|
By
DAVID PIKE
The two-litre four-cylinder BMW engine first appeared in a coupe
designed by Wilhelm Hofmeister in June 1965. This coupe was based on the
New Class chassis but had a body all of its own, although it drew
heavily on the bigger Bertone 3200 CS from the windshield back. It also
had a controversial front end with wide wraparound front lighting units.
As the 2000 C it had a single-carburettor engine
rated at 75kW. By far the most popular version was the 2000 CS,
which had twin carburettors, developed an output of 90kW at
5500rpm from its single overhead cam four-cylinder water-cooled
engine and came only in manual form. Its likeness to Volkswagen
comes from the fact that its body production and assembly was
carried out by Karmann at its Osnabruck plant in the north of
Germany.
As is often the case, the supposedly sportier
coupe was heavier than the four-door 2000 sedan, by some 30kg. As
a consequence, sparkling performance was not its strong suit, but
it did have excellent handling characteristics which added to the
coupe's popularity.
The front-mounted engine drove the rear wheels
through a four-speed manual gearbox with a maximum speed rated at
185km/h. With the 2000 C, ZF automatic transmission was also
available as well as manual transmission.
A combination of front-wheel disc brakes and
rear-wheel drum brakes was standard on both the sedan and the
coupe. Front suspension comprised MacPherson struts with coil
springs in a fairly standard set-up and the rear suspension also
had coil springs with semi-trailing arms. Steering was of the
worm-and-roller type.
Both models were in production from 1965 to 1969
and the increased popularity of the 2000 CS coupe was evidenced by
total production figures. Whereas only 2837 units of the 2000C
were produced in this period, there were 8883 units of the 2000 CS
produced over the same time. Some modifications were made to suit
vehicles headed for export markets where it was also popular. The
rear of the car from the windshield back was also considered to
have a timeless grace and functionalism, and this fact alone
allowed owners to keep the car for a longer than usual period.
|
