When I first spied this 1964 BMW 700, I thought I was staring at the front of a late ’60s Volkswagen Type III. Where are the famous BMW kidneys? Not needed in this case – more on that later. This is certainly a clean and spiffy-looking Bimmer, let’s examine more closely. This BMW is located in Mesa, Arizona and is available, here on craigslist for $30,000, OBO. Thanks to Roger for this tip!
I’m positive that I missed this one as this BMW is rear-engined – something that I was not aware ever existed. In this case, the power plant is an air-cooled 700 CC, flat, two-cylinder unit generating 30 HP – it’s an enlargened motorcycle engine and thus the reason for no distinctive BMW front grille. According to BMW700, there was a 40 HP “Sport” version introduced in 1962 but it’s not stated if this example is one of those more spirited cars. Mums the word as to how this one motivates but judging from the restoration quality, it probably goes just as originally intended. Power to the rear wheels happens via a four-speed manual transaxle.
Further research indicates that the 700 was offered from 1959 and into 1965 with total production reaching 190K copies. Body styles included a two-door coupe (or sedan), convertible, four-door sedan, and, starting in 1962, an “LS” or stretched version of the sedan and coupe. The exterior design is a product of in-house artistry combined with styling by Italian designer Giovanni Michelotti.
This example, which is resplendent in its Oleander Red finish, has been the beneficiary of a rotisserie restoration utilizing all of its original body panels. Being a life-long California resident has probably been a contributing factor in this car’s integrity preservation. It really shows as perfect in every aspect.
Inside is typically Germanic in its clean functionality. The black vinyl upholstery is reminiscent of “leatherette” material found often in Volkswagen products of the later ’60s and ’70s. When one examines the quality and attention to detail that has been employed in this BMW’s resurrection, you have to wonder how much it cost. As with the exterior, the interior needs nothing.
This is a spectacular-looking little car by virtue of both its lines and its spectacular restored condition. While 190K units isn’t a small volume or places this coupe in a range of rarity, it’s hardly a common find today. Buy this one, head to your nearest car show and I imagine you’ll have the only BMW 700 entry, wouldn’t you agree?
Great find Jim! A nice looking Bimmer I had never heard of. I like it. Not sure about the 30K tag?
Why would you congratulate Jim for finding it? Roger submitted the tip.
Missed that, thanks Roger!
These are fun little cars, essentially successors to the 300/Isetta and 600. Not exactly road-burners, but — shall we say — “perky.” I always liked the looks, and remember seeing a fair number in California back in the day. They were sort-of competitors to the slightly more stylish NSU Sport Prinz, if that helps. Which it probably doesn’t….
My gut feeling is that someone went way deeper into restoration costs than originally intended, and wants to get it all back. Good luck with that. Of course, there’s always BaT….
Oh, and there was also a 700 RS, a factory-built tube-frame racer. That was the one I really wanted, even though I doubt any dealer ever had one!
I saw this one at a local shop.I saw it a day or two before
that,on the back of a flatbed tow truck.It’s a “Sport” model,which
is the “High Performance one.
I also saw one in the early ’80’s,just East of Grand Forks,
British Columbia.Always wonder of someone saved it.
Thanks, Angliagt. This is indeed a true Sport version. Although 190K total 700’s were built, very few came to the US, and few still of the Sport models. This car spent its entire life on the island of Sicily until I brought it over to the US. Once here, Martin’s German Service is breathing new life into it and it is driven regularly (although not much in the last few weeks due to overkill of salt on the highways).
Scottymac’s comments below about the 700 are spot-on. Ditto for Brian B’s comments.
Wow! – really surprised to see your post.
That’s a really cool car,& was very surprised
to see it here in Roanoke,& not too far from
where we live.
I’m waiting to get the MGB GT and the Midget
back out too.
I really hope we can meet up sometime.
Angliagt,
email me at dlowen3@cox.net sometime. We will take a ride together in the spring when it warms up—car has an Abarth exhaust and therefore no working heat. Thanks for posting the pic.
Looking forward to it!
Great write up Jim.
I owned a VW Squareback a couple of years ago and have always liked these – as the author noted, there is no denying the similarities in that front end to the VW Type 3. Interesting how the air-intake is situated to take air into the engine from what appears to be below the license plate. The only other indication that this is AC is the small grill ahead of the engine lid. I suppose it is not much different than a much larger displacement Corvair but it seems like it would not cool very well. Maybe that 2 banger is just fine with that. Beautiful car.
Looks like a amphibicar mated with a VW type iii I have never seen one before. Makes sense being BMW motorcycles yes an air cooled horizontally opposed engine
To quote the hooker in Fargo, “kind of funny looking”. It caught my eye, but its kind of funny looking.
My wife’s first car back in the early 70’s. It handled like a Go Kart and always returned 40 mpg no matter how we drove it.
Bought it from a dealer in Vancouver and eventually sold it because it became too hard to find parts as it was never sold new here. When it needed a new clutch my mechanic made an adapter and put in a Renault one. Regardless I’d love to still have it.
It’s estimated only 3,500 were imported by Max Hoffman’s famous comany, so very uncommon. They weren’t priced competitively with the Beetle. None of the legendary BMW quality exists in these models; the company was on its knees, threatened by a Mercedes-Benz takeover. Despite that, I spent 20 years looking for one after seeing an Open Roads article in AUTOWEEK magazine.
JIM: the Sport version has dual carbs, higher compression, different cam, and different final drive ratio. Just about everything in the engine is
different than the ones in motorcycles. There were never any 700 four door models.
For those criticizing the asking price, consider – for my restoration, the “frunk” came from Canada, my engine cover from Scotland, the doors from Switzerland, rear quarter panel from Texas, and looks like I’ll need to make my own floor. A weatherstrip kit (no longer reproduced) ran $700. A new experience for me, occasionally BMW will pull out their old tooling and make a batch of parts for their older models, a new right front fender cost $600. It is recognized as the model that saved BMW, and gave the company capital to bring the neue klasse (think 2002 and its forebears) to market, so some think worth saving.
Thx, bad info. on my part.
JO
I’ve wanted one of these since they were new! The sedan is actually much better looking than either this coupe or the drop-top, just because of that looooong tail relative to the front part. There is or was a sweet one in Malamut’s collection that I try not to leave drool marks on when our club’s on a visit there. I also have a softcover Brooklands book on the model; they were very popular in England.
Willowen: I agree with you, the 700 LS long tail coupe’s styling is out of proportion and awkward, but the one in this auction is not one of those. Here is one:
https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=9E08yHJL&id=B6CC2D44377A4BE5AE331E75CB6464D8A61FCDB3&thid=OIP.9E08yHJL-txshstI4K05WgHaFj&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fi.pinimg.com%2foriginals%2faf%2f75%2f37%2faf75371b51ccdad5f45d83f923d63bc0.jpg&cdnurl=https%3a%2f%2fth.bing.com%2fth%2fid%2fR.f44d3cc8724bfadc6c86cb48e0ad395a%3frik%3ds80fpthkZMt1Hg%26pid%3dImgRaw%26r%3d0&exph=768&expw=1024&q=bmw+700+ls+coupe+de+1965&simid=608006982365091022&FORM=IRPRST&ck=1832ED3230A7AFE720BEBFA953741DE0&selectedIndex=12&ajaxhist=0&ajaxserp=0
The seemingly lower roofline makes the base coupe more attractive in my eyes than the sedan. To each his own!
YIKES!! You’r right. But I have to say that I tend to like the sedan version of just about every vehicle that comes in one, with any estate/wagon version a close second. Besides that, low rooflines are always confined-looking to me; I have actually found some cars whose ceiling kept stroking my head, and I’m not really tall … especially nowadays!
These are the missing link between the Isetta and the Neue Klasse of 1962 which was the first of the sport sedans that defined BMW ever since (or until the crossover era).
There was a bit of a fad among the second-tier German automakers of stretching their Beetle-competitor 2-door sedans, marketing both versions alongside each other, but not taking the logical extra step of giving the long little’un four doors. It happened with the DKW Junior and NSU Prinz as well. There wasn’t a four-door in this class until the Opel Kadett B and I wonder if the impetus for that came from Detroit.
My fathers’ friend put over 90,000 miles on his convertible before he parked it in the 1990’s. He had also restored a 550 Spyder Porsche, a 904, and a roller bearing 1500 ‘super’ speedster, so he knew a bit about classic Germans. At 40 horse (for the sport and the convertibles) and under 1,500 pounds, these were closer, power to weight ,to a Porsche 356 ‘normal’ then a VW (I know, still not saying much!). They were very popular in racing and hill climbs. It started many notable careers. You may have heard of Willi Martini, or Jacques Ickx. It also put a very honorable close to another German national hero’s career, Hans Stuck Snr., star of the pre-war Silver arrow era. It must of been very satisfying, after mastering the ultimate over-dogs, to win the German National hill-climb Championship for Saloon cars in 1960, the first full year of this 700cc underdog. He reportedly nick named it the fly swatter, because it was so precise handling, even sliding sideways.
yup, post war struggle. May B they can put the sports badge on’em when moved beyonf the 3’n 4 wheeled Isettas (past the 300 & 600 models)..,HP is doubled
The Sport Coupe was known as the “Poor Man’s Porsche” in Germany, according to a friend stationed in the Air Force over there. I had one that had been raced, rebuilt to about 50 HP. It wasn’t quick, but it would do 90 MPH and its cornering ability was beyond my level of bravery. Sure wish I hadn’t let it go.
How the hell did I not know this existed? I want answers, I want them NOW and I want someone held accountable !!!! Lol. Looks like an Amphicar on steroids.
In the 1990s we did a similar major restoration of a coupe like this one. In my research before starting the work, I was surprised to find there were around 4 or 5 different air cleaners for these cars, 2 were for the Sport version with twin carbs.
I had a NSU Sport Prinz sitting out back awaiting restoration, and after visitors kept commenting how the 700 looked like the Sport Prinz, I moved the car around to my front paved lot where we could put them side by side. Once we did that, everyone was surprised to see just how different the 2 cars actually were.
If you fellow car nuts have an extra 5 minutes today, there is an excellent video put out by the BMW CCA Foundation that covers the early BMW’s, including the critical role played by the 700 in saving the company. The link is below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eMmfNMRXr4
GENESIS: BMW From the Beginning
Narrated by Jackie Jouret, noted BMW historian and writer. It was done in conjunction with the GENESIS exhibit at Foundation headquarters a year or two ago.
Great link, thanks for posting!
Si bien se fabricaron casi 190 mil unidades del bmw 700, solo unas 19.000 fueron coupes