Why not two rear window wipers?
09/19/2023
Recently, at the Concours d'Excellence in Lucerne , we had the opportunity to inspect the unique 1955 BMW 502 Beutler Coupé, which had been fully restored after five years.
The first thing we noticed, of course, were the double windshield wipers at the rear (picture above). It is important to note that rear windshield wipers were still an innovation in the 1950s; hardly any car could rely on them. And if they had, then probably only one wiper would have been fitted.
But the Beutler Coupé can also boast other pioneering concepts, such as ventilated side windows or a folding rear seat bench to increase the luggage storage volume.
What can we learn from this? Thanks to well-funded customers, coachbuilders were able to implement innovative ideas and did not have to worry about series production opportunities. For example, some things that only came to the mass automobile much later were already on board the specially bodied cars of the fifties and sixties ...
