BMW 507 Roadster Series II 1958, Alemanha

BMW 507 Roadster Series II 1958, Alemanha
Fotografia

By the mid-1950s, BMW began offering true luxury models equipped with a new dual-carburetted V-8 engine. But as its reputation was largely linked to economy cars like the Isetta, BMW sought a game-changing model that would project a new identity.

The resulting 507 roadster featured an advanced box-frame chassis equipped with an upgraded suspension, four-speed synchromesh gearbox, and Alfin drum brakes. Most famously, the 507 was clothed with breathtaking lightweight alloy coachwork penned by Count Albrecht Goertz, a timeless design, punctuated by sensual curves, that ranks among the most significant open sports cars of the 1950s.

Just 252 507s were sold between 1956 and 1959, of which 34 were exported to the United States. Owned by celebrities ranging from Elvis Presley to racing driver John Surtees, the 507 has evolved into the most celebrated post-war BMW, a sublime combination of advanced engineering and elegant style.

Benefitting from decades of ownership by one of America’s foremost marque collectors, as well as a recent restoration, chassis no. 70134 is one of 214 Series II examples, which featured a revised dashboard arrangement and a relocated fuel tank, providing more space for the interior and the reclining soft top. Reportedly sold new through Hoffman Motors of New York, the 507 is rumoured to have originally been owned by a Hollywood producer before being acquired by an architect in Jackson, Mississippi. During its life in Jackson, chassis no. 70134 was spotted by a young man named William Young who fell in love with the car’s looks, kick-starting a lifelong relationship with the marque.

During the 1980s, the roadster passed to two more owners in Pennsylvania before being sold to the respected Oldtimer Garage in Switzerland. By 1985 William Young was a successful businessman in Colorado, and when he saw an advertisement for a BMW 507 in Road & Track, he contacted Oldtimer and bought the car sight unseen. Amazingly, that roadster turned out to be chassis no. 70134, the very same 507 he had once admired years earlier.

The 507 became the centrepiece of Mr Young’s collection, which eventually comprised over 30 important classic BMWs. The unrestored roadster attended numerous events of the BMW Classic Car Club of America over the years and was presented at the 2011 Santa Fe Concorso. It was also featured on the cover of Roundel magazine twice, in December 1996 and August 2011. In 2013 the owner finally sold the 507 to a Texas-based dealer, from whom the car was acquired by the consignor in March of 2014.

The BMW has just completed a comprehensive restoration to its original factory appearance, the first major refurbishment of its life, during which a glove-compartment panel with a signature on it was removed and saved. The signature appears to match one on a signed business card of Count Albrecht Goertz, suggesting that the car was once autographed by its legendary designer. The beautifully restored and rare 507 would make a peerless addition to any assembly of important European sports cars.