In its design, the BMW 700 followed a trapezoid line with the roof structure and the basic body of the car to form two counter-flowing bodies. This design concept came from the USA as a streamlined rendition of the former pontoon structure, with further refinement by Italian car designers.
Under the guidance of Wilhelm Hofmeister, BMW's designers then turned this draft into two models, a two-door Saloon and a Coup. Apart from its brand-new design, the BMW 700 offered another surprising highlight: it was the first BMW with a monocoque body. And the reason for introducing this new technology was clear: "The monocoque floorpan was able to save about 30kg in weight, lower the entire car by 2.4-2.8" and streamline the production process, with appropriate cost benefits."
BMW was not a newcomer to the use of monocoque unitary body panels. The BMW 326 built in Eisenach from 1936 until the beginning of the War already featured a floorpan made of high-rising panel supports firmly welded to the body of the car - at the time the best solution for a load-bearing body structure.
This experience quickly paid off, a comparison with two other well-known cars of the same size built in Europe and with a monocoque body clearly confirming the superior stiffness of BMW's car structure.
On 9 June 1959 BMW's Board of Management under their Chief Executive Dr Heinrich Richter-Brohm made the big move, presenting the new BMW 700 Coup, the first model in the new series, to some 100 international motoring journalists. This was in Feldafing near Munich, at the same place where about two years before they had first seen the not-so-fortunate BMW 600.
Since the turbulence encountered by BMW's previous model range had produced critical reports by the press, Helmut Werner Bnsch, BMW's Director of Technical Sales Planning, admitted quite frankly in his welcoming statement that "ultimately it was this attitude and these doubts which convinced us to invite you here today to experience the new BMW 700 Coup, and not to wait until the Frankfurt Motor Show." When Bnsch revealed the new Coup, everybody started clapping. The journalists admired the new model.
The BMW 700 had grown out of the small car class still prevailing in the market and allowed provided extra space. The designers and engineers were particularly proud of the car's lightweight technology reducing dry weight to less than 1323 lb, despite the car's overall length of 139.4", thus providing the qualities required for good acceleration and hill-climbing performance.
Compared to the BMW 600, the extension in wheelbase by 25% came with an increase in weight by only 14.5%. And despite its low height of just 50", the Coup offered acceptable headroom, as the doors measuring 36.6" in width allowed unusually comfortable access for this class.
Enjoying the seats, the driver and passengers in the BMW 700 benefited from an unusually good balance of useful interior space and exterior dimensions, the curved windows helping to keep the doors smooth and provide extra width inside the car. Again in the words of Helmut Werner Bnsch: "In combining the footwells and the luggage compartment, we followed the example of a modern sleeping car - which shows that sometimes you can even learn from the railways!" He then added that "we also remembered to keep the four corners of the car in clear sight from the driver's seat, allowing the driver to easily maneuver into tight parking spaces."
Appropriately contoured to fit the human body, the front seats, with their active-breathing upholstery, were adjustable even while driving and came with backrests moving to four different angles. The backrest in the rear folded down whenever required like in the BMW 600, allowing the driver and passengers to take bulky objects such as all their camping gear.