Berkeley was Britain’s leading caravan maker in the 1950s. In 1956, Lawrie Bond approached Charles Panter of Berkeley Caravans with his new design. It was an ideal project for Berkeley who had developed considerable skills in the use of fiberglass and were looking for something to fill the gaps in the very seasonal caravan market.
In the 1950s to 1960s, three wheel cars were very popular in Great Britain. For drivers with a motorcycle license, these cars did not require a separate car license.
The Bertone X1/9 is a two-seater sports car designed by Bertone and built by Fiat. Intended to be the first affordable mid-engined sports car, the X1/9 is notable for its sharp styling and impeccable handling.
A short-lived classic! The BMW 320 was built for just one year. First presented in July 1937, the 320 showed a close resemblance to the transitional 329. The 320 was smaller, lighter, and less expensive than its predecessor. The 320 was a high performance car with many admirers.
The 500-series cars may not have been BMW’s most glamorous products, but these big and sturdy middle-class machines were the mainstay of the company’s car division from 1951 up until 1964.
In 1957, BMW brought out a 4-seater development of the Isetta. The 600 (named for its engine size), has two doors: the swing-up front door as on the Isetta, and a door on the right side for passengers.
The first generation of BMW 6 Series grand touring cars was the E24, a two-door sports coupé, produced from January 1976 to 1989, which replaced the BMW E9 coupé. Paul Bracq, noted for his prior work at Mercedes-Benz, Citroën, and Peugeot, was the Design Director at BMW when he developed the E24.
The little-known and rarely seen BMW 700 Coupé is arguably one of the most important models in BMW’s post-war history. The first of the series and highest-selling variant in the 700 family (Coupé, Luxus LS, Limosin, Cabrio), the 700 Coupé was the brainchild of Austrian BMW importer and racer Wolfgang Denzel.
BMW’s Bavaria model was a US-only model, derived from Europe’s 2500/2800/3000/3300 series of sedans. Known as the E3 among aficionados, it shared everything under the skin with the E9 Coupe, which many consider BMW’s most beautiful design.
One of Germany’s well-known car makers, BMW began building engines for airplanes. Forbidden to continue making airplane engines after WWI, BMW turned to engines for motorcycles and heavy trucks.
Gebráder Ihle Karosserie und Apparatebau was a body shop and engineering company in Germany. After the first world war it supplied vehicles for fairground operators. In 1934, they designed a sports-car body to be mounted on a BMW Dixi chassis.
Driven by the need for post-WWII affordable transportation and restrictions placed by post-war agreements, in 1955 BMW decided to supplement slow sales of their larger models with an inexpensive car.
Driven by the need for post-war affordable transportation, BMW decided to supplement slow sales of their larger models with an inexpensive car. In 1955, BMW acquired the license from ISO (an Italian refrigerator company) to make this “bubble car.”
Lawrie Bond designed his first three-wheeler in 1948. His most famous was the Bond Minicar–the longest-lived and most successful of Britain’s minimal motoring cars. The replacement for the minicar was the Bond 875.
