Certified CenterCameron
Cocherl
BMW
Performance Advisor/Specialist
(w) 201-258-6008 •
(c) 201-370-6331
ccocherl@driveprestige.com
The BMW 700 has been called
the car that saved the company. These days it's also a rare
vintage racer. The first BMW automobile with a monocoque structure, the 700
Coupe hit the production lines in July 1959. More than 188,000
vehicles were
sold before
production ended in November 1965. The flyweight formula behind all
700s was based on a rear mounted
2-cylinder motor
and 2-doors included on the upright saloon, coupe or rare convertible
bodywork.
Similar to the
original front drive MINI, 700s had an enormous amount of flat floor space
versus their minimal external
dimensions, which
started as 139.4 inches long, 58.3 inches wide and 53.5 inches high [50 inches
for the coupe]. Overall 700 lengths grew when BMW anticipated the 700 would
serve as a stopgap before the new generation 4-cylinder 1500s appeared.
Utilizing an
all-synchromesh 4-speed gearbox, offering outstanding chassis manner, the 700
begged for more power. Soon,
700 Sport Coupes
got twin carburettors [a pair of the Solex 34 downdraughts], a bump to 9:1
compression, enlarged
38mm vales and
sharper camshaft profile. All combined to yield 40 bhp at 5,700 revs from the
same 697 cc. Some 38 pounds
feet of torque at
4,500 rpm, some 1,100 revs above the single carburettor version, was reported.
Official top speed came 84
mph as a coupe:
0-62 mph was quoted at 20 seconds versus 30 for the original saloon, or 26.5
for the first 30 hp coupes.
Introduced in May 1972, the BMW 3.0 CSL
was built to make the car eligible for racing in the European Touring Car
Championship. The
lightness of this vehicle was achieved by using thinnger steel to build the
unit body, deleting the trim and soundproofing using aluminum alloy doors,
bonnets and boot lids.
The final version
of the 3.0 CSL was approved in July 1973 along with an aerodynamic
package including a large air dam, short fins running along the front fenders,
a spoiler above and behind the trailing edge of the roof, and a tall rear wing.
The rear wings
were not installed
at the factory, but were left in the boot for installation after purchase. This
was done because the wings were
illegal for use on
German roads. The full aero package earned the racing CSLs the nickname
Batmobile.
This example was an
original Golf yellow car. One of three built in this rare color.