BMW: 75 years of Convertibles tandem.
June 5, 2009 by Automotive
Filed under Automotive news
You are 75 years have passed since the first BMW two-seater cabriolet go on sale. Should the back to the Auto Salon Berlin 1934 when BMW introduced the 315 / 1 next to the BMW 135 sedan.
“Many German drivers not only provide for the movement as a means of fast and comfortable transport, but as a sport. These are people who, when they see an aerodynamic body with a long and sleek engine compartment and a speedometer that goes up to 150 km / h, feel the irrepressible call of wide roads, perfect for driving fast, the mountain roads begging to be conquered and competitors, who are so easily developed. “
It was through these words in 1934, BMW announced the first two-seater cabriolet which was developed by the engineering company. And in fact this design propellant with six cylinders was intended to shape the future of the brand, reaching the current BMW Z4.
Both the sedan and the sport is driven by the same engine, a six-cylinder in-line 1.5-liter displacement, developed from the 1.2 liters that originally assembled the old BMW 303.
While this Propellent delivered maximum power of 34 CV in the saloon with two carburetors, the maximum power of the six-cylinder sports model in the BMW 315 / 1 was 40 hp. BMW engineers said proud that this beautiful and fast sports consumes only 10-12 liters of fuel per 100 km and its consumption of oil is between 0.1 and 0.2 kg. So in terms of cost per kilometer, is no more expensive than a small car, at a much lower position in the market. “
BMW decided to build this car in small series. Thus, from the summer of 1934 the attractiveness BMW 315 / 1 was sold for 5200 Reichsmarks. The production model differed from the prototype mainly in the provision of different headlamps and side ventilation grilles, which were located in the place of the holes that had formed the first model.
Success in competition :
With a maximum speed of 120 km / h, BMW 315 / 1 Roadster was one of the real competitors in the market for sports cars of the era.
Indeed, the success story of BMW on the track quickly becomes more significant with this new model, the BMW 315 / 1 reached its first significant success in the 1934 International Alpine Rally.
The grid in Nice this rally was comprised of 127 cars, were faced with competition between sections 500 and 600 kilometers a day, to be flown at a minimum speed. On the fourth day there was an additional test of speed Stilfser Joch.
After traveling 2867 kilometers, 96 of the 127 cars that were originally registered in the race reached the finish in Munich, 66 of them without being penalized or a single point. The five cars registered for the official team BMW were the only car in its class that completed the International Alpine Rally without a single penalty, and the team of the BMW 315 / 1 made by Richard Brenner, Kandla and Albert Ernst v. Delius completed the first of its kind.
In mid-1935 had been built only 230 units of BMW 315 / 1, many of which went to the hands of private drivers. One was that of Roeser Ralph , official driver of BMW for many years that was built a BMW 315 / 1 special. It was a complete reconstruction of the 315 / 1, with a modified engine that came to pay not less than 136 HP in a new body that only weighed 380 kg. With such characteristics, it is not surprising that this car competition leader in his first complete career Nürburgring in 1936, with A striking advantage of 17 kilometers on its . It is understood that this particular model to further success over the years until he won the German Championship of Road Racing in 1939.
When achieved similar success, both pilots as the company soon began to pursue a new challenge: a car in the prestigious category of up to two liters of displacement.
At the end of 1934 another version of the BMW Roadster, more powerful, the 319 / 1, identical in appearance to the BMW 315 / 1 with the exception of the ventilation in the vain of the engine, the BMW 319 / 1 driven by a motor of 1.9 liters to reach 55 hp thanks to its larger displacement and its three largest vertical carburetors.
Obviously an engine like this could easily move to a two-seater car that weighed only 870 kg, speeding in a convertible version of this standard to the 135 km / h. At the same time was of course a truly unique car because the price of 5,800 Reichsmarks. Therefore, production from 1934 until 1936 only 178 units joined with a BMW 319 / 1 that got some notable successes in competition.
The BMW 328 Roadster .
In the mid-30s, the production of cars and Convertibles tandem competition was still very similar in technical terms, and the competition was still the ideal place to demonstrate the performance and reliability of a car produced in series. But to stay in the competition, then BMW had to build more powerful cars. BMW’s engineers sought ways to significantly increase engine power without increasing its size. And they found the solution: the M328, the engine that drives sporting the legendary BMW 328 in 1936.
From the beginning, with its debut in the Nürburgring 14 June 1936, the new BMW two-seater cabriolet literally crushed even more powerful competitors, equipped with supercharged engines.
This remarkable success is attributed to the large balance of the combination of superior engine power and the most modern technology of the suspensions that has characterized the two-seater BMW Convertibles to the present: the <80 hp as standard and its low weight of only 830 kg , gives this elegant cabriolet superior performance, which still impress today.
How the BMW 328 Roadster was originally restricted to the competition in mid 1936, production of the model series began in spring 1937. Thus, this high performance sports was not only driven by official pilots, but also for private clients and, in addition to the competition, a car was perfectly appropriate for use in day to day. With its maximum speed of 155 km / h, was actually one of the fastest cars at that time.
But again the BMW 328 Roadster was a short car production until 1940, only 464 units were produced of this classic two-seater cabriolet.
The BMW 507 .
When he made his debut in New York in 1955, the 507 also had much to offer inside the engine compartment, where he was a
aluminum V8 , recognized today as the first light alloy V8 Built in the World Series.
Finished in bright red, the brochure proudly presents the new sporty BMW eight-cylinder promised benefits truly outstanding:
3.2 liters engine with 150 hp and a top speed of 220 km / h . And BMW and later optionally provide an enhanced version, with a maximum power of approximately 165 hp.
This truly unique car was delivered to exactly 251 proud owners between 1956 and 1959. And not everyone wanted to enjoy this beauty simply as a passenger car: the driver of competition known as “King of the increases” ( “King of Hill-Climbing”) Hans Stuck used a modified racing 507 European mountain and won a series of tests with its eight-cylinder two-seater cabriolet.
The BMW Z1 .
In the 60 and 70 Convertibles were increasingly criticized, both in terms of safety and comfort, so I went 29 years before the new two-seater cabriolet with blue and white logo was presented to the market. The BMW Z1 was launched in 1988.
The
Propellent of 2.5 liters and 170 hp six-cylinder in-line and most of the components of the axis from the 3 Series. With its engine behind the front axle was the BMW Z1, using technical terms, a central front-engined car.
The acceleration from stationary to 100 km / h occurred in less than eight seconds, and the maximum speed of this car was 225 km / h.
Thanks to its extremely harmonious combination of materials and technologies, the BMW Z1, which weighed only 1,250 kg, was a truly dynamic two-seater cabriolet, still impressive today in terms of rigidity, low center of gravity and stability on curves. The first units of this car, built mostly by hand, were delivered to customers in January 1989 at a price starting from 80,000 DM assured exclusivity lasting. Production of the BMW Z1 finally ended in June 1991 after they were built just 8,000 units.
The BMW Z3 .
BMW introduced in 1995 with two engine choices. With
a four-cylinder engine in line, two valves per cylinder, 1.8 liters displacement and 115 hp of maximum power , the “standard” accelerated to 100 km / h in 10.5 seconds and reach a maximum speed of 194 km / h. The other option was a four-valve engine from 1.9 liters per cylinder, whose maximum output was 140 hp and get an acceleration to 100 km / h in 9.5 seconds and a top speed of 205 km / h .
Soon the engine range was expanded and came to offer a range that extended from the original four-cylinder engine to 1.8 liters of six cylinder engine and 3.2 liters that was loaded on the BMW M3, which yielded 325 hp in the M Roadster.
The BMW Z8 .
At the start of the new millennium BMW Z8 BMW. Measured 4.40 meters long, 1.83 meters wide and 1.31 meters high, was actually a modern interpretation of the old BMW 507.
Inside the engine compartment of the BMW Z8 was the V8 engine sporting five liters of high performance, which yielded
400 hp . Combined with a manual gearbox six speeds. In fact, this superiority was reflected in figures equally clear: the most ambitious drivers could go with the Z8 alternative route north of Nürburgring in the extraordinary time of 8:15 minutes.
The BMW Z4 .
The BMW Z4 was first presented at the Paris Auto Salon 2002.
Available from launch with a range of two six-cylinder engines with high torque,
a 231 hp version of the Z4 3.0iy a 192-hp, called the Z4 2.5i .
The outstanding agility of the BMW Z4 is ensured by its very wide track, an extremely low center of gravity, optimum 50:50 weight distribution between the axles and power steering precision. Finally, some high performance brakes performance will not decrease with temperature, tire type Runflat serial and Dynamic Stability Control (DSC III), with special traction mode guarantee supreme safety whatever the conditions of movement.
The new BMW Z4 .
The latest version of the Z4 was introduced in
Spring 2009 . It is the only car in its class that combines the classic proportions of a two-seater cabriolet with a position behind the seats very close to the rear axle, rear rigid roof and a folding machine.
Here again is a very appropriate name “BMW Blätter”, brochures original BMW, in its description of the BMW 315 / 1 back in 1934: “In summary, one can describe the new sports cars like the BMW Fast, beautiful and reliable designed to give drivers an ambitious exciting sports experience after another, while combining all the economic advantages of a passenger car. “
The range of the new Z4 engine based on the 204 hp of the Z4 sDrive23i to 306 hp and accelerates the sDrive35i to 100km / h in 5.2 seconds, via an intermediate version called sDrive30i of 258 hp.
