[5] The 700 was also successful in its class in motorsport, both in its stock form and as the basis of a racing special called the 700RS.

[7] The concept, a two-door coupé with a slanted roof, was generally well received, but objections were raised about the limited passenger space.

[7] BMW decided to produce two versions, the coupe, and a two-door sedan with a taller, longer roof.

The engine originally used a single Solex 34PCI carburetor and had a compression ratio of 7.5:1, resulting in a power output of 30 PS (22 kW).

[9] Production of the BMW 700 coupe began in August 1959, with the saloon version following in December.

[10] The subsequent heavy investment in BMW by Herbert Quandt[11] has been attributed in part to the success of the 700.

Available only as a coupé, the Sport used an uprated engine with a pair of Solex carburetors and a 9.0:1 compression ratio.

[17] An attempt to transfer the rights to body production and export markets of the 700 to Autocars Co. in Israel in 1965 fell through.

[21] Stuck and Sepp Grieger drove another to a class victory at the 1960 Hockenheim 12-hour race.

Also in 1961, a BMW 700 won its class at Monza, beating their greatest rival Abarth on their home ground.

[22] Other drivers competing in 700s included Jacky Ickx, Hubert Hahne, and Alpina founder Burkard Bovensiepen.

It had a tubular frame chassis, special, lightweight, aerodynamic bodywork, and a double overhead camshaft engine tuned to 70 PS (51 kW; 69 hp).