Some cars are designed to get us from A to B, and nothing more. And then there are icons – cars that leave their mark, monumental creations of a certain era in the automotive world. The BMW 507 is most certainly not just a car. Even though the 507 was by no means a financial success, its place in automotive history will never be forgotten.
It was a car born essentially out of a need for a cheaper, alternative version of the Mercedes 300SL. The 507 was supposed to be the car that would close the gap between the cheap British MG roadsters and the pricier Porsche and Mercedes roadsters. But it turned out to be much more than an affordable 300SL.
The BMW 507 offered the best Bavaria had to offer. Stunning, flowing curves with an improved twin carburetor V8 kicking out 150 hp. It was pure roadster bliss from BMW that inspired not only the future Z8 but also other car manufacturers to copy the formula.
The initial price of the Series I BMW 507 was $9000 which in today’s money, adjusted for inflation would have been somewhere between $80-90,000. At this price, it just was not being sold as a cheaper alternative to the expensive Mercedes 300SL. But despite BMW wanting to provide the 507 in that $5000 price range, the production costs were simply too high.
Photo Source: RM Sotheby’s
