The Controversial-Looking BMW 2000 CS: A Neue Klasse GT

The BMW 2000 CS was a member of the all-important Neue Klasse (New Class) series of vehicles introduced by the German automaker in the 1960s to turn their fortunes around and save the ailing company.

BMW had been losing money hand over fist since the 1950s but the Neue Klasse cars were designed to change that, with the modern unibody construction, overhead cam engines, and independent front and rear suspension tuned for spirited driving.

Fast Facts – The BMW 2000 CS

• The BMW 2000 CS is a sporting coupe that was introduced in 1965 with modern styling and advanced engineering for the time. Both a 2000 C and the 2000 CS were offered, with the 2000 CS offering more power thanks to twin carburetors.
• Under the hood of the 2000 CS you’ll find a 2.0 liter version of the BMW M10 engine, an inline-four with a single overhead cam and two valves per cylinder producing 120 hp at 5,500 rpm.
• The 2000 CS (and the 2000 C) were styled by Wilhelm Hofmeister, they set the trend for BMW going forwards and they had a strong influence on the BMW E9 coupe released in 1968.
• Compared to the more popular cars from the Neue Klasse series, like the BMW 2002, the 2000 CS has been largely overlooked by many collectors.

A Neue Klasse For A New Era

BMW struggled in the post-WWII years as their compatriots at Mercedes-Benz, VW, and Porsche, all seemingly went from strength to strength. It was clear that the company needed a new direction, and it needed to happen quickly as the vultures were circling by the end of the 1950s.

This car has been significantly modified to compete in vintage rally events like the Carrera Panamericana.

In 1960 German industrialists Herbert and Harald Quandt took a controlling interest in BMW and launched the Neue Klasse program. This program was designed to entirely modernize the automobiles made by BMW, it was led by Fritz Fiedler with Eberhard Wolff in charge of chassis design, Wilhelm Hofmeister in charge of styling, and Alex von Falkenhausen designing the engines.

The first car in the Neue Klasse family was the BMW 1500 introduced in 1961. It was a four-door, three-box sedan with a 1.5 liter engine, unibody construction, and independent suspension on all four corners. Performance was good by the standards of the time, and BMW finally had a production car for sale in the lucrative 1.5 to 2.0 liter market.

The 1500 was followed by the 1800, the 1600, and the 2000, all of which were four-door sedans with the model designation also being the engine’s approximate swept capacity in cubic centimeters.

The coupes first appeared in 1965 with the release of the 2000 C and the 2000 CS, both were powered by the 2.0 liter version of the Falkenhausen-designed, four-cylinder M10 engine with the 2000 C producing 100 hp at 5,500 rpm and the 2000 CS offering 120 hp at 5,500 rpm thanks to its twin carburetors.

The design of the front end of the 2000 C and CS has long been controversial, some love it and some loathe it. BMW seem to have heard these concerns and the front was considerably revised with the release of the E9 coupe in 1968, though the design of the E9 from the hood emblem back was very similar to the earlier 2000 C and CS.

Engine modifications are aplenty, thew BMW M10 inline-four has been fitted with twin Weber carburetors and a number of other performance upgrades.

The BMW New Class vehicle family would remain in production from the early 1960s to the late 1970s, it’s no exaggeration to say that the New Class saved BMW, setting them on the trajectory they still follow today.

The BMW 2000 CS

When it was released in 1965 the BMW 2000 CS was the most desirable vehicle in the German automaker’s line-up. Powered by a high-performance version of the venerable M10 engine the 2000 CS offered sporting driving wrapped in German luxury, with surprisingly good fuel economy to boot.

The 2000 C and the 2000 CS were introduced together in 1965, the model names tell you the size of the engine, with the “C” standing for “Coupe” and the addition of the “S” on the more powerful model standing for “Sport.”

Independent suspension on all four wheels was still relatively uncommon in the mid-1960s, the 2000 CS was fitted with MacPherson strut front suspension and coil springs with semi-trailing wishbones and a cross beam that also supports the differential.

The car’s handling was firmer than many reviewers expected, particularly when compared to the company’s earlier sporting coupes like the BMW 503. Overall the 2000 C series cars received good marks for handling, and the later BMW E9 would go on to have significant successes on the race tracks of Europe.

The side profile of the car is immediately recognizable as a BMW, and design cues from this car would be used on many future models.

The 1969 BMW 2000 CS Race Car Shown Here

The 2000 CS you see here clearly been modified significantly from its original condition, it’s been given a slew of performance upgrades and turned into a vintage race car to compete in the Carrera Panamericana.

The Carrera Panamericana is a modern version of the legendary 2,000+ mile road race from the 1950s, a race that was so dangerous it was cancelled after just four years in 1954 after 25 deaths in total.

The modern Carrera Panamericana is run as a stage race, similar to the original, but with a combination of “speed” stages and “transit” stages. Speed stages are timed, closed-road races that require entrants to get from point A to point B in the shortest amount of time. This requires driving flat out along winding mountain roads that pass through small villages, along cliffs, and through wooded sections of forest.

This BMW raced in the Carrera Panamericana twice with Danny Stewart as driver and C.H. DeHaan as co-driver. It’s now fitted with a full roll cage and a mostly stripped out interior, with Sparco Pro 2000 racing seats, a Terratrip rally computer, alloy wheels, Toyo tires, a bumper delete, and a significantly modified engine that now breathes through twin side draught Weber carburetors.

The car is due to cross the auction block with Mecum in mid-October, if you’d like to see more or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

Images courtesy of Mecum

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For Sale: A Rare Japanese “Mini Supercar” – The Autozam AZ-1

The mid-engined Autozam AZ-1 is one of the most unusual Kei-class sports cars ever made.

Originally developed in the 1980s the car carries styling cues from the era, like Ferrari Testarossa-inspired side strakes, DeLorean DMC-12-inspired gullwing doors and sectioned side windows, a side profile not entirely unlike the Fiat X1/9, and the two tone color scheme of the Ferrari 512BB.

The Kei class is a strictly regulated microcar segment in Japan designed within certain size, weight, and engine size limits. Generally Kei class cars are small and relatively boring commuter or commercial vehicles however there have been some notable exceptions – perhaps none more notable than Mazda’s Autozam AZ-1.

Fast Facts – The Autozam AZ-1

• The early prototypes of the Autozam AZ-1 were developed by Suzuki, the project was taken over by Mazda when Suzuki decided to concentrate on the Cappuccino Kei car.
• The development work on the AZ-1 was led by Toshihiko Hirai who also developed the original Mazda MX-5/Miata.
• The mid-engined AZ-1 is powered by a turbocharged inline-three cylinder engine with a swept capacity of 657cc and 66hp, power is sent to the rear wheels via a 5-speed transmission.
• By the time the car was released in early 1992 a recession was sweeping Japan, as a result fewer than 4,400 examples of the AZ-1 were built over three years, with production ending in 1994.

The Autozam AZ-1 – Mazda’s “Mini Supercar”

What would happen if you took the engineering and styling specifications of the world’s most famous supercars and squeezed them into Japan’s restrictive Kei class? The answer is the car you see pictured here, the rare and highly unusual Autozam AZ-1 from Mazda, and indirectly from Suzuki.

The Autozam AZ-1 has a cult-following around the world thanks to its unusual looks and engineering.

For the uninitiated, Autozam was Mazda’s sub-brand for smaller cars including Kei cars, many of which were simply badge-engineered Suzukis. This close connection between the two Japanese automakers would directly lead to the car you see here, it started out as a Suzuki prototype before being picked up and productionized by Mazda.

In the years since its introduction in 1992 some have called the AZ-1 a “mini supercar” due to its supercar-inspired design influences – the mid-engined layout, gullwing doors, optional rear wing, and prominent side strakes.

If you were Japanese in the early 1990s with a limited budget and a love for exotic machinery you would have likely had just one car on your shopping list – the cheeky little bug-eyed Autozam.

The Autozam AZ-1 – Specifications

The original Suzuki prototypes that would eventually be developed into the AZ-1 started with the Suzuki RS/1 prototype from 1985 – a mid-engined Kei car that was followed up by the RS/3 of 1987.

Suzuki decided not to put the car into production, instead focussing on the Cappucino, but thankfully due to the close relationship between Suzuki and Mazda a deal was struck and the project was taken over by Toshihiko Hirai – the father of the Mazda MX-5 (Miata).

To this day the AZ-1 remains one of the cheapest ways to get a gullwing door into your garage, so long as you can find one that is.

The Mazda team then developed their own version of the car, the AZ-550 Sports, in three different configurations: Type A, Type B, and Type C. The Type A was the design chosen for production, while the Type B was a spartan “high-tuned pure sports” version, and the Type C had a distinctive body design inspired by Mazda’s Group C sports prototype racers.

Much of the development work for the chassis of the production car would take place in England, it consists of a steel unibody internal structure with lightweight plastic outer body panels. The curb weight of the production car was just 720 kgs or (1,587 lbs).

Power is provided by a mid-mounted double overhead cam, 12-valve, turbocharged inline-three cylinder Suzuki F6A engine producing 66 bhp and sending power back through a 5-speed gearbox to the rear wheels.

Period reviews extolled the handling and performance virtues of the Autozam AZ-1, by the standards of the Kei car class of course, and it appeared that Mazda was going to sell almost a thousand of them a month.

Unfortunately a recession hit the Japanese economy causing pursestrings to tighten, and ultimately Mazda would struggle to sell the cars, releasing a number of special edition versions to bolster interest and shift them off Autozam showroom floors.

The turbocharged inline-three cylinder engine produces 66 bhp, however the car only weighs 720 kilograms.

By the time production ended in 1994 just 4,392 had been built. Suzuki also tried to sell their own version called the Suzuki Cara, however they managed to sell just 531 of them.

Today the AZ-1 and its cousin the Cara are both highly sought after in Japan, and overseas in the rapidly growing JDM culture scene in the United States, Europe, and further afield.

The Autozam AZ-1 Shown Here

The car you see here is a 1993 model finished in Siberian Blue and Venetian Grey two-tone paintwork, with black and blue fabric upholstery in the cabin.

A number of subtle upgrades have been added to the car including the addition of a Mazdaspeed bonnet with a larger central air intake, a stainless steel exhaust, and Navi Street coilover suspension.

We don’t often see these come up for sale outside of Japan so it’ll be interesting to see what this one sells for. It’s currently being auctioned live online via Collecting Cars, you can click here if you’d like to read more about it or register to bid.

Images courtesy of Collecting Cars

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Heinkel Kabine: From Bombers And Fighter Planes To Microcars

During World War II the names Heinkel and Messerschmitt struck fear into the hearts of both the military and civilian populations of all Allied countries. They were the two biggest German aircraft manufacturers, and they were responsible for the bombers and fighters that terrorized the skies over Europe.

In the years after the war both Heinkel and Messerschmitt were banned from building aircraft, and so to stay in business they both ate a large slice of humble pie and turned to building microcars in order to stay in business.

Fast Facts – Heinkel Kabine

• The Heinkel Kabine is a microcar built by Heinkel Flugzeugwerke over three generations between 1956 and 1958.
• Both three and four wheeled versions were offered, occupants got in and out of the car through the front opening door, and the cars had a fabric roof that offered an emergency exit if the door was jammed shut in a traffic accident.
• The model you see here is the Heinkel Kabine 200 Type 154, it’s powered by a 198cc 9.9 hp engine, it can accommodate two people, and it has a top speed of 90 km/h (56 mph).
• Unusually for a microcar from this era, the Kabine had a four-speed transmission with a reverse gear, making life far easier for its owners.

Heinkel: From Jet Fighters To Microcars

Heinkel Flugzeugwerke was one of the most strategically important German aircraft manufacturers during WWII, if not the most important outright. The company supplied bombers like the Heinkel He 111 that allowed the Nazis to reach far across Europe bombing targets including Britain, they also flew out across the North Atlantic as a torpedo bomber targeting Allied shipping.

The Kabine has seating for two with some space for groceries, the car is left hand drive and it has a fabric roof that doubles as an emergency exit.

Although they were always best-known for their bombers the company was intent on challenging Messerschmitt’s dominance in fighter aircraft production. Despite showing a lot of promise the Heinkel fighters were produced in limited numbers, nothing approaching the popularity of the Messerschmidt Bf109.

At the mid-point of the war Heinkel became the first company in the world to build a functioning fighter jet prototype, the Heinkel He 280, and the company invested significant time and resources developing both jet and rocket engines for potential future applications.

After the war Heinkel and Messerschmitt were banned from building aircraft, for obvious reasons, and so Heinkel turned to building bicycles, scooters, and the Heinkel Kabine microcar. It was a major fall from grace for the company however it did successfully keep the firm in business, over the succeeding decades there would be a number of acquisitions, until finally in 1989 what remained of Heinkel was absorbed by Airbus.

The Heinkel Kabine

In the years immediately after WWII Europe was still reeling from the death and destruction that had ravaged the continent from 1939 till 1945. Supplies of everything were in short supply, particularly steel and gasoline, but people still needed transportation.

As a result of this demand manufacturers began building small-capacity motor scooters, motorcycles, and microcars – vehicles that required little in the way of steel and gasoline, but were still capable of getting people to and from work as the rebuilding continued.

The visibility out of the car is exemplary with panoramic 360º views. The windows don’t open, so the driver would open the roof for ventilation.

Heinkel engineers developed the Kabine in the mid-1950s, almost certainly with some influence from the Iso Isetta and its German-made cousin, the BMW Isetta. Unlike the Isetta, the Heinkel Kabine would have a relatively short production run of just three years between 1956 and 1958, though they would later be built under license in Ireland and then later in the United Kingdom by Trojan Cars until 1966.

The three generations of the Kabine were the 175 Type 153 (174cc), the early 200 Type 154 (204cc), and the later 200 Type 154 (198cc). The designs were all quite similar, though some later cars had two wheels paired at the back rather than one, technically making them four-wheelers.

All cars were powered by a single-cylinder, air-cooled, four-stroke engine with overhead valves, and power varied between 9.1 hp on the Type 153 to 9.9 hp on the later 154 cars. The Kabine offered a comfortable interior with excellent 360º visibility thanks to the bubble-like windows, and unlike many microcars it came with a four-speed transmission with a reverse gear – offering much easier parking for its owners.

Relatively few examples of the Heinkel Kabine have survived to the modern day, so it’ll be interesting to see what the car shown here sells for when it crosses the auction block with Mecum later in October.

It comes with owner’s and workshop manuals and it has a light blue paint scheme over a plaid pattern interior. The listing explains that the fuel system was recently refreshed with a rebuilt gas tank and carburetor.

If you’d like to read more about this unusual German microcar or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

Images courtesy of Mecum

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The Ford Supervan – A Van Built On A GT40 Chassis With A 435 HP V8

The Ford Supervan was built in the early 1970s by Terry Drury Racing, they used an actual Ford GT40 chassis including its Gurney-Weslake 435 hp V8. It was the fastest van in the world when it was built and Ford used it extensively as a promotional tool, visiting race tracks and drag strips across Britain.

From a distance the Supervan looks close to factory original, it’s only when you get closer and notice the bubble wheel arches that are struggling to cover a set of wide racing slicks that you begin to realize it’s a little unusual.

Fast Facts – The Ford Supervan

• Ford built three Supervans, the example you see here was the first and it was followed by the Supervan 2 in 1984, then in 1994 the Supervan 2 was rebuilt into the Supervan 3.
• The original Supervan was made using a retired Ford GT40 chassis with its body removed, a Mark 1 Ford Transit van body was then grafted onto the top.
• The top speed of the Supervan was listed as 150+ mph (240 km/h) and it proved successful in 1/4 mile races. It also ran display laps and show races on circuits around the UK, often racing against other Ford vehicles from the era like the Ford Escort.
• The Supervan was a major PR win for Ford in the UK, helping to promote their commercial vans which at that time were the vehicle of choice for many tradesmen.

The Supervan was quick on track, spectators noted how strange it was to see a Transit moving so quickly with the howl of the Gurney-Weslake V8 coming from the back. Image courtesy of Ford UK.

The Original Ford Supervan

By the early 1970s the racing world had moved on, and the Ford GT40s that had been such a dominant force at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and international endurance racing were no longer competitive on track.

Somewhere deep in the heart of Ford UK someone had an idea to promote the Transit, the company’s wildly successful commercial van. It’s possible, in fact probably likely, that the idea was conceived in a pub due to the fact that bolting a Transit body to a Ford GT40 chassis is unlikely to have been formulated in a sober mind.

Hemmingway once said “You should always do sober what you said you would do drunk, and that’ll teach you to keep your mouth shut.” Luckily for us, this is exactly what happened with the Supervan, the executives signed off on the idea and the construction work was contracted out to Terry Drury Racing.

With a swept capacity of 435 hp, the Le Mans-winning Ford GT40 V8 in the back of the Supervan immediately made it the fastest van in the world. Image courtesy of Ford UK.

The build was completed in 1971, and Ford unveiled the car to much amazement at the Easter 1971 race meeting at Brands Hatch. The Supervan completed a number of hot laps, setting the best lap times ever achieved by a Transit, as the 5.0 liter 435 hp V8 howled from the rear cargo compartment.

The Supervan was capable of 0 to 60 mph in 7.0 seconds, 0 to 100 mph in 21.6 seconds, with a top speed of “well in excess” of 150 mph.

It became clear that the box-like aerodynamics of the van were limiting it when circuit racing, but this proved less of an issue on the drag strip – and as it happens drag racing was enjoying a surge in popularity at the time.

So popular was the Supervan that Ford had it updated in 1978 with a new Transit body to keep it current, then they had the Supervan 2 built in 1984 which was later rebuilt into the Supervan 3 in 1994.

The above video gives a great look into the original Supervan in its heyday, and it’s not hard to see why it was so popular.

All images courtesy of Ford UK

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