BMW 600 - 1959

The BMW 600 is a four-seat microcar produced by BMW 

from mid-1957 until November 1959. Partially based on 

the BMW Isetta two-seater, it was BMW's first postwar 

four seat economy car. It was not a sales success, but it 

began the design process for its more successful 

successor, the BMW 700.

Concept, design, and engineering

BMW needed to expand its model range, but they did not have the resources to develop an  all-new car with an all-new engine. Therefore, it used the Isetta as starting point for a new  four seat economy car. As a result, the 600 used the front suspension and front door of the Isetta. The need to carry four people required a longer frame, a different rear suspension, and a larger engine. A new  perimeter frame was designed, using box section side members and straight tube  crossmembers. The rear suspension was an independent semi trailing arm design; this was  the first time BMW had used this system. The chassis had a wheelbase of 1,700 millimetres  (67 in), a front track of 1,220 millimetres (48 in), and a rear track of 1,160 millimetres   (46 in).  The 600 was powered by the 582 cc (35.5 cu in) flat-twin engine from the R67  motorcycle/sidecar combination. This engine, which delivered 19.5 horsepower (14.5 kW) at  4,500 revolutions per minute, was mounted behind the rear wheels. A four-speed manual  gearbox was standard, while a Saxomat semi-automatic transmission was available. The 600  had a top speed of approximately 100 km/h.  Access to the rear seats was by a conventional door on the right side of the vehicle.

Reception

The sales figures for the 600 did not meet BMW's expectations. During production from  August 1957 to 1959, about 35,000 were built. This is attributed to competition with more  conventional cars, including the Volkswagen Beetle.

Legacy

The 600 played a direct role in the design of its successor, the BMW 700. Wolfgang Denzel,  the distributor of BMW cars in Austria, commissioned Giovanni Michelotti to prepare concept  sketches based on a lengthened BMW 600 chassis. Denzel presented the concept, a 2-door  coupe with a slanted roof, to BMW's management. The concept was generally well received,  but objections were raised about the limited passenger space. BMW decided to produce two  versions, the coupe, and a 2-door sedan with a taller, longer roof. Another legacy of the 600 was its independent semi-trailing arm rear suspension. This was  BMW's first use of this suspension system and, with the exception of the BMW M1, it was used on every BMW production automobile until the 1990s. It was eventually supplanted by the   "Z-axle" multi-link suspension introduced with the BMW Z1 in 1988. The last BMW cars with  semi-trailing arm suspension were the BMW Compact and the BMW Z3. 

Space efficiency

The BMW 600 was noted in magazine and journal articles as an example of space efficient  design. It was noted for carrying four people within a shorter length than that of the Mini.

1959

Engine 582 cc 2 cylinders Top speed 100 km/h Lenght/width 2,9 m/1,4 m Weight 515 kg The collections BMW 600 was completely restored between 2001- 2003. It was registered also with BMW-600 license plate.