1964 BMW 700 Sport Coupe

As early as late 1957, and just prior to the debut of the 600, BMW management tasked the development division of the company with the creation of a new model with body design in cooperation with an Italian design studio. BMW's importer in Vienna, Wolfgang Denzel, answered the call with a new 600-based model with styling y Giovanni Michelotti, which was unveiled at Starnberg near Munich in July 1958. In October of 1958, the basic design was approved and the development of both coupe and sedan models began with the direction of Wilhelm Hofmeister to refine the design for series-production as an in-house BMW project.

The new car featured an enlarged 700cc two-cylinder 'boxer' engine, thus the BMW 700 designation. The engine was housed in the rear of the monocoque body structure.

The BMW 700 was introduced at the 1959 Frankfurt Motor Show where it received some 25,000 orders. Continued after the 'Neue Klasse' sedans launched for 1961, the 700 remained BMW's entry-level model through 1965, with the original coupe and sedan joined by the Baur cabriolet and extended-wheelbase Luxus, 'junior' Luxus LS, and the final model, the LS coupe.

This particular example is a Luxus LS model finished in a period color combination. It wears an older restoration to factory-correct specification, complete with original date-coded wheels, glass, and mechanical components.

The car was imported to the United States in 2010 where it became part of a prominent BMW collection. The car retains its original driver's manual, BMW spare parts, service manuals, import documentation, jack with crank, and a period radio. The 2-cylinder Boxer engine displaces 697cc and offers 38 horsepower. There is a four-speed manual gearbox and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2014