1957 BMW 507 Loewy Concept Coupe

Two BMW 507 chassis were designed with special coachwork, and this example designed by Raymond Loewy was the first. Born in France, Loewy spent most of his professional career in the United States where, from the early 1930s through the late 1950s, his streamlined design style flourished. Albrecht Graf von Goertz, the designer of the production 507, had been taught by Loewy and the two were close friends. The French-born designer presented this unique study at the 1957 Paris Auto Salon although there were no plans to put it into production. His futuristic concept was built in Sens, southeast of Paris, by Pichon et Parat, a specialist coach-building firm best known for creating several unique one-off bodies on a variety of chassis in the 1950s. Loewy brought his car to New York and drove it for several years before donating it to the Natural history Museum in 1962.