Last updated on August 22, 2023
Today Car is a 1959 BMW 600-Special 2 Door Sedan Limousine Micro Car and the body it is finished in Japan Red and the roof in Feather White with a matching vinyl interior. The owner of this car is Mark Martin. He purchased it in Manhattan Beach, CA. in 1976 while it was parked on the street. Yes, that Mark the owner of The Auto Shop, 1610 W Artesia Blvd, Gardena, CA. I saw this unique car at Caffeine Cruisers that meets every Saturday morning from 7-9AM located at the South East corner of Artesia Blvd and Hawthorne Blvd, Torrance, CA
It is powered by a 35.5 cu in, .582 liter flat 2 cylinder air cooled, engine with Mikuni carburetor, producing 26 hp and transferring that power through a 4 speed manual transmission to the 10 inch wheels. Helping it slow down are 4-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. It has 4-wheel independent suspension. It was BMW’s first postwar four-seater economy car. The 0-60 mph time is an outstanding 34.6 seconds. The factory calculated top speed is 62 mph . What those numbers utterly fail to convey, however, is the fun in getting to your destination. As mark says it will make you smile. The original MSRP was $1,398.00. The BMW 600s were built from mid 1957 through November 1959 with a total number of 34,813.
This rare car attracts a lot of attention especially from the little ones. Mark is right, I am smiling. Thanks for riding along. Frank
