The 507 is probably the most widely recognised classic BMW of the 1950's. Like it's great rival the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, it was inspired by the US importer Max Hoffmann, who told BMW that he could sell a high-performance sports car in large quantities if the company could deliver.

In 1954, Ernst Loof designed and built a prototype on the 502 chassis with a 2.6 litre V8 engine. However an alternative style put forward by Albrecht Goertz at Hoffmann's suggestion won the day.

The Goertz style was for a curvaceous roadster with optional hard-top. It was a shape which has worn incredibly well over the years and surviving examples of the 507 now change hands for extremely large sums of money.

The production cars had the 3.2 litre V8 in twin-carburettor form with 150 bhp or, for the USA only, with 165 bhp. Acceleration and top speed depended on which of the three optional axle ratios was chosen, but the performance of a 507 was broadly comparable with that of the contemporary XK 140 Jaguar.

BMW claimed a 507 was capable of 200 km/h with the tallest 3.42:1 gearing, although 185 km/h was nearer the truth. Yet this remarkable machine was never a strong seller. One problem was it's cost, another was BMW's inability to get production under way.

Despite a launch at the 1955 Frankfurt motor show, the first cars were not delivered until the following year. By then Mercedes had become too well entrenched as the definitive supercar.

The 300 SL gullwing coupé's mutation into a roadster model in 1957 removed the 507's most obvious advantage. Lack of boot space in the first cars was also a major failing and BMW was forced to introduce a smaller "optional" fuel tank to free up more room.

Just 254 507's were sold between 1956 and 1959, all with left-hand drive. Some of the very last had disc brakes at the front instead of the all-drum system.

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