quantity manufacturer of modern automobiles.
Beginning of a new automotive era: The 02. On 7 March 1966 the BMW AG celebrated its 50th anniversary. On this particular day, Gerhard Wilcke, the then Chairman of the Board, presented to the guests invited to the Bayerische Staatsoper a new model, the BMW 1600-2. Being smaller and more stylish than the then-current New Class saloon models, this new model served as a basis for the model range from then on. The 4 centimetre lower roof, the somewhat flatter windscreen, the round headlights and the circular taillights accentuated the car’s dynamics and sportiness. But presumably only a few of the guests noticed these design cues at first glance, as this new saloon had a much more striking feature: It had only two doors, a feature to which the model owes part of its model designation (–2). Apart from very few details, the interior of this new model was, technologically speaking, on par with the previous four-door BMW 1600, the production of which ceased simultaneously: It was powered by a four-cylinder engine displacing 1,573 cc and producing a maximum output of 85 bhp. As is the case with all BMW models produced at that time, the engine, which was inclined by 30 degrees, was front-mounted. The suspension combining an A-arm front axle and a semi-trailing arm rear axle was also derived from the “New Class”. The braking system was highly advanced and efficient with disc brakes at the front, a feature which had so far been reserved for upmarket automobiles or sports cars. The 1600-2 was not exactly what you would call cheap. At DM 8,650, the entry-level model’s price corresponded to the annual income of an employee. What customers did get for their money was a state-of-the-art car with a total weight of 940 kg, offering a formidable power/weight ratio. The 0-62 mph sprint took about 13 seconds, and with a top speed of 166 km/h (103 mph) it was one of the fastest cars at that time. The concept was much more promising for the future than initially expected by critics and dreamt of by its supporters. Thus, for example, some Munich dealers, who doubted this concept’s success, kept asking: “Who’s going to buy this car?” Their customers soon taught them otherwise: In the first production year BMW manufactured as many as 13,244 units. In 1967, the four-door car’s production volume of 38,572 units almost exceeded the production figures pertaining to the four-door version with 39,930 units produced. Whilst young people were revolting all around the globe in 1968, a new “small” BMW caused a sensation among automotive enthusiasts of all ages: The 2002, the ultimate sports saloon for many years to come. The 2002 was available at a price of DM 9,250. Under the bonnet there was a 2-litre engine producing 100 bhp, giving the car a top speed of 170 km/h (106 mph). As many as 339,092 units came off the production line until production was ceased in 1975, thereby raking in the lion’s share of profits made by the 02 Series. However, in 1973 the 2002 turbo with 170 bhp caused an even bigger stir. It was the first German production car to be equipped with a turbocharger. This top-class model of the 02 Series reached its top speed at 210 km/h (130 mph) and was available for ten months exclusively in white and silver.
1968: The 2800 breaks the 200 km/h limit. As the New Class and the 02 Series had been so successful, BMW could afford in 1968 to continue the tradition of the ’30s and bring up-to-date the six-cylinder engine. The 2500 and 2800 models, with which BMW re-entered the segment of big saloons, celebrated its premiere. The spacious body with its characteristic dual headlights had a markedly functional appearance, making it completely different from the simultaneously launched coupé. The coupé’s dynamic silhouette in particular made it the symbol of unparalleled sporting performance on race tracks the world over.
Both body variants were powered by the same engine: The power unit, inclined by 30 degrees, featured a seven-bearing camshaft with twelve counterweights ensuring vibration-free operation, and an overhead camshaft. One of the technological innovations of both engines, which featured the same layout, was the so-called triple hemispheric swirl-action combustion chamber incorporated into the pistons, intensifying the combustion process and therefore boosting performance: The 2.5-litre engine produced 150 bhp. The 2.8-litre engine even developed 170 bhp, enough power to catapult the 2800 into the exclusive circle of 200 km/h cars. Also, the 2500, peaking at 190 km/h (118 mph), had little to fear from competition. To be continued... © Copyright 2003 by mwerks.com |
