BMW 700 (Coupe) 1959 - 1965. BMW Cars puzzle for kids and adults.
Some facts.
The first 15 post-war years from 1945 to 1960 for BMW turned out to be difficult and sometimes critical - it was about the survival and further existence of the company.
To begin with, after the war, 5 of the 6 pre-war factories ended up in eastern Germany, and the only western plant in Munich was severely damaged as a result of bombing, and even then, only motorcycles and aircraft engines were assembled there before the war.
It was only in 1951 that the first post-war car, the luxurious 6-cylinder BMW 501, was introduced, and its production began a year later. Its luxury and price did not correspond to the needs of post-war Germany. In order to improve its financial situation, the company was forced to begin production of Italian Isetta microcars under license in 1955. The car was in good demand, and two years later, in 1957, its enlarged 4-seater version, the BMW 600, appeared. However, it was still a microcar, only 2.9 m long and with a 582 cm3 boxer motorcycle engine located at the rear. And the appearance of the BMW 600 was specific.
Despite the growth in sales, the company was still teetering on the brink of survival and in 1959 faced the danger of being taken over by the Mercedes-Benz concern. Even the production of motorcycles did not save from financial problems. And just that year, a car appeared that finally brought the BMW company out of a protracted crisis period and outlined the vector of development of the company. The well-being of the population grew steadily, and following this there was a need for more decent cars than motorized strollers.
The new BMW 700 model was initially supposed to be manufactured on the basis of the BMW 600 with maximum unification and possible reduction in design costs. However, during the development process, the designers realized that increasing the wheelbase of the BMW 600 was ineffective, there was not enough space for rear passengers, and the weight increased significantly. As a result, the BMW 700 began to be created virtually from scratch. The main innovation of the model was a completely new body with a spectacular modern design.
The attractive appearance was created by Italian stylist Giovanni Michelotti. The design pleases with clean lines, precise proportions, general neatness, the body is not overloaded with unnecessary decoration. And most importantly, the car began to look like a normal, full-fledged car, albeit a small one.
Compared to the BMW 600, the base was increased by 420 mm (to 2120 mm), the length increased by 640 mm to 3540 mm, the width by 80 mm to 1480 mm, and the height even decreased by 30 mm to 1345 mm.
Another advantage of the model was the load-bearing body structure. Refusal of the frame made it possible to both reduce the final weight to 640 kg and reduce the height of the machine, as well as simplify and reduce the cost of the assembly process. The engine was still a 2-cylinder opposed air-cooled motorcycle type - it traced its origins to the BMW-R67 motorcycle. The cylinder block was aluminum. With a volume of 697 cm3, it developed a power of 30 hp, which was 10.5 hp more. more than on the BMW 600 model. This was enough to reach a maximum speed of 120 km/h, and it took 30 seconds to accelerate to 100 km/h. The gearbox was also quite “adult”, 4-speed.
The weight of the machine was 640 kg. Average fuel consumption was 6.6 l/100 km. All wheel brakes were drum brakes, which was the norm for such a small, low-power car. The suspension of all wheels was independent. The engine was still located at the rear, although you couldn’t immediately tell from the silhouette of the car. Accordingly, the trunk was located in front. However, in those years the rear-engine layout was very popular; Volkswagen, NSU, Renault, FIAT, Tatra, SIMCA used it in their models.
The model's debut took place in June 1959 in the town of Feldafing near Munich, and at the same time as the sedan, a coupe of the same dimensions was shown, but with a roof sloping at the rear. Only children or short adults could fit on the rear sofa of the coupe, so its capacity was “2+2”. Journalists greeted both versions with delight, noting the excellent style, good interior capacity, high-quality finishes, and sporty behavior on the road.
The coupe went into production first, in August 1959, and the sedan went into production in December. The car became perhaps the main sensation of the autumn Frankfurt Motor Show that year, arousing increased interest from a wide range of visitors. The price for the car was 4,760 Deutschmarks; for the coupe they asked for 5,200 Marks. For comparison, a BMW 600 sold for 3,895 marks in 1957. The price was quite affordable, and sales were not long in coming. So, in April 1960, 155 cars a day rolled off the assembly line. Already in 1960, over 35,000 BMW 700s were sold, and revenue from their sales amounted to 58% of the company's total revenues.
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