A rare piece of German motoring

You can never go wrong with a vintage BMW. The German automaker’s classic examples have a special way of combining slim bodylines and a svelte silhouette with sheer, menacing performance under the hood. This 1959 BMW 5078 Series II on Bring a Trailer is a perfect example of what I mean.

When US importer Max Hoffman suggested that BMW design as mid-level sports car for the North American market, BMW replied with the 507. Featuring hand-built aluminum bodywork styled by Albrecht von Goertz, the 507 debuted in 1955 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City before entering production in late 1956. In 1957, the Series II debuted with a smaller fuel tank relocated from behind the seats to inside the trunk to prevent fumes from entering the cabin.

This particular example, Chassis 70185, is one of only 252 built during the model’s three years of production and was completed on October 6, 1958 as a Feather White car before being delivered new on October 31, 1958, to Autohaus H. Bäte KG in Hannover, Germany. The car reportedly underwent a refurbishment around 2012 that included a repaint in its current shade of Coral Red and a refinishing of its hardtop in an ivory color. The 507 was then acquired in 2022 by German specialists Arthur Bechtel Classic Motors, who re-trimmed the interior in tan leather.

What sets this particular BMW 507 apart from others is its ivory hardtop that can be installed when the beige convertible top is not in use. Hardtops were optional equipment at the time and were hand-built to fit each car’s hand-built bodywork, making them particularly rare and special accessories to own.

This tiny thing has a V8 hiding inside

Under the hood is a 3,168cc V8 with an aluminum block and cylinder heads as well as twin Zenith carburetors mated to a four-speed manual transmission. This 507 sits on 16” Rudge wheels wrapped in 6.00-16 Michelin Pilote X tires with Dunlop front disc and rear drum brakes behind them. The cabin still wears its tan leather and sports a contrasting ivory steering wheel and shift knob alongside a Becker Mexico radio. The odometer shows around 33,000 kilometers (~21,000 miles), with 25 of those being added by the current owner.

Final thoughts

The auction ends in 9 days with a current bid of $1,000,000, so it’s unlikely that you and I will be able to afford such a beauty. Considering that it was purchased from a collection by its current owner in January 2025 and they only added 25 miles since, this poor thing suffers from a severe lack of being driven. This isn’t an uncommon occurence with cars of this rarity and value, but it’s also not an excuse. I won’t go on a tangent about why driving your cars is the right thing to do, but I sure hope that the new owner feels the same way.

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