"Many German motorists see motoring not just as a comfortable and fast means of transport, but also as a sporting activity. These are people who, once they see an aerodynamic car body with a long and sleek engine compartment, as well as a speedometer extending all the way to 150 km/h, feel that strong yearning for wide open roads simply perfect for driving fast, for Alpine passes just begging to be conquered, and for competitors so easy to overtake."
The quote above is as old as the BMW roadsters. In 1934, these words announced the company's first roadster, a concept powered by a six-cylinder engine. At the Berlin Motor Show in 1934, BMW presented a prototype of the Sports Roadster.
The radiator grille of the two-seater was inclined much further to the rear than on the Saloon, with sweeping front wheel arches extending on beneath the doors into the rear wheel arches. To reduce air drag to a minimum, the rear wheels were fully covered, while the body of the car itself rested on an electrically welded steel-pipe double frame with three crosswise box elements.
We could go on and on about the evolution of the BMW designed roadsters. An evolution which today can clearly be seen on the new BMW Z4. But as sometimes pictures mean more than a thousand words, we will leave to enjoy the BMW roadster's evolution, both in black and white and in color in the photos published after the jump.
Google News