R75 front

1942 R 75

ENGINE 745CC M275/2 BOXER TWIN

OUTPUT 26 HP @ 4,000 RPM

CURB WEIGHT 880 LBS. W/SIDECAR

TOP SPEED 62 MPH

PRICE WHEN NEW N/A (MILITARY SALES ONLY)

YEARS PRODUCED 1941-’44

NUMBER BUILT APPROX. 18,000

COLOR SAHARA TAN

OWNER LOTHAR SCHUETTLER (SINCE 1989)

LOCATION DARNESTOWN, MARYLAND

#764342

1942 R 75

The R 75 was designed by Alex von Falkenhausen exclusively for military use, with a hardtail frame that used a bolt-on rear section for easy engine removal. The low-compression engine had reinforced rocker covers, and an air cleaner mounted above the fuel tank. The four-speed transmission drove the rear motorcycle and sidecar wheels, with high and low ratios. Many R 75s were abandoned during Germany’s retreat; the bike seen here was driving a plow in Czechoslovakia when it was found in 1989 by BMW’s Helmut Bauer. Bauer restored it for Lothar Schuettler in the tan paint of Erwin Rommel’s Afrika Korps.

BMW Motorcycles: A Century of Innovation
  1. 1927 R47
  2. 1928 R 57 (Unrestored)
  3. 1928 R 57 (Completely Restored)
  4. 1931 R 2
  5. 1934 R 4
  6. 1935 R 17
  7. 1936 R 3
  8. 1938 R 51 SS
  9. 1938 R 61
  10. 1939 R 35
  11. 1941 R 12
  12. 1942 R 75
  13. 1949 R 24
  14. 1952 R 51/3
  15. 1954 RS 54
  16. 1957 ISETTA 300
  17. 1958 600
  18. 1958 FATH SIDECAR
  19. 1959 R 50 & STEIB 350S
  20. 1964 700 CABRIOLET
  21. 1965 FARMOBIL
  22. 1966 R 27
  23. 1969 R 69 US
  24. 1972 R 50/5
  25. 1974 R 90/6
  26. 1974 R 90 S
  27. 1976 R 90 S
  28. 1976 R90 S, REG PRIDMORE
  29. 1979 R 100 RS
  30. 1981 R 80 G/S, UGLY HELGA
  31. 1983 R 65 LS
  32. 1985 K 100 RS
  33. 1985 K 100 RS Cafe Racer
  34. 1988 R 65 POLICE
  35. 1989 K 100 RS ABS
  36. 1989 K1
  37. 1990 K 75 S
  38. 1994 R 1100 RS
  39. 1998 R 1200 C
  40. 1998 R 1200 C, BOBSCHOPSTER
  41. 2001 C1 EXECUTIVE
  42. 2002 FORMULA BMW
  43. 2002 R 1150 GS
  44. 2003 F 650 CS
  45. 2004 R 1150 R ROCKSTER
  46. 2004 R 1100 S BOXER CUP
  47. 2006 HP2 ENDURO
  48. 2010 HP2 SPORT
  49. 2011 F 800 R
  50. 2014 RNINET
  51. 2018 HP4 RACE
  52. 2022 S 1000 R
  53. 2022 M 1000 RR
  54. 2022 CE 04
  55. 2023 R 18 100 YEARS
  56. 2023 R NINET 100 YEARS