Incredible Condition: 1958 BMW 507 Roadster
“Today, the 507 presents in wonderful usable condition…” Holy smokes– if this is what Sotheby’s considers a “driver,” then maybe I’m just not living right. This absolutely stunning 1958 BMW 507 Roadster is a standout even among the many gorgeous automobiles that will be offered for auction on May 14 in Monte Carlo, Monaco. For more details about this amazing sports car, take a look at the listing here on RM Sotheby’s site.
It’s hard to believe that the 507 was originally conceived as a mid-range sports car, priced to compete with the Jaguar XK150. After initial designs were rejected, BMW hired Albrect von Goertz to work on both the 507 and the 503. Although his talent for design had been discovered and nurtured by none other than Raymond Loewy, these two cars– a grand tourer and a bona-fide sports car– would be the first of his solo designs to see production. Striking from any angle, they proved to be the start of an unusual career for Goertz and a horrifying descent into disaster for BMW.
The 507 body was entirely crafted of aluminum, mostly by hand. The difficult material and labor-intensive manufacturing techniques meant not only that each individual body would be unique, but that the projected price would have to climb– not to prevent losses, but to mitigate them. The price of the car would, ultimately, be more than double the original target, topping out at $10,500. To put this in perspective, in 1959 three 507s would cost more than a brand new 3 bed 2 bath house in Fresno. This put it squarely in the same price bracket as the 300SL, with which it simply could not compete. While the Mercedes’ 3.0L inline-six made 240 horsepower, granting the car a top speed in excess of 150 mph, the BMW’s larger V8 produced only 148 horses for a top speed of under 125 mph.
As a result, only 252 production models of the 507 were ever built, and just 11 with the optional factory hardtop. Even with these low numbers, the massive expense associated with the car drove BMW to the very edge of bankruptcy. Yet, with this example, we can see what all that money bought: there is not a single individual feature on this car that is not exquisite. It’s not just door handles. It’s not even the latches or the leather straps that hold down the spare. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pretty toolkit before. That sort of attention to detail coupled with the extreme rarity of the machine makes this one an expensive proposition. Whatever the final bid, the new owner will certainly get a beautiful machine. I can’t think of a better way to get to and from the office.
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Comments
I’ve never seen one of these before… between the body, the motor, and the trim – it is hard to pick a favorite. I see lines similar to AC / Shelby.
Ullo MattR, Not forgetting that A/C were actually a British Car, which Shelby dropped American Engines into!! Ian.
Good point Ian. My mind just went with the visuals, not the history here.
Here’s why I love barn finds (!) : never heard of or laid eyes on one of these until now. Stunning styling for 1958, I would’ve pegged this at mid 1960s. And as you said, beautiful design, mechanical, and features throughout. I wonder how many of these actually made it to the states? One of those cars where every person that purchased one new must have a great story……..
Elvis Presley was GIVEN one by the factory but didn´t like it – telling me more about him than I ever asked. I saw it parked in front of the little hotel he had rented in Bad Nauheim, while he was stationed in Friedberg. The Imperial Palace Hotel Auto Museum in Las Vegas had one on display, way back in the 90´s.
Elvis had two …
Beautiful car. The 507 was the inspiration for the 2000-03 BMW Z8 (also a beautiful car).
Late 2008 when the recession hit California I came across a 1957 model of this car for $400,000 on ebay. Black with a red interior Wow, such a beautiful car. Having never heard nor seen one before. Still amazing to look at in 2022
Gorgeous. Such a shame they didn’t just switch to steel bodies as soon as the trouble and expense of handcrafting aluminum started becoming apparent, but maybe they’d already lost so much by then they couldn’t even afford to invest in steel stampings for it.
Never heard nor seen one of these gems before now. BMW continues to amaze me
Graf von Goertz did the design for the Datsun 240Z too.
Pure bauty all his creative way.
Elvis should have stayed driving cars like this and ditched those idiotic Cadillacs and some even worse junk. Made him look lame.
I agree Steve. His has been found and restored. Take care, Mike. https://www.bimmerfile.com/2016/08/05/the-elvis-presley-bmw-507-is-back/
Elvis wasn’t “given” one. He bought it, and it was actually a used car at the time since it was a Press car used by Hans Stuck for demonstration purposes. It was Feather White which Elvis had painted “Fire Engine Red” at his request sometime later due to adoring fans leaving phone numbers in lipstick on the white paint. The second 507 associated with Elvis was a gift to actress Ursula Andress. She kept that until she sold it to auto hotrod icon George Barris but not before she had him do some changes to it which are still evident today on the restored chassis.
herbert quandt was a difficult man to work with, and work for. he wanted what he wanted thus holding BMW back until he died and his wife and family took the reigns at BMW. it’s partly why BMW was stamping out stodgy body styles until the mid 90s. this was his party, and by a miracle BMW made it to where it is now.
That doesn’t really explain the rise and rise and rise of BMW 1963-2004.
Then came Bangle to drop the baton and hand it back to Dr Dieter at Mercedes.
WoW for the vehicle,
WoW for the condition (I guess, cant afford this crowd so am not expert).
This (as hrd top?) and the 300SL (as gull wing) can not B surpassed.
On smaller – I like some Maseratis, Ferraris, Alfas and Lancia (much in the late 50s – mid 70s)…
All ways special to see these (or late ’30s – very early 50’s merican) on here. What I call ‘classic’ cars. As a junkie there’s more eye candy but the site hits the center when showing these.
Thnx for the spot, write up Andy~
In 1975 I was stationed in the Heidelberg/Mannheim area of Germany. I was always looking for another vintage car to buy, as my everyday car over there was a 1956 Chrysler Imperial that had been sold new in Paris after it had been one of the Paris Auto Show cars that year.
I found a BMW 507 for sale in Veirnheim, it was very nice, all original. The lady selling it wanted DM 10,000, about $3,000. A few days later I found a 1963 Ferrari 250GTB 2+2, and it was for sale a lot cheaper, because the Alfa Romeo dealership where it sat wanted my good ‘ol American cash Dollars, and accepted my offer of $1,200.
Considering what an original 507 is valued at today, I should have bought the BMW instead of the Ferrari. The next mistake I made was which car I shipped back stateside: The Imperial. As a USA made car it could be shipped back free. The other cars would require me paying a lot to ship in a container.
The Blackhawk Car Museum in California had one on display in the 90’s, don’t know if it is still there. It was black with a black interior and looked FANTASTIC, way ahead of its time in design. I could not get a good photo of it because it was poorly lit in a corner of the museum, and because it was black, blended in with its dark surroundings.
That bad lighting is the USP of Blackhawk.
They call it design, but the place felt like a mausoleum to me. Some of the greatest cars in the world displayed with a mortician’s touch.
No longer there. And it was Black on Red, Series 2.
I followed a couple (!) of these through a tunnel on a rally in Austria some time back. The memory lingers on.
Have to say, this was never my favourite BMW though. And I like the Z8 tribute still less. A friend described his Z8 as ” less than the sum of its parts”.
In the late ’80’s these were going for $25k or so. My wife and I almost bought one. Oh well.
First one I saw was at the BMW museum in Munich. They had it sitting next to an Elvis statue if I recall correctly.
Appears to be correct and original, but not to concours condition as shown, for either restored or preservation class w/o point deductions.
This is my #1 favorite car. I discovered it in one of the car magazines when I was just discovering cars as objects of lust. Loved it immediately and has never changed, even with the advent of the XKE (#2). I later read another article a few years later where the engine was swapped for a Chevy and they installed larger tires and wheels. Despite that, the car still looked amazing.