Introduced in September 1963, the BMW 1800 was the second member of the New Class family.

Almost identical in appearance to the first “ Neue Klasse” in the series, the 1500 model but with the vehicle’s rear mostly taken from the 2000 sedan.

The BMW 1800's engine was capable of generating ten bhp more than its stablemate- a feature that was very appealing to Western Europe’ s drivers in the Sixties, who were on the lookout for a car packing a lot of power on a small footprint.

The new engine was created by mixing the block from the 2000 with the crankshaft out of the 1600.

The engine used on the 1800 indicated a remarkable technological breakthrough. Compact and thanks to its aluminium head—relatively light.

Thanks to its five main bearing crankshaft, The bottom end of the engine, generated tremendous energy, while the single overhead cam arrangement was designed to permit astronomical rpm levels.

The 1800’s engine had ports that were well above average in dimension, with nearly-hemispherical combustion chambers, enabling it to develop more power than any sedan engine of similar displacement.

During the Sixties, BMW succeeded in fine-tuning sports/racing versions of this engine to a full two litres generating 185 brake horsepower.

Displacement shrunk slightly from the former 1800 (to 1766 cc), but the design was considerably more over the square shape.

Output was identical, at 90 horsepower, however, the new engine was claimed to "rev" more freely. Both of BMW’s transmission options were available for the 1800- four-speed manual and three-speed automatic transmission, as was a split (two-circuit) braking system.

The interior of the 1800 was almost identical to that of the 1500, simple but effective with the only difference being an attractive dashboard update with a hooded instrument cluster.

A 'TI' option, meaning Touring International,' was offered and featured components by Alpina.

Upgrades included two Solex PHH side-draft carburettors and higher-compression pistons resulting in an increase in horsepower to 110.

The 1800-TI was released as an alternative for BMW fans who found it impossible to decide between a sports car or a utility sedan as they are looking for the best of both worlds.

With the TI, BMW provided such drivers exactly that compromise.

The 1800 filled a very significant gap for BMW, selling steadily during its eight-year production run.

In the early Seventies, a coupe version of the 1800 was released, designed for BMW by the independent car designer, Giovanni Michelotti, again ideally complementing the range.

The BMW 1800 coupe remained in production until 1974, with the sedan version discontinued the following year.