Pebble Beach – It is part classic auto concours, part new car auto show, part art show and it’s pure spectacle. These rare cars are not mere beauty queens. They must run to compete. That’s right they must be fully functional period correct autos. BMW’s highlight at Pebble Beach was the 507. These are beautiful and very rare cars as only 252 made between 1956 to 1959. The complete 507 variants were all displayed. There were the Series 1 and Series 2 507 models. There were also two one-off designs displayed – a 1958 3200 which was a creation by an Italian designer using a 507. We have also seen the 1957 Lowey Pichon 507 which is not running so was display only.
BMWBLOG got there early to see the cars being placed on the 18th fairway. The 507s were on a prominent location along the west edge with the ocean directly behind them. The morning was challenging as it was cool and the thick fog kept 507 car takers busy wiping the moisture off. BMW Classic brought a red 1958 3200, a nice and unique variant of a 507. The Blue 507 was a local Malibu car that has been owned by the same owner for the last 20 years. It was also the shows winner in the 507 category. Fascinating to think that one of the 507s was brought in from Switzerland and one from Germany.
The BMW 507 Roadster made its debut in New York City in 1955. It left journalists as well as the public absolutely spellbound. Penned by noted designer, Albrecht Graf Goertz, the 507 featured a long and sleek engine compartment, cockpit perfectly tailored to the driver and passenger and short, muscular rear end and gently sweeping curves gave the car absolutely beautiful, timeless design.
The 507 offered a new take on the traditional BMW face with the double kidney grille vertical instead of horizontal, sweeping elegantly between the headlights across the entire front end of the car. The 507 also had a lot to offer within the engine
compartment, boasting an aluminum V8 acknowledged as the first light-alloy V8 in the world built in series production. This truly exclusive car went to only about 250 proud owners between 1956 and 1959.
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