The story of the unique BMW ‘Neue Klasse’ isn’t just the story of a collection of vehicles based mostly on the BMW 1500, however a narrative of survival, and subsequent revival, within the face of sure company demise.
BMW was in disaster in 1958. It was a full decade since German forex reform occurred, which cut up the nation between east and west. For the west, forex reform meant a monetary renaissance – the “Wirtschaftwunder”. The Suez disaster of 1956, which had crippled center japanese oil imports into Europe, and strengthened the marketplace for “bubble vehicles”, was now within the rear view mirror.
Given a wholesome financial system and prepared entry to gasoline, Germans misplaced their style for bikes and ‘microcars’. They seemed ahead to family-sized automobiles that might fulfill the rising prosperous center class. Subsequently, numerous “bubble automobile” producers went out of enterprise in 1958, Brütsch, Fuldamobil, Heinkel, Kleinschnittger, Maico, and Zundapp amongst others. BMW itself was on the cusp of failure.
Survival and Revival
BMW had simply barely survived World Struggle II and because it emerged from the doldrums, it was determined that an emphasis could be positioned on costly – low quantity – vehicles, given the state of manufacturing amenities and accessible expert workforce. The Baroque Angels had been the outcome and had been adopted by numerous like fashions, the 503, 504, and a handful of 507s that might reuse tooling and elements for the massive vehicles. Nevertheless, BMW turned reliant on its “bubble vehicles,” the 250, 300, and the 600, for the majority of its gross sales.
Dr. Heinrich Richter-Brohm, BMW’s CEO, laid the groundwork for BMW to construct a mid-size mannequin. It was hoped that this might deliver a brand new class of consumers to the marque. BMW had studied client needs and knew they wanted a mid-sized providing that might enchantment to the rising center class. The issue, as is usually the case, is find out how to finance the event of a brand new automobile. The design, engineering, and manufacturing sources required to deliver a brand new mannequin to market can’t be executed on a budget.
Dr. Heinrich Richter-Brohm and the Mid-Measurement Imaginative and prescient
And not using a mid-size mannequin available on the market, a extra fascinating small automobile was desperately wanted to maintain money movement going. The Michelotti-designed 700 – a “poor man’s Porsche” – was purposefully designed to reuse as a lot as attainable from the 600. The 700 was offered to the board in the midst of 1958. It had been created for BMW by Wolfgang Denzel, the Austrian BMW importer. The 700 foreshadowed the eventual ‘Neue Klasse’ in its monocoque chassis and semi-trailing arm rear suspension. It managed to promote effectively sufficient to maintain the corporate afloat.
BMW had began addressing the design of a brand new mid-size automobile in 1953. BMW examined completely different proposals for engines in addition to numerous designs for the automobile itself. Lots of the drawings for the automobile aped the then-current kinds – principally ¾ sized American sedans, replete with styling gimmicks that weren’t in contrast to modern mid-sized mass-market German vehicles.
Early Prototypes and Challenges
One method to the brand new mid-size automobile led to the design of the M530 engine of 1.6-liter displacement, based mostly on one financial institution of the present V8. This was the powerplant that went into the good-looking 530 prototype. However with out funding, the 530 died on the vine. It was a disgrace the 530 didn’t go into manufacturing; it was a timelessly styled magnificence. The BMW Dimensions Guide #2, The Historical past of Engines – Engines That Made Historical past, 1945 – 2000 has numerous pictures of the 530 prototype on pages 166 and 170. (It’s unlucky that searches on the web don’t return photos of this automobile.)
Rejecting the M530 engine, BMW then seemed on the M109 four-cylinder (0.9 liter) as they continued to discover a mid-sized providing. The M109, nonetheless, was restricted by its bore spacing, so an engine with bigger bore spacing, the M115, was conceived. Makes an attempt to create an aluminum alloy block didn’t ship anticipated outcomes, so a forged iron block was chosen with an aluminum cylinder head and single overhead camshaft. BMW would designate this because the M10 engine in 1963, which utilized to any inline four-cylinder with 100 mm bore spacing. It’s the M10 that might go into the ‘Neue Klasse’ vehicles.
The December 1959 Disaster
Sadly, the funds accessible to BMW, even with the income from the 700, weren’t sufficient to cowl the funding wanted to construct the mid-sized automobile. In December 1959, BMW was on the block – destined to be absorbed by Daimler-Benz. A board member had organized a ‘hearth sale’ worth for BMW, and it might have been absorbed complete into Daimler-Benz. Tenacious opponents to the sale, together with stability sheet improprieties, punctured the plans to promote the corporate; whereas within the background, work was already underway to ship management of the corporate to a sympathetic savior, Herbert Quandt.
One potential supply of funds was the sale of BMW’s aviation manufacturing facility. BMW had created a subsidiary to fabricate plane engines at its Allach facility in 1954. By 1958 it was making license-built AVCO – Lycoming piston engines and later obtained a license to construct the GE J79 jet engines for the Luftwaffe’s F-104 Starfighter program. The funds wanted to help these actions had been immediately competing with the funding required for the ‘Neue Klasse.’
The Allach plant was a fascinating property, however BMW was taking a look at an all-or-nothing sale of Allach and the Milbertshofen manufacturing facility, with the hope that the customer would proceed to implement BMW’s manufacturing plans. In the long run, a fifty % stake within the Allach facility was bought to MAN, and the Quandts organized extra financing to permit BMW to maneuver ahead with the “Neue Klasse.”
The BMW 1500: A Sport-Changer
Lastly, work on the brand new BMW mid-size providing might proceed. The beforehand talked about M115 engine would change into the center of the BMW 1500 proven on the Frankfurt Worldwide Auto Present in 1961. It produced extra energy than similar-sized modern engines. The 1500 additionally had absolutely impartial suspension, entrance wheel disc brakes, and a clear, conservative model. The design of the 1500 was beneath the path of Hofmeister’s Bodywork Growth Group – with Michelotti’s enter since BMW didn’t have a separate design studio on the time.
Key Design Options of the BMW 1500
The BMW 1500 was a success. A clear automobile with taut surfaces, it appealed on to the instances. Its three-box design with capacious storage for baggage and greater than ample room for 4 or 5 passengers was what the rising German center class desired. Some styling cues that might change into BMW hallmarks had been additionally seen on the 1500. A horizontal entrance grille with two spherical headlights interrupted within the center by BMW’s iconic twin kidney grilles. A swage, or ‘sicke,’ line that ran horizontally under the greenhouse emphasised the automobile’s size (whereas its actual function was so as to add power to the sheet steel), after which there was the Hofmeister kink. Its stacked vertical taillights additional added to its stylishly conservative look, simply what the great German burghers had been searching for.
Additional enhancing the 1500’s enchantment was its energy and experience high quality supplied by the all-independent suspension. Jeremy Walton, in his guide, BMW ULTIMATE DRIVERS VOL I: 1937-1982, detailed the driving expertise of the 1500. He famous the 4 full turns lock to lock of the unassisted worm & curler steering gear, and that the automobile rode on tall skinny bias ply tires, which might be a little bit of a handful within the moist. However within the dry, it was a vice-free, snug driving machine with extra energy than its friends.
BMW now needed to squeeze manufacturing into the crowded Milbertshofen facility whereas coaching its employees and creating, advertising, distribution, and after-sales help. There have been bumps alongside the street, notably high quality points – each in design and execution – of the early examples. However the items had been lastly in place to shine a approach ahead for BMW.
The Impression of the Neue Klasse
The ‘Neue Klasse’ propelled BMW from a moribund firm to one among nice vigor. The ‘Neue Klasse’ rejuvenated BMW’s manufacturing, advertising, distribution, and gross sales. It was the appropriate product on the proper time. BMW would adroitly use the ‘Neue Klasse’ to place themselves for the booming financial circumstances to come back.
