A BMW 507 driven by Elvis Presley while he was on duty with the U.S. military in Southern Germany during the late 1950s, now restored, is set to make its North American debut at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on Sunday August 21. Originally thought to have been lost, Presley’s 507 (chassis number 70079) surfaced several years ago and now, following an exacting restoration by BMW Group Classic, will grace the fairway at Pebble Beach after being displayed at the BMW Museum for the past several years.
When Presley took delivery of the car five days before Christmas in 1958, it was finished in Feather White paint, with black and white interior, a 150-hp aluminum V8 engine, center-lock wheel rims and a Becker Mexico radio. After returning to the U.S. upon completion of his service, Presley traded the BMW in on a new car at a Chrysler dealer in New York. Through a subsequent series of owners the car fared poorly despite some competition success, as it had its original engine replaced by a Chevrolet V8.
It eventually landed with Jack Castor, an engineer with the U.S. space program, in 1968, but after driving it for a while he put it in storage with an eye toward a future restoration. An article in Bimmer magazine, the journal of the BMW Car Club of America, alerted Sears to what he had and the wheels were set in motion for BMW Group Classic to acquire and restore the car.
“The opportunity to bring back the BMW 507 owned by the King of Rock’n’Roll to us here in Munich for purposes of restoration in accordance with the wishes of the previous owner, Jack Castor, was a dream come true for all those involved,” commented Ulrich Knieps, Head of BMW Group Classic. “This was an exceptionally fascinating project. The outcome is not simply a source of great pride to us. Jack would undoubtedly have been delighted by the outcome.”
