1959 BMW 507 Roadster

The BMW 507 existence was brief but a brilliant reinstatement of the company's sporting heritage that had flourished with the BMW 328 prior to World War II. The 507 was launched in 1955 and was envisioned by American BMW importer Max Hoffman to fill the divide between the Mercedes-Benz 300SL and the much less expensive and powerful offerings from Triumph and MG. The mechanical components were courtesy of the 502 and 503 series, with engineering led by Fritz Fiedler. Unsatisfied with preliminary body designs, he had Count Albrecht Goertz, who had the earlier 503 already to his credit, pen the lines of the 507. It was given sensuous curves and a powerful 3.2-liter overhead-valve aluminum block V-8 that it shared with the 502 and 503 series. The hefty price of the 507 guaranteed its exclusivity and its limited numbers. On example was even given to Grand Prix world champion John Surtees for winning the 1956 500cc World Motorcycle Championship with an MV Agusta motorcycle.

For 1957,the design was slightly revised with the appearance of the Series II models. Differences included increased engine output and a little additional space behind the seats to give drivers more comfortable driving position. BMW offered a number of available drive ratios ranging from 3.70:1 to 4.20:1 depending upon customers order. Top speed for the 507 ranged from 124 to 136 mph. Zero-to-sixty was accomplished in 8.8 seconds and the quarter-mile took just 16.seconds.

This example, chassis number 70203, was completed on December 9th of 1958 and on February 25th of 1959 it was delivered to the official BMW importer FADEX Commercial Corp. Years later, the car made its way to Puerto Rico. It later returned to North America for a recent professional restoration by RM Auto Restoration.

The car is finished in black with a green interior. The all-alloy overhead valve V8 engine is fitted with dual carburetors and offers 155 horsepower (DIN rating). It has a four-speed manual gearbox with hydraulic disc brakes in the front and drums in the rear.

In 2012, this vehicle was offered for sale at RM Auction's sale in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was estimated to sell for $900,000-$1,200,000. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $990,000 inclusive of buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2012