BMW 507

BMW 507 at a glance

How the 507 came about

In 1954 Max Hoffman, BMW's importer in the USA, saw a gap between expensive cars such as the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL and cheaper British roadsters. He persuaded BMW to build a sports car from its large 501 and 502 saloons and rejected the early designs by Ernst Loof. On his advice BMW hired the young German-American designer Albrecht von Goertz in November 1954 to style both the 503 coupé and cabriolet and the 507 roadster.

Fritz Fiedler designed the rolling chassis using existing parts wherever possible. The frame came from the 503, shortened from a 2,835 mm to a 2,480 mm wheelbase, and the steel was thickened from 1.75 mm to 2.5 mm after test cars flexed too much. The car was presented to the press and dealers at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York in 1955. More about the company is in BMW's history.

Design and hand-built body

Goertz gave the 507 a long bonnet, a low waist, a short tail and a wide version of BMW's kidney grille set horizontally, with chromed vents behind the front wheels. The body was formed almost entirely from aluminium by hand, so no two cars are exactly the same. A soft top was standard and a detachable hardtop was available.

The cabin is simple and elegant: a thin-rimmed steering wheel, large round speedometer and rev counter and a dashboard clock, according to the old 1cars text. Series I cars, 34 built in 1956 and early 1957, had a 110-litre aluminium fuel tank behind the seats that left almost no luggage space. From Series II the tank moved under the boot floor and held 66 litres.

V8 engine, gearbox and chassis

The 507 used BMW's aluminium-alloy OHV V8, also found in the 502 and 503, here with 3,168 cc, a 7.8:1 compression ratio and two Zenith 32NDIX carburettors. It produced 110 kW (150 PS DIN) at 5,000 rpm. Power reached the rear wheels through a close-ratio four-speed manual gearbox, with a 3.70:1 final drive as standard and 3.42:1 or 3.90:1 as options.

Front suspension uses double wishbones with torsion bars and an anti-roll bar; at the rear there is a live axle located by torsion bars, a Panhard rod and a transverse A-arm. The brakes were Alfin drums of 284.5 mm, with optional servo assistance, and late cars had Girling front disc brakes and Pirelli Cinturato radial tyres.

Price, losses and production

Hoffman had hoped for a much lower price and sales of 5,000 cars a year. The finished 507 cost DM 26,500 in Germany, later DM 29,950, and roughly twice Hoffman's figure in the USA. Hand building made each car expensive to produce, and BMW lost money on every one. Sales stayed below a tenth of the 300 SL's.

The 507 was not the only cause of BMW's crisis, but the big V8 cars were a heavy burden. The small BMW 700 and, from 1962, the New Class 1500 saloon restored the company's finances.

Famous owners: Elvis Presley and John Surtees

Elvis Presley bought a white 1957 car, chassis 70079, while serving with the US Army in Germany. It had been a BMW press car, raced by Hans Stuck and used in the 1959 film "Hula-Hopp, Conny". Presley later had it painted red, and in the USA it received a Chevrolet V8. BMW announced a full restoration in July 2014 and returned the car to its original white.

John Surtees received his 507 in 1957 from Count Domenico Agusta after winning the 1956 500cc motorcycle world championship for MV Agusta. Surtees worked with Dunlop to fit disc brakes, and his car eventually had discs on all four wheels. In July 2018 it set the auction record for the model. Other owners included Fred Astaire, Alain Delon, King Constantine II of Greece and Prince Rainier of Monaco.

Rivals of the 1950s

Compared with the 300 SL Roadster's 158 kW, the BMW had 48 kW less, and its power-to-weight ratio of about 83 kW per tonne was modest even then. The Mercedes was faster and more advanced, the Jaguar and Corvette far cheaper. The BMW sat in between on price but won on rarity and looks. Compare classic sports cars in the 1cars comparison tool, browse the 1950s classics section or see the best sports cars list.

Legacy and collecting the 507 today

Around 200 cars are believed to survive. The 507 influenced later BMW roadsters, most clearly the Z8 of 1999–2003 with its horizontal kidneys and chromed side vents, and also the Z3 and Z4. A 507 trades in the multi-million-euro range at major auctions, and cars with a documented history, original engine and matching numbers command the highest prices. Buyers should check the aluminium body for corrosion where it meets the steel frame, the originality of the engine and gearbox, and whether the car has been converted to disc brakes, which many owners did. Every BMW model in the database is in the BMW catalogue.