Road Trip: Bavaria and the BMW Museum

,

The BMW 3/15 PS “Dixi” delivery van.  The 3 refers to the car's taxable horsepower rating of 3 while it actually produced 15 horsepower.  It topped out at 47mph but included two front seats and room in the back. Teile in Eile translates to “parts in a hurry.”

 

The 1937 BMW WR500 racing motorcycle competed in speed racing contests.
The 1934 BMW 315/1 roadster, BMW's first six cylinder roadster.  It shared the same chassis as the 315 Saloon, but the engine had a compression ratio of 6.8:1 (versus 5.6:1 in the saloon) and three Solex carburetors, making 40hp.  Only 242 were ever manufactured.

 

The 1955 Isetta microcar used a modified 250cc four-stroke motorcycle engine from the BMW R25, producing 12 horsepower.  

 

While similar versions of the microcar were three wheeled or used conventional rear axles, the Isetta 250 used an inboard rear axle similar to the original ISO car and the Velam produced in France.  A conventional full size rear axle was used in the Isetta 600 in order to accommodate four passengers. You could drive the Isetta 250 in Germany with a motorcycle license.  

 

The 1959 BMW Isetta 300 (Bubble Car), equipped with a 1 cylinder, four-stroke 297cc (R27) motorcycle engine, making 13 horsepower with a maximum speed of 53mph.

The Isetta 300 built in Britain was actually a three wheeled version since they had cheaper taxes.  Only 1750 three wheeled versions were produced.

 

BMW Museum 1st generation model series tower- the 1977 BMW 745i (E23; first generation 7 series) at the top, 1976 BMW 633 Csi (E24; first generation 6 series) in the middle, and the 1972 BMW 520 (E12; first generation 5 series) at the bottom.  

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*
*