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The "Long Spezi" - BMW LS in the (historical) test

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Created on March 20, 1962

Text:

Olaf von Fersen

Photos:

BMW AG

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Archiv

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BMW AG

4

Archiv

26

BMW 700 LS Luxus (1961) - large windows make parking easier (in the advertisement)

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BMW 700 LS (1962) at the Geneva Motor Show - with extended wheelbase and more interior space

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BMW 700 LS Luxus (1961) - Production - also available in red

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BMW 700 LS Luxury (1961) - on the road

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BMW LS (1963) - above-average space and amazing driving performance

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BMW LS (1963) - stylish, timelessly elegant large body - original caption of this picture

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BMW 700 Sedan (1961) - pretty test car

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BMW 700 (1961) - Sports and sedan version in the test - side by side

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BMW 700 (1961) - Sedan and Sport in comparison, seen from behind

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BMW 700 (1961) - the family outing in a small BMW

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BMW 700 (1961) - BMW advertisers promised a road consumption of 5.5 to 5.9 liters per 100 km

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BMW 700 (1961) - sympathetic front

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BMW 700 Sedan (1961) - Trunk and access in the test car

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BMW 700 Sedan (1961) - Engine compartment lid and entrance of the test car

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BMW 700 Sedan (1961) - entry into the sedan (long-distance test)

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BMW 700 Sedan (1961) - Door panel on the test car

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BMW 700 Sedan (1961) - Driver and passenger seat of a test car

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BMW 700 Sedan (1961) - Folding seat on the test car

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BMW 700 Sedan (1961) - Gear lever and handbrake in the test car

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BMW 700 Sedan (1961) - Back seat of the sedan in the long-distance test

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BMW 700 Sedan (1961) - View through the rear window of the test car of the time

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BMW 700 Sedan (1961) - Labeling of the test car

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BMW 700 Sedan (1961) - View into the engine compartment of a test car

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BMW 700 Sedan (1961) - Trunk of a tested sedan

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BMW 700 (1961) - Spare wheel in the AR test car

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BMW 700 (1960) - Controls - from the operating instructions

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BMW 700 Convertible (1961) - exceptionally elegant even when open - illustration from the sales brochure

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BMW 700 (1961) - Vehicle brochure of the 700 Luxus

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BMW 700 (1962) - Advertising for the sedan

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BMW 700 LS Luxus (1962) - Advertising in idyllic surroundings

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Summary

The BMW 700 combined compact dimensions with the two-cylinder boxer engine that also powered the large full-swing motorcycles from BMW. This combination certainly won over customers, but the manufacturer was not satisfied. The dimensions of the car were at odds with BMW's ambitions, so it had to gain volume. Thus, 1962 saw the birth of the LS, which differed from its base in many details. The car testers of the time described what it took to make the 700 a "real" car. This article reproduces the historical report including many illustrations from the time.

This article contains the following chapters

From the price perspective
A completely new model
Significantly improved suspension
Cultivated engine
Transmission leaves nothing to be desired
Easy handling
Ride comfort and equipment
The luggage compartments

Estimated reading time: 12min

Preview (beginning of the article)

It was actually something of a stopgap. They had the Isetta, of which they were a little ashamed in Milbertshofen, and they had the excellent two-cylinder boxer engine of the heavy motorcycles, of which they were justifiably proud. The BMW 600 was the result of a synthesis of these two poles: a good driving machine, but not a car. Success under the red line failed to materialize. The next step was the BMW 700, in which its creators tried to incorporate the lessons they had had to pay quite dearly for in sheet steel and aluminum. The result was an excellent small car, and yet even then voices were heard within the company saying that this second step should have been made a little longer - longer in the wheelbase, so that it would not be a small car, but a "real" car. This has now been rectified. The "LS" - Limousine Special or "Langer Spezi" in factory jargon - was handed over to us in February. We have to say "surprisingly", because even in journalistic circles, where the first hoarseness of the fleas is already noticeable - they don't even need to cough - nothing was known about the imminent launch. So one day there he was: very similar to his little brother and yet completely different. The squat little car has become a slim and well-proportioned appearance, a vehicle that can be seen in the best company.

Welcome to Zwischengas!

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