Bayerische Motoren Werke had a hard time after the war: around 60% of the BMW plants were destroyed and the plants in the Russian-occupied part of Germany were no longer available. In order to get back on its feet economically, the BMW management initially concentrated on getting the production of motorcycles going again - that made less demands on capacities than automobile production. In order to be able to gradually build up car production again, the development department was commissioned as early as 1947 to tackle a new luxury car model. Following on from the company's pre-war tradition, the new BMW Type 501 was created on the basis of the basic design of the BMW 326 engine, but with the Solex twin downdraft carburetor in particular, the output could be increased to 65 hp at 4,400 rpm.