In 1959, BMW was on the brink of bankruptcy until it was saved by a large investment from Herbert Quandt. Quandt’s money funded the /2 upgrades to the R 50 and R 60 and a new Sport version of the R 69 developed by Helmut Werner Bönsch. With a top speed of 109 mph, the R 69 S was Germany’s fastest motorcycle in 1960, and the first BMW equipped with an hydraulic steering damper. The R 69 S excelled at long distances, and it was popular in the US. Importer Butler & Smith ordered the R 69 US in colors unavailable in Germany, and with the higher handlebars and telescopic forks on the unrestored example seen here.