The “Neue Klasse” 1500 of 1961 was the car that saved BMW. It was the first medium-sized car from a company who had previously had to choose between the tiny and impractical Isetta bubble cars in 300 or 600 forms or the extremely expensive “Baroque Angel” 2600 and 3200 sedans, which were at least 10 years out of date and looked it. The 700 was a serious small car, but it was very bare-bones.
Major stockholders Herbert and Harald Quandt had been shown Alex von Falkenhausen’s 1500 sedan in 1959, and when the near-blind Herbert Quandt ran his hand along the Michelotti body he nodded his approval. The car was shown at the 1961 Frankfurt Auto Show and orders outpaced production for quite a while. The four-cylinder SOHC 1500 grew to 1600 cc and then 1800 cc in 1963 and 1964.
Meanwhile, both the four-door 1600 cc and the bigger 1800 cc sedans were good for 100 mph. The 1800s were characterized by wood trim and leather upholstery, comparing quite favorably with the smaller Mercedes-Benzes of the day.
The 1800 models were quite popular with 164,989 sold in eight years. These are correspondingly more expensive today if you can find one. The original 1800 cc engine was replaced by an over-bored version of the 1600 in 1968, at which time the cars received dual circuit brakes.
The vehicle was exported to Belgium immediately after production and sold there, the rear window still bears the dealer's sticker after 52 years! The car has a regular Belgian registration and a Czech historic registration. The vehicle has had 2 owners in Belgium, both have looked after it in an exemplary manner, all the service receipts for parts replacement are with the vehicle, approx. for 8k euros. All parts are original. The distributor, radiator, petrol feed pump, water pump, brakes, shock absorbers, fuel tank are replaced and new, tyres are new and much more.
The car has 56.000 kilometres on the clock, everything in the interior is original and fully functional even the radio has very good reception. The car has original paintwork, only one door has probably been repaired. The vehicle is very pleasant to drive, nothing knocks, it starts perfectly. The undercarriage was cleaned and then treated with stripper and a quality spray from Berner. The current owner has been looking for a vehicle in this unique condition for a long time. You can not faind such a well preserved piece anymore.
First registration date | 01.01.1969 |
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Body Type | Sedan |
Engine | 1.766 ccm, 90 PS, I4 |
transmission | Manual |
Steering | Left Hand Drive |
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Layout | Rear Wheel Drive |
Color - exterior | Blue |
Color - interior | Black / Grey |
Miles/Kilometers shown | 56.104 kms |
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Chassis / VIN | 1790892 |
Location - Country | Czech Rep. |
Location - City | Prague |
4-door sedan body type; RWD (rear-wheel drive), manual 4-speed gearbox; gasoline (petrol) engine with displacement: 1766 cm3, advertised power: 66 kW / 89 hp / 90 PS (DIN SAE), torque: 143 Nm; characteristic dimensions: outside length: 4500 mm, width: 1710 mm, wheelbase: 2550 mm; reference weights: base curb weight: 1070 kg; top speed: 160 km/h (99 mph) (declared by factory); accelerations: 0-60 mph 12.5 s, 0-100 km/h 13.2 s (declared by factory)
Mlada Boleslav, Czechia
Jablonec nad Nisou, Czechia
Jablonec nad Nisou, Czechia
Prague, Czechia
Prague, Czechia
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