| BMW 507 | |
|---|---|
 BMW 507 at the 2009Frankfurt Motor Show | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | BMW |
| Production | 1956–1959 252 units built |
| Assembly | Germany: Bavaria,Milbertshofen |
| Designer | Albrecht von Goertz |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Grand tourer |
| Body style | 2-doorconvertible / Detachable hardtop |
| Layout | Front-engine, rear-wheel drive |
| Related | BMW 503 |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 3.2 L (3,168 cc)M507/1 V8 |
| Transmission | 4-speedZFmanual[1][2] |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,480 mm (97.6 in)[3] |
| Length | 4,380 mm (172.4 in)[3][4] |
| Width | 1,650 mm (65.0 in)[3][4] |
| Height | 1,257 mm (49.5 in)[3] |
| Kerb weight | 1,330 kg (2,932 lb)[5][6] |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | BMW 328 |
| Successor |
|
TheBMW 507 is agrand touringconvertible that was produced by German automobile manufacturerBMW from 1956 until 1959. Initially intended to be exported to theUnited States at a rate of thousands per year, it ended up being too expensive, resulting in a total production figure of 252 cars and heavy financial losses for BMW.
The BMW 507 was conceived by American automobile importerMax Hoffman who, in 1954, persuaded the BMW management to produce aroadster version of theBMW 501 andBMW 502 saloons to fill the gap between the expensiveMercedes-Benz 300SL and the cheap and underpoweredTriumph andMG sports cars. BMW engineerFritz Fiedler was assigned to design therolling chassis, using existing components wherever possible.[2] Early body designs byErnst Loof were rejected by Hoffman, who found them to be unappealing. In November 1954, at Hoffman's insistence, BMW contracted designerAlbrecht von Goertz to design theBMW 503 and the 507.[7]
Thirty-four Series I 507s were built in 1956 and early 1957.[8] These cars had welded aluminium fuel tanks of 110 litres (29.1 US gal) capacity behind the rear seats.[7] These large tanks limited both boot space[7] and passenger space, and gave off the smell of fuel inside the car when the soft top was up or the hardtop was in place.[8] Series II and later 507s had fuel tanks of 66 litres (17.4 US gal) capacity under the boot, shaped around the space for the spare tyre.[7]
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The 507's frame is a shortened 503 frame, the wheelbase having been reduced from 2,835 mm (111.6 in) to 2,480 mm (97.6 in).[2][3] The chassis was also made of thicker-gauge steel up from 1.75 mm originally to 2.5 mm. This change was necessitated due to large amounts of flexing in early development mules.[9] Overall length amounted to 4,385 mm (172.6 in), and overall height is 1,257 mm (49.5 in).[3] Curb weight was about 1,330 kilograms (2,930 lb).[10] The body was almost entirely hand-formed ofaluminium,[11] and no two cars were exactly the same.
The front suspension has paralleldouble wishbones withtorsion bar springs and ananti-roll bar. The rear suspension has alive axle, also sprung by torsion bars, and located by aPanhard rod and a central, transverseA-arm to control acceleration and braking forces. The brakes were Alfindrum brakes of 284.5 mm (11.2 in) diameter. Power brakes were optional. Late-model 507s had front Girlingdisc brakes[9] andPirelli 185VR16 Cinturato radial tyres.
The engine is an aluminiumalloyOHV V8, of 3,168 cc (3.2 L; 193.3 cu in) displacement, withpushrod-operated overheadvalves. It has twoZenith 32NDIX two-barrelcarburetors, a chain-driven oil pump, high-lift cams, a different spark advance curve, polishedcombustion chamber surfaces, and acompression ratio of 7.8:1,[7] yielding 150 PS (110 kW) DIN at 5,000 rpm.[4][7] The engine is mated to a close ratio four-speedmanual transmission.[7] The standard rear-end ratio was 3.70:1, but ratios of 3.42:1 and 3.90:1 were optional.[2][7] A contemporary road test of a 507 with the standard 3.70:1 final drive was reported inMotor Revue, stating a 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) acceleration time of 11.1 seconds and a top speed of 122 mph (196.3 km/h).[12]
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The 507 made its debut at theWaldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York in the summer of 1955.[13] Production began in November 1956. Hoffman intended the 507 to sell for about $5,000, which he believed would allow a production run of 5,000 units a year. Instead, high production costs pushed the price in Germany toDM 26,500 then DM 29,950.[14][note 1] This drove the U.S. price initially to $9,000 then ultimately $10,500 ($114,400 today).[15] Some of the prominent buyers wereJohn Derek,Elvis Presley who owned two,Hans Stuck, andGeorg "Schorsch" Meier. Despite the celebrity owners, the 507 never reached more than 10% of the sales volume achieved byMercedes-Benz 300SL.[16][3]
BMW had intended for 507 to revive the company's sporting image, but the higher production cost led the company to the verge of bankruptcy. BMW lost money on each 507 built and resulted in the company's losses of DM 15 million for 1959.[4][17] The company's losses led to thecapital infusion fromHerbert Quandt in order to prevent the bankruptcy. The launch of the new models,BMW 700 and'New Class' 1500 helped the company recover financially.
Only 252 plus twoprototypes were built before the production was terminated in 1959.[12][18]
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The styling of the 507 later influenced theZ3,[19] theZ4,[citation needed] and, most noticeably, theZ8,[20][21] with its chromed side vents and horizontal front grilles.[20] The 507 remains a milestone model for its attractive styling. 202 507s are known to survive.[citation needed]
Elvis Presley, while stationed in Germany on duty with the US Army, bought his first 507, a 1957 model (chassis #70079 and colored feather white), which had been raced byHans Stuck, used as a press demonstrator by BMW, and appeared in a German musical comedy entitledHula-Hopp, Conny (released in March 1959). Because many of Presley's fans left lipstick marks on the car, mainly while parked outside his home at 14 Goethestrasse, inBad Nauheim, he had it painted red. It was imported into the United States in 1960 and was bought by Alabama disc jockey Tommy Charles, who had it extensively modified, including having the engine replaced with a Chevrolet V8.[22] The car was painted black and its interior changed to red, only to again be painted red, which is how it remained for the next 50 years. In July 2014,BMW Group announced that Presley's car would be on display for a short period at theBMW Museum inMunich, before being entirely restored by its Classic department. This fully restored car, now back to its original white color, was displayed in the newly renovated BMW Zentrum museum at their US manufacturing center inGreer, South Carolina, and is now on display at the BMW Museum in Munich.[23]
In 1963, Presley reportedly bought and gave a 1958 model (chassis #70192) toUrsula Andress, who starred with him that year inFun in Acapulco.[note 2] Andress's husband,John Derek, who had owned another 507 and just sold it to entertainerFred Astaire, then had the 507 that Elvis gave his wife specially customized, which included changing its color from white to light blue, as well as having the engine replaced with a Ford 289 V8. Andress sold the car in 1997 toGeorge Barris for US$300,000. The car was then again restored with a correct drivetrain by a later owner.[24][25] When the car arrived at McDougall's Carrera Automotive it had also been repainted black. The original engine was lost to time but two 503 V8s were located along with the dual carburetor intake from a 507. Both engines were made into a running engine with BMW AG making a new engine gasket kit including head gaskets at a cost ofUS$25,000. It was also returned to its original white color and subsequently sold at auction forUS$350,000[26] and at a later auction in 2011 forUS$1,072,500.[25]
Bernie Ecclestone's 507 fetched£430,238 (US$904,000) at an auction inLondon in October 2007.[27] At the Amelia Island Concours in March, 2014, a 507 sold at auction for $2.4 million.[28]
John Surtees was given a 507 byCount Agusta for winning the 1956 500cc World Motorcycle Championship on anMV Agusta. Surtees worked with Dunlop to develop disc brakes for the front wheels of the 507, and his 507 eventually had disc brakes on all four wheels.[21] Surtees owned his 507 until his death.[29] Soon after, in July 2018, the Surtees car sold for £3,809,500 plus commission, the equivalent of US$5 million, the highest ever paid for a 507.[30] On 1 December 2018, a 507 owned by BMW 507 and 503 designerAlbrecht von Goertz was sold for £2,367,000 plus commission, also atBonhams.[31]
