1958 BMW 507 Roadster

Austrian-born, New York-based automotive importer Max Hoffman was the catalyst for many mid-1950s sports cars, including the Porsche Speedster and the gullwing Mercedes-Benz. He had the ability to recognize and exploit market niches and facilitate and guide manufacturers in crucial product decisions. By the mid-1950s, Hoffman was selling roughly one-third of Porsche's annual output to customers in the United States.

His success with one German manufacturer in North America led him to set his sights on another - the Munich-based firm of BMW. At the time, they were still recovering from the heavy bombing its factories sustained during World War II. Once having a noble and distinguished line of automobiles, BMW would revert to 'survival mode' in the post-WWII era with the Isetta microcar. Recognizing Hoffman's talents and what he had done for other manufacturers, BMW agreed to build a two-door roadster based on the 501 and 502 saloons. A young designer named Albrecht Graf von Goertz was tasked with creating the design - his first-ever entire car design project – while the mechanical underpinnings were handled by BMW technical director Fritz Fiedler.

New York's Waldorf Astoria was chosen for the BMW 507's unveiling in August 1955. It wore a hand-formed aluminum silhouette that was sensuous and elegant, with a plunging nose, BMW's trademark twin-kidney grille, sculpted front fenders, and purposeful chrome detailing around the headlights, windshield, and fender vents. The all-aluminum 3.2-liter overhead-valve V8 engine offered 148 horsepower and was paired with a four-speed synchromesh transmission.

The BMW 507's drawback was its price, which soared past Hoffman's target price of $4,449, with each bespoke example ultimately costing nearly $10,000. For comparison, a 300 SL Roadster retailed for closer to $7,000. By the time production of the 507 ceased in 1959, a total of 252 units had been built. Among the list of high-profile clients who acquired the costly 507 were Elvis Presley, Alain Delon, Ursula Andress, John Surtees, and King Baudouin of Belgium.

This particular Papyros white, Series II BMW Roadster was owned by New Orleans jazz musician Pierre Dewey LaFontaine Jr., known professionally as Pete Fountain. It was completed on September 17, 1958. Equipped with Girling front disc brakes, it was dispatched to the United States and was not delivered through the usual importers Fadex or Hoffman, and is believed to have been specially ordered by Fountain.

The BMW's history resumes in the 1990s when the 507 was registered to attorney and BMW collector Terrance K. Knudsen of Wisconsin. By the close of the decade, it was in the care of Melvin F. Weiss of New Jersey, who is believed to have owned the roadster for over two decades until 2023. While in Mr. Weiss's ownership, the BMW was the subject of a meticulous restoration to its original factory appearance with a Papyros white exterior, a dark blue optional factory hard top, and a dark blue leather interior. Period-correct touches include its Becker Mexico radio and set of chrome knock-off Rudge wheels.

The matching-numbers engine was given a comprehensive rebuild at Motion Products Inc. in Neenah, Wisconsin. The work took four months to complete and included the replacement of the clutch. Receipts totaled in excess of $65,000.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2024