BMW 700 Classic Cars for Sale

The BMW 700 was a small sports car produced from 1959 to 1965.

The History of the BMW 700

In the late 1950s, BMW commissioned a new car based on the 600 with an increased chassis length. This led to the development of the 2 door coupe and sedan models of the BMW 700, which were released in 1959. The BMW 700 was aimed at the economy end of the car market with few luxuries but a distinctive angular shape. Both versions were shown at the 1959 Frankfurt Motor Show and proved a hit - with initial orders of 25,000. This provided a much needed boost for BMW's finances, which were nearing crisis at the time. The BMW 700 was the first BMW car to have a single shelled exterior called a monocoque. The car had an output of 30 horsepower. It was a popular car, selling 188,000 over its 6 year production run. At its peak in 1960, BMW 700s were being produced at a rate of 155 a day. The 700 Sport (later renamed 700 CS) was released shortly after the original models in 1960. It was a coupe car with an upgraded engine and a higher power output of 40 horsepower. 1960 also saw the addition of a semi-automatic transmission option for the 700 saloon. The saloon model was later replaced by the BMW 700 Luxus in 1962, then updated again to become the 700 LS in 1963. By the mid 1960s, BMW had successfully navigated its way out of the previous financial difficulties and the company had moved on to larger cars. The last BMW 700s were manufactured in November 1975. An attempt was made to sell the right to produce 700s to an Israeli company called Autocars, fell through and new 700s were no longer on the market.

Special Editions of the BMW 700

The BMW 700 was used successfully in motor racing, leading to the production of a racing version called the 700 RS. The 700 RS was driven by renowned Austrian-German racing driver Hans Stuck to win the German Hillclimbing Championship. Only two hand built 700 RS cars were produced, one of which is in the BMW museum in Munich. In Argentina, a version of the BMW 700 was produced by Metalmecánica, called the De Carlo 700.