The car that saved BMW

BMW 700Coupe was launched in 1959

Shahzad Sheikh
21 June 2009

This month BMW is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the ‘the car that saved the company’. In the current unprecedented climate of doom and gloom for the car industry, it’s as much an inspiring example of pulling back from the brink, as it is a tip of the hat to the car maker’s history.

Isetta Bubble Car

The German car manufacturer was close to collapse after motorcycle sales had plunged and it desperately needed a viable small car for the post-war economy. The 1954 Isetta bubble car was charming and cute but too tiny for the new breed of car owners.

Elsewhere the car industry boom had begun but BMW was behind the game. Its 1955 offering, the 600, was just a somewhat longer Isetta. Four-seater or not, the door-at-the-front concept wasn’t exactly catching on.

Nonetheless the two-cylinder air-cooled 600cc flat-twin rear-mounted engine, suspension and four-speed synchromesh gearbox were sound. BMW just needed a more conventional and stylish body shape.

BMW 700

On 9th June, 1959 the all-new BMW 700 Coupe was presented to a gathering of 100 international motoring journalists. Whilst the technology was familiar, the design was ground-breaking for the manufacturer. It was also the first time the car maker had used a monocoque body, because it meant a lower, lighter and easier-to-build car.

The engine was upped to 700cc and produced about 31bhp getting it to a speed of 125kph. Journalists driving the 700 Coupe were thrilled: ‘acceleration is certainly impressive for car of this size, taking you from standstill to 90kph in 20 seconds and to 100kph in 30 seconds.’ – Yep they were different times back then!

Going racing

Still, its sporting credentials were assured, especially when shortly after production began 700 Coupes were already out racing and taking part in events like the Sahara-Lappland Rally. In 1960 the cars won gold medals and titles with Hans Stuck taking the German Hill-Climbing championship in one at the ripe old age of 60.

Back from the brink

More importantly it had done exactly what its makers had hoped for – save the company. Around 190,000 examples of 700-based cars had been sold by the time production ended in 1965, five times the number of its predecessor. Major shareholder Herbert Quandt was able to block a take-over attempt by Mercedes-Benz.

The rest, as they say, is history. But worthy of note is that this was actually the last time BMW built a truly small car, right up until the launch of the MINI in 2001.

Frankly I'd rather have the adorable little Isetta Bubble car! What do you think? Let us know below.

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Fraser Martin says

Re: The car that saved BMW
Frankly, I'd much rather have the 700. I saw one at a BMW launch in Austria and was taken by the neatness of its lines. The A and C posts, as well as the roofline, were as slim as a pencil, and whilst they may not have provided much in the way of rollover protection, thay gave the car a light and airy presence. There's an economy of style in the 700 that far outstrips the bulkiness of the 600 'fat' bubble car, and the three wheelers were not much more than a glorified motorcycle sidecar! Reply

14 July 2009

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