The 507 thread...

[macfly]

This thread is a compilation of all the 507 info we've had on the site, and an ongoing discussion on this rare classic.

To start out here is a selection of all the pictures I have of a Z8 with a 507, and below that is a PDF with BMW's official history of the car.

[macfly]

The low point for the 507 was certainly Raymond Loewy's odd design, created after the end of the run on a 1957 chassis. He was better at Coke bottles and locomotives than cars, you can see the Avanti taste taking form in this car.!

[macfly]

This stunning car passed through Fantasy Garage in 2007 and sold for over $600,000.

[macfly]

On December 21 1958, Elvis leased a BMW 507 from BMW Glöckler. The car was a 'used' one and Elvis knew this, formerly driven by racing ace Hans Stuck. Elvis was assured by Mr Glöckler that 'the car was very well run in by Mr Stuck'. Stuck had raced the car in several sports car events, but the engine was modified for Elvis to use on a daily basis, so this car was quite special.

The price seemed very reasonable - the equivalent of $3,750 USD, instead of $7,160 for a brand new one. Not understanding the contract written in German Elvis thought he was buying the car. But no, he later learned it was only on lease and had to be returned when he left Germany. So BMW used the promotional value of Elvis driving their car, while Elvis had to pay for it!:thumbsup:

Elvis was handed the keys to the car on December 21, 1958 in a 'ceremony' in the presence of Uschi Siebert, a former Miss Hessen and then a well known TV personality. A dozen photographers and journalists documented the scene. When he actually took possession of the car is unclear but it would have been in the days following after a service and registration change.

The number plate on the car that was Elvis' was A-1499 ('1958 US Forces In Germany'). The car was plated 'F-04071' before Elvis took delivery. In August 1959 Elvis swapped the white sportscar at BMW Glöckler for a red 507 which he drove until October 1959. The white BMW 507 caused a lot of problems for Elvis because female fans kept writing telephone-numbers, and 'I love you's' with pens and lipstick which were impossible to be completely remove!

There is story that Elvis gave away his 507 to Ursula Andress when filming Fun in Acapulco. This is not true, as Elvis never owned either car, they were both on lease and were returned to BMW Glöckler. BMW Gloeckle have a white BMW 507 on display that they claim was the car driven by Elvis.

[macfly]

A selection of the 507's I've seen in person.

[macfly]

This is the second special 507, made on a chassis acquired by the Italian bodyshell makers Michelotti in 1958, it is known as the BMW 3200 Michelotti Vignale.

Designer Giovanni Michelotti produced sketches of an angular roadster body with a hardop and had these designs made by Vignale. Not entirely dissimilar to a Triumph TR 4 in looks, this prototype premiered at the 1959 Turin motor show. It remained a one-off and is now in BMW's Mobile Tradition collection, where it is seen in the second picture below. The third shot shows it on show on a BMW stand recently, and the last shot is of it when it was first shown in 1959.

[macfly]

A random grab bag of 507 pictures from the web, I'm hoping that one day I'll be able to give a driving impression of the 507.;)

[briandilley]

Great post! What a great car and I am so glad that I have the opportunity to have its celebrated 50th revison release. Maybe, one day I could get a bookend set?

[hayvenhurstkid]

I love the last car in the dark non metallic grey with the red interior. Wow!

[FWK-Z8]

The Fantasy Junction car is rare, even for 507's, being an early model with the short cockpit -- only 40 of these were produced. It has a period correct Nardi steering wheel - note the serifs on the "BMW" on the horn button. It also has the optional, and very desireable Rudge-Whitworth knockoff wheels.

[Norcal]

Is Elvis in a short cockpit model? If he barely fits I can only imagine how I (6' 4") WON'T fit.

[macfly]

Some great archive shots from the guys at http://www.ultimatecarpage.com

[macfly]

An interesting cut-away illustration of the car.

[macfly]

The top one is with the car's designer Albert Goertz.

[macfly]

A nice clip from BMW's own web-tv.

http://www.bmw-web.tv/de/video/J1U0N4G/Meilensteine%3A%20BMW%20507

[macfly]

Interesting list of auction results for the 507.

[FWK-Z8]

Is Elvis in a short cockpit model? If he barely fits I can only imagine how I (6' 4") WON'T fit.

On the short cockpit model the top sits on a metal panel that can be seen within the top when it is down - the one at the Quail last year was a short cockpit model. On the long cockpit model, the bodywork is all outside of the top. If you look at the various pics here you can also see the revised dash, note that on the later 507s the dash is much deeper - with enough room for a speaker grille above the radio. It is this later version that the Z8's dash is shaped to emulate.

[macfly]

For those other 507 fans there is a great story on them in this month's issue - Oct 09.

The take away bullet points are....

The 507 was largely unknown and forgotten until the Z8 reintroduced it to the collector market.
With one exception no car has changed hands more than once since around 1990!
Values keep heading up, now $1MM is the right price for the right car.


(and to think I passed one up in 1999 at $200,000, I didn't think it couldn't go any higher!)

[hayvenhurstkid]

:)We had a family friend who had a black with red 507 when I was growing up. My dad had a 300SL roadster, so I must admit, I didn't pay that much attention to the 507 at the time. Don't get me wrong, I liked it, but to me, a 300SL blew it away. I think our friend sold his car in the late 90's for something like $225,000. While I still love 300SL's and wish I had back my father's 1962 roadster, given a choice sitting side by side, today I would jump in the 507 and never look back.

[Old Baillie]

This is fantastic to look at, thanks for posting.

[tomfakes]

Here's some of a 507 at the 2008 Kirkland Concours (the 2008 Pebble Beach winning car is almost visible in the last picture!)

[macfly]

BMW Classic is a name that we will all know as time moves on. This is the new division created to look after all the great out of production cars, including ours. This lovely 507 was on display at the BMW Aluminum Repair Center in Munich on the first day of the Z8 Club's 10th Year celebration of the Z8.

[Norcal]

Amazing. Thanks

[macfly]

This gem is one of the stars of BMW's own collection, shown here in the BMW Museum in Munich.

[hayvenhurstkid]

I agree. It is stunning!!! A unbelievably gorgeous color combo.:)

[Norcal]

Is it close to stratus? or, browner? or just the lighting?

[hayvenhurstkid]

I just got a text from Andrew and he said the 507 is only a fraction darker than stratus.

[macfly]

It is a very neutral mid/dark gray, maybe a half a tone darker than Stratus, and with a hint of metalicness to it. Combined with the full deep red interior this is the exact color I wish we'd had for the Z8, it would have looked amazing.

[thegunguy]

Marty, you need one. Simply beautiful combo.

[Z8doc]

the color takes a slightly different look -- just like the Stratus car does.:thumbsup:

[Norcal]

corrected quickly to perhaps compensate for the dark conditions

[macfly]

I would love to get that one in a studio, it really is the most stunning of them all!

[pandaman]

Andrew, At the Frankfurt auto show BMW had a 507 racing around inside there building on a large track that went around the perimiter of there display on the 2nd floor. It sounds every bit as good as it looks.
This was my first trip to this show and all I can say is WOW.
Pandaman:thumbsup:

[hayvenhurstkid]

Rifle, I agree, I do need one. Now if I could only find a spare one million dollars and get someone at the museum to sell it to me.:)

[Old Baillie]

Maybe we could all go in on a 507 and time share it.

[pandaman]

Count me in. I would be more than happy to store it at no charge. Grapevine Texas is a central location:rotflmao:
Pandaman

[Scott Pettit]

heat and humidity=rust

Inland California is muy bueno

[Norcal]

How convenient for you Scott! (and me, sort of)

[Scott Pettit]

I thought that you were on the northern Cali coast.

[Old Baillie]

I believe I read somewhere that the climate in Studio City, California, is the perfect 507 environment. And it's only 15 minutes from Burbank Airport.

[Norcal]

That would be great too. But what's it for, Driving? I just want it in my living room while I sip a glass of Napa's best!

[macfly]

Only a small picture, but its worth sharing.

[macfly]

What recession? This clean, but imperfect 507 (http://www.fantasyjunction.com/cars/925-BMW-507%20Roadster%20Series%20II-3.2%20Litre%208%20Cylinder#contactFormTop) is for sale at Fantasy Junction for $800,000!

[thegunguy]

I need that.

[Z8Mania]

Nice seat belts. I think the 507s are terribly over heated.

[Z8doc]

I agree, even at $875K, seems heated / high considering the recession.

[redz8]

As lovely as the car is, it is over priced -- probably worth 1/2 that amount.

I don't know what logic FJ is applying here.

[Z8Mania]

Probably the same logic any one of us would apply if we owned this car. :) No?

[redz8]

Yup. That price must have some emotion and sentimental value built into it. Ultimately, it takes just one (right kind of a) buyer :rolleyes:

[redz8]

I stand corrected. This car got up to $530K on ebay, which is more than my 1/2 estimate. It may very well sell for over 800K in the open market.

Good for the owner :thumbsup:

4021

[Norcal]

This was the copy:

155 hp 3,168 cc all-alloy overhead valve V-8, four-speed manual transmission, independent front suspension with torsion bars and live rear axle with torsion bars, four-wheel drum brakes. Wheelbase: 97.6"

- Offered from the Lyon Family Collection
- Formerly owned by “Bond Girl” Ursula Andress
- Believed to have been gifted to Andress by Elvis Presley
- One of only 253 examples built

BMW covered opposite ends of the automotive spectrum in the early ’50s. At the bottom were the R24 motorcycle and the motorcycle-engined Isetta bubble cars which put the average German citizen back on the roads with inexpensive basic transportation while creating jobs for BMW employees and income for the company. At the other end of the scale was the 501 and its successors, large and well-appointed sedans intended for the upper middle class. Introduced in 1950, the 501 was an all-new chassis, powered by the well-regarded prewar hemi-head inline two-liter six-cylinder engine from the iconic 328. Underpowered for its size, it was still well received when production finally began in late 1952.

BMW neatly solved the power problem in 1954 with a 2.6-liter V-8 engine in a sharply trimmed sedan, the 502. The V-8 was a triumph of engineering and persistence in the face of daunting adversity. The block and heads were aluminum with wet cylinder liners. Parallel overhead valves were operated from a camshaft in the block’s vee. Producing 100 horsepower at 4,800 rpm through a single two-barrel Solex carburetor, the V-8-powered 502 measured up well against competition from Mercedes-Benz and Opel. It was shortly enlarged to 3.2 liters which boosted output to 120 horsepower. The best, however, was yet to come.

At the 1955 Frankfurt show, BMW unveiled two sporty models. The first was a somewhat cumbersome sports version of the 502, the 503 with 140 horsepower from the 3.2-liter V-8 in both coupe and cabriolet form. The second offering was absolutely stunning: the 507 Roadster. Designed by Count Albrecht Goertz, an established industrial designer based in the US, with input from BMW’s US distributor Max Hoffman, the BMW 507 was, and remains today, one of the world’s landmarks in automotive design, a car that is a pleasure to behold from every aspect. With the 3.2-liter V-8 now tuned to 150 horsepower, the 507’s performance was on par with contemporary competition.

The perimeter chassis frame was constructed from large rectangular tubes with torsion bar independent front suspension and a three-point positively located live rear axle with torsion bar springs. BMW mounted the 507’s ZF four-speed gearbox near the center of the wheelbase, driven by a short driveshaft from the engine-mounted clutch and with another short driveshaft back to the rear axle. Brakes were immense Alfin drums. Solidly built and lovingly assembled by BMW’s best technicians, it was expensive, costing 26,000 new Marks and $8,988 in the US, but established the image of BMW as a sophisticated and forward-thinking manufacturer which has persisted to the present day.

Technically the 507 offered impressive specifications, but it was Albrecht Goertz’s body design that captured the imaginations of a generation of young sports car fans to whom BMW meant “motorcycles.” Goertz stressed simplicity in the 507’s design and handled the entire design project himself, integrating each and every element, from the grille to the deck-lid handle and the passengers’ cockpit in between, precisely and cleanly for maximum effect with minimum effort in close cooperation with BMW’s chief engineer, Fritz Fiedler.

One of those young sports car fans was a US Army private stationed in Germany, Elvis Presley. Elvis, who is mostly associated with large Cadillacs, harbored a lower profile affection for fast, pretty sports cars. Undoubtedly the Army’s most famous draftee, after basic training he was assigned to the Third Armored Division in Germany in late 1958 where a BMW 507 caught his eye and was famously provided for his use by BMW.

Upon his return to the United States, his entertainment career immediately resumed with even more enthusiasm than before the Army interlude. Elvis had demonstrated maturity and persistence, advancing to Sergeant during his time with the 3rd Armored. His popularity and the fascination with his years as a G.I. was such that his first endeavor after returning was a fictionalized account of his German experience, G.I. Blues, released in 1960 co-starring Juliet Prowse. More films followed including the 1963 production of Fun in Acapulco with co-star Ursula Andress.

Ursula Andress and her 507

According to information provided by BMW Group Classic, this particular 507 was built on November 30, 1958 and was delivered new to the BMW importer in New York City. The car’s file contains a copy of a California title, which confirms that this is in fact the BMW 507 owned by famed “Bond Girl” Ursula Andress.

Andress had burst on the movie scene when she stepped from the tropical waters of fictional Crab Key, during the James Bond film Dr. No, clad in a famous white bikini and a vicious-looking diving knife, thus becoming the first – and to many the most famous – of many “Bond Girls.” Andress won a Golden Globe for this performance and has enjoyed a successful career ever since. The Swiss actress co-starred with Frank Sinatra in 4 for Texas and also appeared in the satirical 007 film Casino Royale alongside Peter Sellers.

It has always been widely believed, though not documented, that this BMW 507 was given to her as a gift by Elvis. She reportedly said later on that Elvis, as he did with many friends and acquaintances, offered her one of his Cadillac convertibles. She declined twice, eventually telling him if he wanted to give her a car, a BMW 507 would be her preference.

After being acquired by Andress, it was maintained and mildly customized by George Barris during the actress’s fifteen years of ownership, including fitting a Ford 289 V-8 engine and transmission and such features as nerf bar bumpers (which remain with the car), lowered ride height and perhaps even different dash knobs. The car was eventually sold through Barris to Mark Smith, who found a correct BMW 507 engine and transmission for the car and returned it to its original stock appearance and white color, though the modified bumpers remain in place. It was acquired by Nick Harley from Smith, then sold to the Imperial Palace Collection where it remained on display until it was acquired by the Lyon family, where it has been carefully maintained in the family’s extensive collection since.

It has been carefully restored over the years and while in the Lyon Collection has been driven with some frequency. It is described as a good driving car, handling especially well since recent attention to the torsion bar suspension. Finished in white livery with red leather upholstery, it rides on a set of rare and desirable Rudge centerlock wheels.

BMW built only 253 507s in the model’s four-year production history, but they are widely and instantly recognized as milestones for their superbly integrated, subtle and refined Albrecht Goertz design, sophisticated overhead valve V-8 engine and comfortable, good-handling chassis and suspension. The design is so successful that it inspired BMW’s recent two-seater sports cars, the Z3 and particularly the magnificent V-8-powered Z8. This homage to the 507 is especially significant coming from a design-oriented organization like BMW. With a history that includes the first and most stunning of the Bond Girls, and likely even Elvis Presley, it is a unique example of a highly desirable limited-production German sports car that still inspires admiration and respect today.

[zilver8]

Found this perfect pair at Bavarian Autosports web site.

Larger sizes here...
http://www.bavauto.com/shop.asp?HC1=0&HTarget=sc_wallpaper.asp&HCY=&HCM=#

[EDEZ8]

As a follow up to Norcal's post, the December 2011 issue of Hemmings Sports and Exotic Car cites a hammer price of $975K ($1,072,500 with premium) for the 1958 white/red BMW 507 once owned by actress Ursula Andress (RM Auctions). This same publication also shows a silver 1957 BMW 507 selling for $1,002,500 including buyer's premium through Bonhams.

[Z8Mania]

Shoulda woulda coulda bought one when they were in the 300s... Wow- they are really flying... I wonder where they will be in a few years...

[macfly]

It seems that the 507's of the world have been out and about in the cameras eye this year, here's a fun selection of snaps off the picture sharing sites that I've gathered over the last couple of weeks.

[Norcal]

That blue one is really sweet. Thanks for the leg work.

Looking at the bunch, it's why I have silver grills!

[macfly]

I really love the last one, that teal metallic, but none beat the grey and red one in Munich, that is still my fav!

[redz8]

This has become my fav. thread.

Here's a crazy idea. What if we get a bunch of us to commission a shop to build us reproduction of the 507. We can do all the research in terms of an ideal donor car, engine, interior, etc.

[macfly]

You mean like this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-5-Series-503-1957-BMW-503-CONVERTIBLE-3-2-V8-2-x-2-Carbs-4-Speed-/330630700204?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item4cfb201cac#ht_48438wt_1182

[redz8]

That looks like a real restoration. I was thinking along the lines of a kit car.

[DirkZ8]

Parked my 1600GT next to the 507 to capture "four important BMW's" on the same picture.

[Z8Mania]

Beautiful. The 1600 GT recalls the look of the Ferrari 330.

[Norcal]

I didn't remember you had the 1600... awesome!

[Z8Mania]

It sure is- I think its a great looking car. :beerchug:

[macfly]

Wow, gorgeous!

[thegunguy]

The fact that 1) you're just now posting this photo, and 2) you're only posting one is grounds for a lifetime ban from the site. :D

Amazing! Let's see more.

[Z8Mania]

I second the "more" part :)

[Charles]

I am a bit behind on my Autoweeks, but just noticed this Oct., 2011 article by Dave Kinney about 2 507's that sold at different auctions for over $1,000,000 each. The one reported here was not a numbers matching car, as George Barris had customized it and in the process replaced the motor with a Ford motor for the then owner, Ursula Andress. It was replaced with a "correct-era" motor before the auction.

Good news for the Board members who have lowered their cars. Feel free to also install "nerf" bumpers and replace your dash knobs.

The article also mentions the Z8 as holding its value and related to the 507.

[Z8Mania]

I think there were so few 507s that the market will be more understanding. Cars like mine, which are somewhat modified "drivers" will probably do OK but if you're looking for retaining value then you need a 2003 with low miles.