In the summer of 1955, the BMW 507 roadster made its American debut at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. The BMW 507 was hailed as the most beautiful automobile in the world even before it arrived in the United States. When it was originally unveiled in Europe, it quickly made headlines as Munich’s dream car. Clcompany is delighted to feature the facts about the Classic BMW 507 – a car that was widely regarded as the most beautiful vehicle offered by the German manufacturer, BMW.
Flashback
BMW commissioned Albrecht von Goertz, an industrial designer, to create a sports car specifically for American consumers on the advice of Max Hoffman, a luxury European car importer and dealer located in New York. Hoffman, who was also influential in the design of the 300SL Gullwing, had an idea for a sports car that would sit in the midst of the pricey Mercedes-Benz and expensive MG Gullwings. So von Goertz built a roadster that would steal hearts and pierce souls of anybody who saw it.
The stunning design
Every BMW 507 was individually distinctive in subtle ways due to its hand-built aluminum body; no two vehicles were identical in every regard. The 507’s frame was a scaled-down version of its larger brother, the 503 grand tourer, with a design that was almost too good to be mass-produced.
The bulk of 507s had soft convertible tops, but 11 of them came with an optional detachable hardtop for the fortunate few. The 507’s suspension had a front anti-roll bar, double wishbones, front and back torsion bars, and Alfin drum brakes. It was put together by the greatest BMW mechanics in Bavaria.
The strong engine was a favorite feature of American sports car enthusiasts, thus this creation was ideal.
The Fall of BMW 507
Hoffman had hoped that BMW would be able to sell 5,000 507s annually for $5,000 each. However, the price of German hand-built sports vehicles increased to almost $10,000 due to high production expenses. The vehicle’s sales dropped. BMW only built about 250 of the BMW 507s before discontinuing the model in 1959 since the business ultimately lost money on each one of the vehicles it created. The BMW 507’s failure caused the firm to experience financial difficulties, but it later recovered. It was the price that made it impossible to appeal to the general people. BMW 507 was in production from 1956 to 1960.
Top Specifications of BMW 507
- Displacement – 3.2 Litres
- Configuration – V8
- Power – 150 bhp – 112 kW @ 5000 rpm
- Torque – 235.0 Nm
- Transmission – 4-speed manual
- Top speed – 196 km/h
- Kerb weight– 1,315 kg
- Wheelbase– 97.6 inches
Known For-
- For stunning design and style
- Favorite for sports car enthusiasts
- Most beautiful car in the German marque’s catalog
Interesting Facts-
- While serving in the Army in Germany, Elvis Presley was so taken with the BMW 507 roadster that he purchased two of them.
- In February 2022, a white 1958 BMW 507 roadster was sold at auction by Sotheby’s in Paris fetching $2.35 million.
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