WATCH: Jay Leno Takes BMW's Tiny Isetta 300 Out In The LA Jungle

In the grim landscape of post-World War II Germany, industrial manufacturing lay in ruins. Allied regulations strictly forbade companies from producing heavy machinery or any automotive goods deemed potentially war-worthy. For BMW, a manufacturer celebrated for its grand touring luxury and engineering brilliance, the situation was desperate.

   

Attempts to break back into the market with the hand-built 502 luxury saloon and the breathtaking 507 sports car proved financially catastrophic. Nobody in a devastated Europe had the capital to buy them. Facing imminent liquidation, the brand needed an unconventional hero.