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Profile BMW 507 Profile Isetta

BMW Isetta

The economic miracle car.

The BMW Isetta, a developmentofan Italian concept, became one ofthe mostsuccessful vehicles ofthe small car
boom of the 1950s. The quirky design of this “bubble car” attracted a large following, and even today the sight of
the Isetta sparks affectionate comments. It was the cuddly car for an entire generation.

Elegant lines: the BMW 507 Roadster created by industrial designer Albrecht Graf Goertz is deemed by many to be one of the most aesthetic cars
ever built. Its 3.2-litre engine generated 150 bhp and took the two-seater up to a speed of 220 km/h.

eventually hand-built of sheet alumini- body design that ranks to this day as
um beaten over a wooden form. By one of the most beautiful of all time. BMW 507
1955, BMW was ready to present a pro- There was nothing remarkable about its
totype of the model in New York’s engine performance, however. A No. of units 253 (1955 – 1959)
Waldorf Astoria hotel. A little later this Mercedes-Benz 300 SL or Italian sports
two-seater bearing the model designa- cars of a similar category clearly out- Original price 26,500 marks
tion 507 created a similar stir at the stripped this gorgeous roadster in the Engine V8
1955 Frankfurt Motor Show. The sub- performance stakes. As a result, the car
sequent development of these proto- failed to make inroads in the perform- Capacity 3,168 cc
types to production stage consumed an ance-oriented US market, while the Old
inordinate amount of time. Not until the World lacked the solvent clientele to Bore x stroke 82 x 75 mm
end of 1956 was a 150 bhp variant of buy this kind of upmarket model.
the light-alloy V8 completed, and in By 1959, production numbers had Output 150 bhp at5,000 rpm
November of that year the first proud run to no more than 253 BMW 507
customer – a member of the higher Roadsters, 251 of them with standard Transmission four-speed stick shift
nobility – took delivery of a BMW 507. bodywork. Two of the chassis were In the early 1950s, as the economic sit- Vespa – the motor scooter began its tri- cycle, perhaps with a sidecar, was a
For 26,500 deutschmarks plus an given bodies by Loewy and Michelotti Brakes drum brakes uation began to improve, there was a umphant advance. In tandem with the source of pride. Now, however, the trend
extra grand for an optional hard top, the respectively. The majority of these leg- boom in small motorized vehicles of all considerable improvement in living was towards abandoning heavy, weath-
buyer received a sports car which, endary sports cars have survived down Weight 1,330 kg descriptions. Bicycles were fitted with standards, demand for the quality of erproof gear in favour of getting from A
depending on the final gear ratio, to the present and count among the tiny auxiliary motors, dozens of moped vehicles also rose and the call for to B with a roof over one’s head.
reached speeds of up to 220 km/h and most exclusive four-wheeled classics of Top speed 190 – 220 km/h and motorcycle manufacturers sprang “weather protection” gathered pace. It Within a few years this led in
offered a spacious interior as well as a the post-war era. up, and – inspired by the legendary wasn’t so long ago that riding a motor- Germany alone to more than 20 manu-

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