 The BMW 501, also called the "Baroque Angel," debuts at the 1951 Frankfurt Motor Show. |
 The BMW Isetta, BMW's entry into the small car market |
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When BMW returned to the automotive market in the 1950's, they were met with poor sales.
In 1950 the R 51/2, the first motorcycle with a Boxer engine, goes into production.
The six-cylinder 501, called the "Baroque Angel",
makes its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1951.
Within three years, BMW's motorcycle production had risen form 10,00 to 30,00.
In 1952 BMW's 100,000th motorcycle, an R 67/2, comes off the assembly line.
In 1954 BMW became the World Motorcycle Sidecar Champion and stays so for the next twenty years.
In 1956 BMW came out with the Isetta, BMW's entry into the small car market.
In 1957 BMW came out with the 600, a stretched version of the Isetta.
The 600 has a Boxer engine and can seat a maximum of four people.
After sustaining heavy financial losses in the big limousine sector,
a merger with Daimler-Benz is planned. But Board Chairman Kurt Golda
convinces majority shareholder Herbert Quandt that BMW has a future.
The 700 model is the first big-time series success for a BMW car.
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