By the end of the 1950s, BMW was in financial shambles. The German market had turned away from motorcycles, and the marque’s cars were struggling to turn a profit. The 501, 503, and 507 were simply too expensive, and the Isetta – BMW’s “economy car” of the day – didn’t have the margins to support the company. To bring the company back into the black would take a “hail Mary” of sorts, and luckily for us, the BMW Neue Klasse was born.