BMW 700

[AleNod]

This Adorable Two-Cylinder, Rear-Engine Cabriolet Is The Car That Started It All For BMW - Jalopnik

The 700 was BMW's first post-war real sales hit, and you can buy this lovely 1963 Cabriolet.

www.jalopnik.com

0 - 60, Lol ! Not really the point though, what a little gem . . .

 

[Pond]

Reminds me of those amphibious things. They copied the rear from a Triumph Herald by the look of it.
I thought BMW were making cars way before then.

 

[Synclare]

BMW kicked off making Austin 7's I think it was under licence. It was marketed as the Dixie I believe.

 

[AleNod]

I think the heading was post war sales hit. Which is why the gloriousness of the 507 didn't qualify.

I just think it's an interesting little oddity . . .

 

[Duncodin]

I think the heading was post war sales hit. Which is why the gloriousness of the 507 didn't qualify.

I just think it's an interesting little oddity . . .

The 507 was post war but it was never "a hit". BMW weren't prepared to make any Mass production tooling so each one was built by hand from scratch so was far too expensive. It was things like the 700 and the isetta that saved BMW after the squillions they lost on the 507.

 

[NeRo]

BMW kicked off making Austin 7's I think it was under licence. It was marketed as the Dixie I believe.

Used to see this one at the National Motor Museum at Gaydon

 

[Pond]

Used to see this one at the National Motor Museum at Gaydon

View attachment 357019

I bet the spares were twice the cost of the Austin and headlights were an optional extra.

 

[Synclare]

Yes it's still there.
We'll have to arrange an 'old retired farts' day out to Gaydon.

 

[Duncodin]

. . .
. . .
I thought BMW were making cars way before then.

Yes. They were making cars long before then. Pre war their main factory was in Eisenach. BMW had some nice-ish cars such as the 1930's 328

But after world war 2 the Eisenach factory was on the wrong side of the Iron Curtain controlled by the soviet in East Germany. But the 'soviet BMW' kept making cars with 'BMW' logos without permission from Munich while all BMW in Munich could make, having lost their factory, was pots and pans. Maybe that's why they did that deal with the Austin 7. Only way to survive.

Wasn't till the early 50's that Munich managed to get the soviet Eisenach factory to change its name.

The Eisenach company.changed it's name to EMW but kept the same logo - but red instead of blue and kept churning out cars from the old BMW tools till Russia pulled the plug and the factory switched to making wartburgs.

But. Anyway. I see a few people with red BMW badges instead of Blue.

 

[Duncodin]

. . .
. . .
I thought BMW were making cars way before then.

Yes. They were making cars long before then. Pre war their main factory was in Eisenach. BMW had some nice-ish cars such as the 1930's 328

But after world war 2 the Eisenach factory was on the wrong side of the Iron Curtain controlled by the soviets in East Germany. But the 'soviet BMW' kept making cars with 'BMW' logos without BMW in Munich's permission while all BMW in Munich could make, having lost their factory, was pots and pans.

Wasn't till the early 50's that Munich managed to get the soviet Eisenach factory to change its name.

The Eisenach company changed it's name to EMW but kept the same logo - but red instead of blue and kept churning out cars from the old BMW tools

till the USSR pulled the plug and the factory, in communist east german control, made Wartburgs.

But. Anyway. I see a few people with red BMW badges instead of Blue. Now you know where the red BMW badge design comes from. It should say EMW

 

[Synclare]

I take it everyone knows the derivation of the blue BMW logo from it's aero engine manufacturing days.

 

[AleNod]

I take it everyone knows the derivation of the blue BMW logo from it's aero engine manufacturing days.

Urban myth. It's just the Bavarian State colours, sorry.

 

[Duncodin]

The colour, blue came from the bavarian state colour but where the round quartered shape came from - who knows. But yes, they were primarily an aero engine maker and motorbikes. But no cars.

More history - staying on topic.

A few years after WW1 bmw wanted to get into the car market. But making a car factory, from scratch, is hard work. BMW wanted in quick. So the lazy sods pulled up their big boy lederhosen and went many miles out of Bavaria to find a struggling car factory to buy. The one they got just happened to have a licence to build austin 7's.

So it wasn't actually BMW who did the deal with Austin. They just aquired the austin licence when they took over the factory of some other company in Eisenach miles away from Bavaria.