The BMW 507 owned by Elvis has been restored to a better condition than its original factory build. It’s just a beautiful car. Will the beautiful cars of today stand the test of time in the way that the lovely cars of the 1950s and 1960s have. Perhaps they will. Perhaps an F-type Jaguar will be as desirable in 40 years time as it is today.
Pictures courtesy BMW.
I haven’t been a fan of BMW in recent years, to me the sex appeal has been missing in the cars. Audi, Volkswagen and Mercedes have been looking busy doing “sexy” while BMW have been busy being German. The original 1 series Coupé was almost cute but just a bit gauche but now they have made it a bit longer a bit wider, the front is all butch and dare I almost say “sexy” and “BMW” in the same sentence? This is looking like a damned fine car.
Wikipedia gives us the background on this beauty.
The E60 M5 was introduced in 2005. It has a 4,999 cc (305.1 cu in) BMW V10 S85 engine redlining at 8250 rpm, and developing a peak output of 507 PS (373 kW; 500 bhp) and 520 N·m (380 lb·ft) of torque. Unlike some other BMW engines which utilise Valvetronic to infinitely vary valve lift to eliminate the throttle plate, this engine has individual throttle bodies per cylinder.
Other key features include a stiffened aluminum chassis and a 7-speed SMG III sequential manual gearbox, also known as a single-clutch automated manual transmission. Front fog lights are unavailable for the M5, as the amount of air required to cool the brakes under spirited driving applications requires the spaces under the bumper, normally occupied by fog lights in other E60 cars, to be reallocated for air cooling ducts. Continue reading
This week’s Car of the Week was spotted at The Midlands Breakfast Club at RAF Cosford and was a stunning example of the Z3 in a lovely mellow yellow colour.
Where the Z4 has a brutal appeal, the Z3 has a more gentle old school appeal captured perfectly in this example. Click on the picture to see a few different pictures of this beauty. Continue reading
This is a BMW 318iS E36 registered August 1994. It is my Mum and her husband’s car which they have had from new. 16 years on and it is still a very striking car. In its day the Boston green metallic paint was the latest must have colour which was very bold and unusual for a BMW because it wasn’t a variation on grey or silver. Similarly the 3 spoke Antera alloys were also the biggest thing in alloy wheels at the time. This car rides and handles as well today as the day it left the showrooms 16 years ago and remains a wonderful driver’s car.
The E36 3 series was introduced at the end of 1990. It was available initially as a 4 door sedan. There were four models available: 316i, 318i, 320i, and 325i. In 1992 the new coupe was introduced and this was available as a 318is, 320i and 325i. The 318is had the same 16 valve engine as the E30 318is but now had 140 HP. Production of the coupe continued until 1999.
18/06/2010. The BMW 507 made its debut at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York in the summer of 1955 and production began in November 1956. Despite attracting celebrity buyers including Hans Stuck and Georg “Schorsch” Meier, the car never once reached more than 10% of the sales volumes achieved by its Stuttgart rival, the Mercedes-Benz 300SL. By 1959 only 252 had been built.
Intended to revive BMW’s sporting image, the 507 instead took BMW to the edge of bankruptcy — the company’s losses for 1959 were DM 15 million. The company lost money on each 507 built, and production was terminated in late 1959. Only 252 were built, plus two prototypes.
The BMW 507 remains a milestone model for its attractive styling, which attracted some famous buyers. American icon Elvis Presley was the most noteworthy purchaser. The one pictured here is one Elvis leased while on duty with the US Army in Germany he paid $ 3750 a fortune at the time to lease the car while on duty in Germany.
Of the 254 produced, 202 507s are known to survive, a tribute to the car’s appeal. Bernie Ecclestone’s 507 fetched £430,238 ($904,000) at an auction in London in October 2007. By 2009 the prices for 507s had reached €900,000!
The styling of the 507 later influenced the Z3, Z4, and Z8.
Groovy word of the day: milestone
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