Page 70 - Wayne Carini's Guide to Affordable Classics
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recipe at first glance was deceptively simple – borrow heavily from the 1500’s parts bin, take two inches out of the wheelbase, ten from the overall length and five from the overall width.
But lurking behind those reduced dimensions was a knockout punch: 250 pounds less weight and a stronger, 85-horsepower, 1.6-liter version of the 1500’s robust four. That combination led to immediate success, both in Europe as well as an in the United States, where Max Hoffman, the trusted Viennese interpreter of American tastes, finally had something with volume appeal to sell through his distribution network. Enthusiasts, and the automotive journals they perused, just loved it: “We found it to be one of the best automotive values to be had from any country,” gushed Road & Track, “brimming with handling, ride, finish, refinement of running and even good style.”
In the half-decade that preceded the 1600, BMW had established its sporting credentials with ever-higher performance versions of the 1500 identified by “ti” and “tii” suffixes, offering 1.8- and 2.0-liter engines with up to 120 horsepower. It was only natural, then, that these upgrades would flow down to the 1600, the first being the 1967 launch of the 1600 ti with an output of 105 horsepower from twin carburetors and a higher compression ratio. It was the forebear of a long-running tradition of performance- enhanced models that would be accelerated by the introduction of an even more appealing variant of the 1600 a few years hence.
TOP: The Neue Klasse 1500 brought BMW into the market mainstream and set the stage for decades of fun and affordable sports sedans. ABOVE: The 1600-2 was a close relative of the 1500, inheriting many of its components – but with a smaller size and a
Given the favorable reviews for the 1600 in all its forms, it was
hardly surprising that enthusiasts inside the company were musing,
to themselves, at first, about going beyond 1.6 liters. According
to company lore, BMW’s legendary engine designer Alex von bit more power, it created a revolution.
68Wayne CariniAffordable Classics