In 1927, BMW presented the BMW R 47 as the successor to the BMW R 37 sports model. While the BMW R 37 with a price tag of 2,900 reichmarks was only intended for a small circle of enthusiastic motor-sport aficionados, the BMW R 47 was approaching a mass-market model for the times. More than 1,700 units were sold and a number of them competed successfully on national and international race tracks. This meant that the sports models were no longer simply flagships for the white-and-blue emblem but had developed into a profitable segment.