BMW 507
BMW 507 | |
---|---|
Chronology | |
Predecessor | BMW 328 |
Successor | (spiritual) |
The BMW 507 is a
Development
The BMW 507 was conceived by
Thirty-four Series I 507s were built in 1956 and early 1957.[8] These cars had welded aluminium fuel tanks of 110 litres (29.1 US gal) capacity behind the rear seats.[7] These large tanks limited both boot space[7] and passenger space, and gave off the smell of fuel inside the car when the soft top was up or the hardtop was in place.[8] Series II and later 507s had fuel tanks of 66 litres (17.4 US gal) capacity under the boot, shaped around the space for the spare tyre.[7]
Specifications
The 507's frame is a shortened 503 frame, the wheelbase having been reduced from 2,835 mm (111.6 in) to 2,480 mm (97.6 in).[2][3] The chassis was also made of thicker-gauge steel up from 1.75 mm originally to 2.5 mm. This change was necessitated due to large amounts of flexing in early development mules.[9] Overall length amounted to 4,385 mm (172.6 in), and overall height is 1,257 mm (49.5 in).[3] Curb weight was about 1,330 kilograms (2,930 lb).[10] The body was almost entirely hand-formed of aluminium,[11] and no two cars were exactly the same.
The front suspension has parallel
The engine is an aluminium
Introduction and impact
The 507 made its debut at the
BMW had intended for 507 to revive the company's sporting image, but the higher production cost led the company to the verge of bankruptcy. BMW lost money on each 507 built and resulted in the company's losses of DM 15 million for 1959.[4][17] The company's losses led to the capital infusion from Herbert Quandt in order to prevent the bankruptcy. The launch of the new models, BMW 700 and 'New Class' 1500 helped the company recover financially.
Only 252 plus two
Legacy
The styling of the 507 later influenced the
Notable owners
In 1963, Presley reportedly bought and gifted a 1958 model (chassis #70192) to Ursula Andress, who starred with him that year in Fun in Acapulco.[note 2] Andress's husband, John Derek, who had owned another 507 and just sold it to entertainer Fred Astaire, then had the 507 that Elvis gave his wife specially customized, which included changing its color from white to light blue, as well as having the engine replaced with a Ford 289 V8. Andress sold the car in 1997 to George Barris for US$300,000. The car was then again restored with a correct drivetrain by a later owner.[24][25] When the car arrived at McDougall's Carrera Automotive it had also been repainted black. The original engine was lost to time but two 503 V8s were located along with the dual carburetor intake from a 507. Both engines were made into a running engine with BMW AG making a new engine gasket kit including head gaskets at a cost of US$25,000. It was also returned to its original white color and subsequently sold at auction for US$350,000[26] and at a later auction in 2011 for US$1,072,500.[25]
Bernie Ecclestone's 507 fetched £430,238 (US$904,000) at an auction in London in October 2007.[27] At the Amelia Island Concours in March, 2014, a 507 sold at auction for $2.4 million.[28]
John Surtees was given a 507 by Count Agusta for winning the 1956 500cc World Motorcycle Championship on an MV Agusta. Surtees worked with Dunlop to develop disc brakes for the front wheels of the 507, and his 507 eventually had disc brakes on all four wheels.[21] Surtees owned his 507 until his death.[29] Soon after, in July 2018, the Surtees car sold for £3,809,500 plus commission, the equivalent of US$5 million, the highest ever paid for a 507.[30] On 1 December 2018, a 507 owned by BMW 507 and 503 designer Albrecht von Goertz was sold for £2,367,000 plus commission, also at Bonhams.[31]
Notes
- Mercedes-Benz 300SLwas DM 32,500.
- ^ Andress told Bimmer magazine that Elvis gave her the car, while RM Auctions says there is no known documentation of Elvis giving Andress the car.
References
Citations
- ^ Norbye, Jan P., BMW - Bavaria's Driving Machines, p. 88
- ^ a b c d Norbye, p. 96
- ^ Auto, Motor und Sport12 1977, 8 June 1977, pp. 54–58
- ^ a b c d BMW Konzernarchiv: BMW 507 Roadster
- ^ Lewin, Tony, The Complete Book of BMW: Every Model since 1950, p. 28
- ^ Norbye, p. 116
- ^ a b c d e f g h Norbye, pp. 113–114
- ^ a b Jouret, Jackie, and Werb, Helmut, "507s star at Pebble Beach", Bimmer magazine, p. 6
- ^ Classic Cars. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
- LCCN 84060309.
- ^ Noakes, Andrew, The Ultimate History of BMW p. 52
- ^ a b Norbye, p. 115
- ^ Seeliger, Georg, BMW 503/507: Die V8-Sportmodelle, p. 83
- ^ Oswald, Werner, Deutsche Autos 1945-1990, vol.4, p. 172
- ^ Covello, Mike, Standard Catalog of Imported Cars 1946-2002, pp. 137–138
- ^ Prince, Max (July 29, 2014). "Elvis Presley's BMW 507 set for full restoration". Road & Track.
- ^ Seeliger, pp. 138, 206
- Auto, Motor und Sport13 1996, 14 June 1996, pp. 58–65
- ^ Noakes, p. 152
- ^ a b Noakes, pp. 164-165
- ^ a b Birch, Stuart, From 507 to Z8, SAE International
- ^ Jouret and Werb, "507s star at Pebble Beach", Bimmer magazine, p. 3
- ^ Joseph, Noah (24 July 2014). "BMW begins restoring Elvis Presley's 507". AutoBlog. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ^ Jouret and Werb, "507s star at Pebble Beach", Bimmer magazine, p. 4
- ^ a b RM Auctions site for Ursula Andress's BMW 507, 19–20 August 2011
- ^ Jouret and Werb, "507s star at Pebble Beach", Bimmer magazine, p. 5
- ^ RM auctions' first London sale results, Classicrallies.com, 2007-11-02
- ^ Jerry Garrett, In Florida, New Stars on Block, The New York Times
- ^ Surtees - Clients and Past Projects - BMW, from Surtees Official Website Archived 2009-11-30 at the Wayback Machine, John Surtees Ltd.
- ^ "John Surtees' 'very special' 1957 BMW sells for £4m". BBC News. 13 July 2018.
- ^ Pope, Lizzie (3 December 2018). "£2.4m BMW is untouchable at Bonhams' Bond Street sale". Classic & Sports Car. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
Sources
- Books and journals
- Covello, Mike (2002). Standard Catalog of Imported Cars 1946-2002. Iola: Krause Publications. pp. 137–38. ISBN 0-87341-605-8.
- Eicker, Helmut (8 June 1977). "Die Grossten von Gestern: Auto Motor und Sport fuhr einen BMW 507 Jahrgang 1959" [Yesterday's greatest: Auto Motor und Sport drove a 1959 BMW 507]. Auto, Motor und Sport. Heft (in German). 12 1977: 54–58.
- Lewin, Tony (2004). "Faded glory". The Complete Book of BMW: Every Model since 1950. St. Paul, MN USA: Motorbooks International. pp. 23–37. ISBN 0-7603-1951-0. Retrieved 2013-11-24.
- ISBN 1-4054-5316-8.
- Norbye, Jan P. (1984). "Postwar Panache: Baroque Angels, Timeless Sports Cars". BMW - Bavaria's Driving Machines. Skokie, IL, USA: Publications International. pp. 84–116. LCCN 84060309.
- Oswald, Werner (2001). Deutsche Autos 1945-1990, vol.4 (in German). Stuttgart: Motorbuch Verlag. p. 172. ISBN 3-613-02131-5.
- Seeliger, Georg (1993). BMW 503/507: Die V8-Sportmodelle (in German). Stuttgart: Motorbuch Verlag. p. 83. ISBN 3-613-01563-3.
- Westrup, Klaus (14 June 1996). Ostmann, Bernd (ed.). "Not und Spiele: Die 50er Jahre...". Auto Motor u. Sport. Heft (in German). 13 1996: 58–65.
- Web sites
- Birch, Stuart (July 2000). "Global Viewpoints - From 507 to Z8". Automotive Engineering International Online (engineering magazine article). Warrendale, PA USA: SAE International. Archived from the original on 2009-06-14. Retrieved 2005-10-14.
- Jouret, Jackie; Werb, Helmut (October 25, 2013). "507s star at Pebble Beach". Bimmer (enthusiast magazine article). Bimmer, Ross Periodicals. p. 1. Archived from the original on 2013-11-23. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
- "BMW Konzernarchiv: BMW 507 Roadster" (in German). Bmw-konzernarchiv.de. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
- "RM auctions' first London sale results". Classicrallies.com. 2007-11-02. Archived from the original on 2007-11-03. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
- "Surtees - Clients and Past Projects - BMW". Surtees Official. Kent, UK: John Surtees Ltd. Archived from the original on 2012-02-27. Retrieved 2010-06-13.
- "Lot 238 1958 BMW 507 Roadster". RM Auctions (Auction description). August 2011. Archived from the original on 2013-11-23. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
- Jerry Garrett (14 March 2014). "In Florida, New Stars on Block". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-03-19.