After 43 years locked in a Philadelphia storage, this uncommon 1957 BMW 507 Roadster Collection II is headed to a Bonhams public sale in Newport, Rhode Island, scheduled for September 30.
Carrying chassis quantity 70059, this automotive was initially delivered to Caracas, Venezuela, in accordance with BMW Weblog. It was then offered to a Montreal resident, after which bought by the late father of the present vendor in 1979. It was often fired up, however hasn’t been pushed since then, in accordance with the public sale itemizing.
The 507 stays in unrestored situation, carrying Pontiac Brilliant Blue Metallic paint from a Seventies respray, in accordance with BMW Weblog. However Bonhams says the automotive is in any other case largely authentic, with a numbers-matching engine, Rudge wheels, and a detachable hardtop.
1957 BMW 507 Roadster Collection II (picture by way of Bonhams)
BMW designed the 507 to compete within the burgeoning postwar U.S. market, the place it competed in opposition to the rival Mercedes-Benz 300 SL. Beautiful bodywork designed by Rely Albrecht Graf von Goertz was paired with a 3.2-liter V-8 that made 150 hp.
Whereas it did appeal to rich house owners, together with Elvis Presley, the 507 was a gross sales flop. With simply 252 made, it is now one of many rarest BMWs ever made. BMW itself struggled within the postwar years, and would not discover stability till it shifted from constructing low-volume luxurious vehicles to extra reasonably priced fashions, exemplified by the Neue Klasse sequence of the Sixties.
Bonhams expects this 507 to promote for between $1.8 million and $2.2 million, which would not be out of line with previous 507 transactions. In 2018, the public sale home offered a 507 that belonged to the late System 1 champion John Surtees for $4.5 million, in addition to an instance beforehand owned by 507 designer von Goertz. That automotive offered for $2.8 million.
