Flush with BMW 1500 success and sales receipts, BMW almost immediately began turning up the wick on the Neue Klasse. The 1500 cc engine would eventually be retired in favor of a 1600 for the base NKs. BMW built 29,362 1600s before ending the model after 1966. But the big news was 1963's BMW 1800. The only visual changes to mark the 1800s were chrome rocker trim and the updated badges. The most significant changes were under the sheet metal.
Key numbers: 84 mm X 80 mm. That was the increased bore and stroke of the 1800's M10. The slightly over-square design would become a BMW staple. Factory-rated 90 bhp pushed the car to a top speed of 100 mph. The cost was 9,985 DM. BMW 1800 got servo assist on the braking system to help deal with the added power. BMW offered as an option a ZF three-speed automatic transmission. BMW built 134,814 1800s from 1963 to 1966. Next came the factory hotrod 1800ti, first appearing in January of 1964 with a premium price tag of 10,980 DM. BMW sold 21,116 1800tis from 1964 to 1967, and one 1800ti was built in 1968.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.