1952 BMW 501

The BMW 501 was produced from 1951 through 1961 when they were replaced by the BMW 502. The 501 was nicknamed the 'Baroque Angels' because their designs reminded people of the carved wooden figures of the Baroque period.

The 501 was introduced to the public at the 1951 Frankfurt Auto Show, this was BMW's first model after World War II. Under the hood was a 2-liter six-cylinder engine producing 60 horsepower and could propel the hand-made vehicle to speeds of 130 km/h. Later, the engine was modified to produce 60 horsepower. Still, this was not adequate so in 1954 BMW introduced a 2.6-liter eight-cylinder engine that produced 90 horsepower. This engine was also transplanted into the new 502, but was rated at 95 horsepower. In 1955, the six-cylinder 2-liter engine was no longer offered; a 2.1-liter six-cylinder variant was offered in its place. 1955 was the same year the 503 was first shown to the public at the Frankfurt Auto Show.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2006