At the age of 23, Arnold Schwarzenegger had a BMW 1600 – a car that symbolized its newly discovered independence and ambition in America. Fast lead until 2022, and he was again at the wheel of a BMW, this time as a star a BMW Super Bowl commercial. A year later he came to BMW in CES for the i Vision Dee.
But today the former governor of California returns to his roots. In the latest BMW Group Classic Podcast, JP Rathgen had the opportunity to spend a day with Schwarzenegger in Los Angeles. Rathgen says that the meeting of one of Hollywood’s most iconic characters was already special, but experience was increased by the presence of a classic BMW 1600 – exactly the car that had played a role in Schwarzenegger’s American dream and also in the history of BMW.
Born in 1964
The BMW 1600 was part of BMW’s legendary new class lineup, a car family that gave the brand’s reputation as a manufacturer of sporty, driver-oriented limousines. While the following BMW 2002 often received the lion’s share of the lion, because it remains one of the sizes of all time-the 1600 is an excellent car in itself. Like all NEE class models, Precision Engineering combined with a light, agile chassis and provided a driving experience that was both committed and sophisticated.
The 1600 was introduced in 1964 as the successor to the BMW 1500. It contained an engine with a shift of 1,573 ccm. This inline-four engine produced 83 hp at 5,500 rpm and 113 Nm torque at 3,000 rpm, which offers a strong current account and efficiency for its time. The 1600 sedan remained in production until early 1966.
At around the same time, BMW set the 1600 sedan, and it led a more compact second -door variant under the same “1600” seed one. 1600-2. This model would be the foundation of what later developed into the famous 02 seriesUltimately, the way for the legendary in 2002 paved. While this stole the spotlight in 2002, the 1600 played a crucial role in the conversion of BMW into a manufacturer of athletes from a world class and today remains a respected classic among enthusiasts.
Let us hear how Schwarzenegger share its story with the BMW 1600 and why it has a special place in his heart!
