Bought in 1969
After three not-so-happy marriages with Fiats, Jan van Leusen received a tip about a BMW 1800 in 1969. He had to be quick, because there were privateers on the coast and a price increase was coming. Jan took the plunge, quickly concluding that he had purchased something special. Special enough to never get rid of the Bavarian
He may be 88 years old, but when it comes to motoring, Jan van Leusen is still very active. His Arnhem home contains a wealth of car documentation, mostly foreign magazines. However, he has just canceled a number of subscriptions. Reason: the rise of the electric car. You don’t have to explain anything to him about combustion engines, but he doesn’t really like driving on electric power. Speaking of car documentation: Jan also worked for the NCAD (Dutch Center for Autohistorical Documentation) in Helmond and is still a member of it. He is also a member of the PAC (Pionier Automobielen Club), HAV (Historical Automobile Association) and BMW Classic. Our host is also on the jury of the National Oldtimer Day in Lelystad.
Started with Fiat 1500
In short, he is a car man through and through, and has been all his life. “The Hemelrijk garage was located not far from my parental home in Deventer. As an 11-year-old boy I was already grinding valves there. I also bought car magazines from an early age.” Yet he did not choose a job in the automotive sector nor did he work in his father’s business. “No, I studied dentistry in Utrecht. After graduating, I settled in Arnhem, but regularly worked shifts in Deventer. Because my father had connections with Fiat, I started with a 1500. I drove it up and down almost every day, but that was not an unalloyed pleasure: the 1500 had disc brakes at the front that had the tendency to come out every now and then. to slow himself down.”
Tipped about this BMW 1800
Jan rubbed his heart and gave the Italian brand a second chance. “Another 1500. However, this one suffered from serious rust attacks.” Exit 1500 number two, a 125 had to turn the tide for Fiat. Three times is a charm, right? “No, neither. A problem with the cylinder head occurred after only a year and a half. When the dealer also made a much too low offer in order to sell his fourth Fiat, a friend of mine gave me a tip about a BMW 1800. It was in the showroom of the Arnhem BMW dealer. I had to be quick, because chemical company Akzo also had an eye on it. Moreover, it would become a thousand guilders more expensive the following week. I went to Hoving, saw the Atlantik Blau painted sedan and I bought it immediately.”
The step from a Fiat 125 to a BMW 1800, which was thousands of guilders more expensive at the time, is quite a big step. Yet Jan can no longer remember his first ride with the BMW. After all, Fiats also had good road holding, he explains.
New Class
Thanks to his already acquired automotive knowledge, Jan knew that he had acquired something special with the 1800. “The quality brand Borgward went bankrupt in the 1960s. BMW, which until then only produced the tiny Isetta and the large 501/502 – nicknamed Barockengel and in fact the progenitor of the current 7 Series – filled that gap with the Neue Klasse.”
That’s right: the so-called Neue Klasse appeared at the IAA in 1961 as 1500 and was gradually expanded. It was not until 1972 that the first 5-series replaced him. Truly an interesting model, also because the Hofmeister kink that had appeared in the valuable 3200 CS was used again in the Neue Klasse, and now in much larger numbers. In addition, the smaller 02 series – predecessor of the current 3 series – was derived from the Neue Klasse. Reasons for Jan to never get rid of the car again. Instead he bought a BMW, again a rare model. A new Neue Klasse is presenting itself at BMW, of which this study is the most recent precursor.
The longitudinally mounted four-cylinder 1,766 cc delivers 90 hp and 143 Nm to the rear wheels.
Jan also has a BMW 320 (E21)
Jan: “I had to do military service. I later benefited from this in several areas. For example, I worked as an officer-dentist at Deelen Air Base: repairing leaking Health Insurance filler links among conscripts. I am still a member of the Association of Aviation Medicine. I spent my military service with the 306 Squadron ‘Thunderflash’. While in the air force I came into contact with the phenomenon of the three-point belt. That’s why I ordered a four-cylinder BMW 320 from Germany in 1976. The German models had standard three-point seat belts, that’s why the Dutch ones didn’t. The rear fold-out windows were a bonus. I still have that car too.”
323i as daily transport
Jan has a six-cylinder 323i as daily transport, which he regularly drives to Switzerland. All BMWs. “They are very pleasant cars to drive. Practical and with good all-round visibility. I have always been very satisfied with the 1800, still am. It only has one weak spot: the ‘indicator light boxes’ are very sensitive to rust. As a result, both front screens on my copy have already been replaced. Otherwise it is completely original.”
Maintenance was moved from Arnhem to Nijmegen. “I was a dentistry teacher at Radboud in Nijmegen. The Nijmegen BMW dealer was not far away. When I went to work, I left the car there for maintenance or repairs. I picked it up again after work, which was handy. With one of my colleagues from Nijmegen, a professor, I drove to Sussex, British, in the 1800 to visit a dental conference. I also visited southern Spain with the 1800 to photograph various historic cities there.”
1800 was also at InterClassics Maastricht
After these trips and commuting, the 1800 became quieter. Moreover, even less has been driven since corona. The odometer therefore shows a modest two tons. That, the original condition and the importance of the model have meant that the Bavarian has been put in the spotlight several times. “When a new BMW was introduced, both the 1800 and the 320 were at the Nijmegen dealer and the 1800 was also on the BMW Klassiek stand a few years ago during InterClassics in Maastricht.”
According to Jan, the BMW 1800 only has one weak spot: the ‘indicator boxes’ are very sensitive to rust.
With his BMWs – and also his 1927 Chrysler – Jan is a true classic and oldtimer enthusiast. He passed that on to his family. “My daughter Karin drives a 1935 Morris 8, while we also have Fiats 500 and 126 in the family. Karin handles the 1800 well. When my wife was still alive, we once participated in a PAC tour. I drove the Chrysler, but because driving it would hurt her too much – she suffered from rheumatism – our daughter Karin drove her behind me in the 1800. Now the 1800 had the ‘hiccups’ that day, but in fits and starts she sent him from Utrecht to Arnhem without any problems. When we arrived here, there appeared to be tiny grains at the bottom of the float chamber. Apparently a rubber hose had become porous and entered the fuel system, causing the engine to run erratically. But as I said: Karin brought him home neatly. She has a feeling for it. You understand that the 1800 will always remain in our family. He is worth keeping.”
This article was previously published in AutoWeek Classics 9 2023
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl