BMW 1500 (1962)

With the medium-sized BMW 1500, BMW laid the foundation for a completely new class, or "new range." The four-door car was first presented at the 1961 Frankfurt Auto Show. It immediately set new standards for the automobile industry.

The main feature was a 4-cylinder engine of 80 hp with a maximum speed of 92 mph. The ingenious suspension combined safe driving and high performance, due particularly to the obliquely set trailing link on the rear axle. In the BMW 1500, BMW used McPherson spring struts for the first time. Although some 50 vehicles came off the line every day in the first half-year of production, the large demand could not be met.