BMW 700

BMW 700 Limousine

The BMW 700 is a small car of BMW, which was built as a coupe, four-seat sedan and as a 2 2- seater convertible. The convertible made ​​Baur in Stuttgart.

Generally

The BMW 700 was partly based on the BMW 600, however, had other than this was the first BMW a self-supporting body involved in its design, the Italian designer Giovanni Michelotti. Was built the car from August 1959 to September 1965. , The BMW 700 stood in direct competition with the initially cheaper VW Beetle and addressed especially motorists who wanted to visually stand out from the crowd.

First there was the coupe, followed by the sedan 700 Sport (later BMW 700 CS ), BMW LS Luxus ( 1962-1965 ) and BMW LS Coupé ( 1964 and 1965). The 700 coupé is the last without the typical C- pillar of the BMW coupe with the " Hofmeister kink ", which was introduced with the BMW 3200 CS. Because of the air-cooled rear engine of the BMW 700 had not the characteristic of BMW two-part radiator grille, known as the BMW kidney.

Already in late 1957, before the start of the BMW 600, the new BMW board had given the order, in collaboration with an Italian coachbuilder to develop a conventional small car and build. Already in July 1958 presented the Vienna BMW importer and car designer Wolfgang Denzel in Starnberg its subscribed by Michelotti cars. In October 1958, the decision alone directed the two body variants coupe and sedan was made in favor of this design, based on which BMW advanced to the production stage. With the BMW 700 left the futuristic shape of the BMW 600 and returned to the conventional style with a classic bow, side doors and sedan back. The fan -cooled two- cylinder boxer engine with light alloy crankcase was derived as the BMW 600 from the motorcycle. The first version in 1959 made ​​22 kW (30 hp) at 5000 rpm, the sportier versions later 40 hp.

The smooth-surfaced front luggage compartment could accommodate two standard case of 70 cm length and some small luggage. Front of the front lay of the trunk area of ​​the fuel tank; front trunk and tank stand - tilted slightly forward - the spare wheel. With 30 liters plus 3 liter reserve tank contents for around 500 km should be sufficient; because after the then standard used BMW 700 around 6 liters per 100 km.

The 700 introduced gradually and successfully over the middle class, even if the planned for the BMW LS luxury four-cylinder engine was not used and would not have been necessary the extension of the body, which can appear disproportionately in the side view, the LS Coupe. Of all the 700 - and LS models were built together 181 411 vehicles.

Gallery

Convertible with the roof open

BMW 700 Sport

Rear view

Luigi Colani in 2004 before his BMW 700 1963

Specifications

BMW 700 (1959-1962) BMW 700 coupe (1959-1964)

BMW 700 Sport / CS (1960-1964) BMW 700 Cabriolet (1961-1964)

BMW LS luxury (1962-1965) BMW LS (1963)

BMW LS Coupé (1964-1965)

22 kW (30 hp) at 5000 1963 23.5 kW ( 32 hp ) at 5000

22 kW (30 hp) at 5000 1963 23.5 kW ( 32 hp ) at 5000

Limousine 3540 × 1480 × 1345 mm Coupe 3540 × 1480 × 1270 mm

Coupe 3540 × 1480 × 1270 mm Cabriolet 3540 × 1480 × 1290 mm

Coupe 650 kg Cabriolet 685 kg

Limousine 120 km / h Coupe 125 km / h

Limousine 1959: DM 4,760.00 Limousine Luxury 1961: DM 4,995.00 Coupe 1959: DM 5,300.00

Sports 1960: DM 5,850.00 Cabriolet 1961: DM 6.950,00

LS luxury 1962: DM 5320.00 LS 1963: DM 4785.00

1964: DM 5,850.00

Motorsport

The BMW 700 Coupé was used from the start in rallies mountain and circuit races. The engine power up to 44 kW ( 60 PS) at 8000 rpm was increased ( 9.8:1 compression ). The mixture preparation was carried out by two Solex downdraft carburettors 34 PCI. The curb weight has been reduced to about 600 kg compared to the standard model. Depending on the translation, the vehicles reached a top speed of 155 km / h

For the BMW plant used to develop two even stronger racing models: 1960 BMW 700 GT and a year later the BMW 700 RS. The BMW 700 RS was born on June 18, 1961 for the first time when Roßfeld hillclimb used. In this premiere Hans Stuck at the wheel of the sports car with exactly 2 meters wheelbase. He had a tube frame with an aluminum body, a 70 -hp vertical-shaft engine and weighed less than 600 kg. Depending on the translation of the BMW 700 RS reached a top speed of 150 to 200 km / h

After Walter Schneider had finished at the end of the season in 1959 his active career as a motorcycle racer, he returned a short time later on four wheels in the motor sport scene back. He won at first at all races, for which he was nominated BMW race management and a year later he justified the factory in him hopes placed and was German circuit racing champion 1961., The BMW 700 RS Walter Schneider 1961 German Bergmeister on Schauinsland course at Freiburg, in Davos, he was victorious in the Swiss mountain championship in the same year, and also in 1961 he was able to pull the Austrian mountain championship for the BMW racing team, when he took part with the car at Gaisbergrennen.

The BMW 700 RS remained until 1964 in use and served as development platforms, racing cars and toys of the engineers in one. To his last race the car came on August 16, 1964 at airfield race Munich Neubiberg. Alexander Falkenhausen drove the car to victory in the class of sports prototypes to 1300 cc.

The BMW dealer Willi Martini ( † 2001) was not limited to the improvement of the standard 700 BMWs, but constructed in 1962 using parts of a racing series sports coupe with platform frame, tubular steel construction, load bearing and plastic body. When ADAC 1000 km race at the Nürburgring on May 19, 1963 This only about 470 kg car has the 60 hp OHV engine and with a 80 -horsepower engine with an overhead camshaft ( OHC ) down, which enabled a speed over 200 km / h longest gear ratio.

BMW finally sold both the BMW 700 RS Willi Martini. This further developed the car and put them together with its plastic DIY projects continue at a race. Due to the Martini logos on the hood comes from this time, the widespread opinion that we are dealing also with the BMW 700 RS a martini BMW. 1973 BMW bought a car for his own collection back.

Importance for the survival of the company

The BMW 700 was the savior of BMW AG, which as a result of a failed model policy - gaped between the Isetta and the V8 models is a huge gap - 1959 prior to the takeover by Daimler -Benz stand. This takeover was thwarted at the AGM in December 1959 employees and small shareholders, as the balance was incorrect: In the annual profit and loss account the total 12.5 million market development costs for the new BMW 700 were included even though they had a number of future years must be distributed. The sales success of the sporty and affordable BMW 700 stabilized the company and enabled the realization of the called " New Class" means a car whose development reached back to the years 1953/54.