Bmw 700

[henk4]

The BMW 700 was introduced in 1959 and was the ultimate means to generate enough cash flow for the company to continue the development of the BMW middle class car, which saw the light in 1961 and became the mother of all current Beemers.
The 700 was fitted with the 2 cylinder boxer motorcycle engine and the body was designed by Michelotti. The car was first presented as a Coupe and was available with a 32 or 40 BHP engine (700 Sport, later to become CS). During the IAA in 1959 also a sedan version was introduced, on the same chassis but with a less steep roofline, allowing for more headroom in the back. The car was an instant hit and during the IAA enough orders were taken to allow for two years of production.
The 700 CS was a very popular entrant in touring car racing also and was unbeatable in the up to 700 cc class. The coupes became later on available as cabriolets as well.

The next version of the 700 became the 700 LS, with a 16 centimeter longer wheelbase, but a 32 centimeter increase in length, the additional 16 cm being entirely used for the engine bay. A four cylinder engine was planned there, but the project was abandoned after a few test examples were made. The long wheel base were also available as Coupe and Cabriolet

Production ceased in 1965 after which over 188000 cars of all versions were made. Almost 50% of these were 700LS models.

Shown here are a 700 Coupe, the 700 CS that was used by Jacky Ickx during his very first races, a very rare 700 LS Cabriolet and the original 700 sedan