Estimate:
€2.000.000 - €2.200.000

• Equipped with desired Rudge wheels and factory hardtop
• Full 1990s restoration by TT Motorsports with recent, extensive work by Tom Fisher Classic & Race Car Service
• The only 507 delivered new to Mozambique
• One of 217 Series II 507s built

Great art is created from vision, not necessity. Never was this truer than with the legendary BMW 507 Roadster. In the early 1950s, BMW bore little resemblance to the global manufacturer and corporate giant that produces the ‘ultimate driving machines’ of today. The company needed a halo car that would boost sales of other models and grow brand awareness. Quick to offer assistance was legendary New York car dealer Max Hoffman, of Porsche 356 Speedster and Mercedes-Benz 300 SL fame. Hoffman had the magic touch, so his request for a mid-end European sports car was swiftly granted, and development work got under way.

Utilizing components from both the 502 and the 503 series, the 507 was designed by Count Albrecht von Goertz at Hoffman’s insistence. Equipped with a 3.2-litre overhead-valve V-8 engine capable of delivering 148 bhp, it was the sweeping lines of the 507 that truly took the breath away. Beginning at the front with BMW’s signature grille and a chrome bumper, the car stayed low to the ground, curving sensuously before ending in twin exhausts. Priced at more than $11,000 the car was hardly mid-level and only the lucky few could afford one. Only 252 507s were made before production ended.

Offered here is one of the final examples built. A late-production Series II 507, it benefits from increased engine displacement and therefore higher performance, as well as additional space behind the seats, affording taller drivers a more comfortable seating position. The Series II was also equipped with a smaller fuel tank under the boot – redesigned due to complaints of the smell of fuel in the earlier cars.

Delivered new to Mozambique, this 507 was specified in Japan Red with Rudge wheels and a hardtop – features it retains today. In the 1970s the engine was replaced with a BMW 3200 CS engine fitted with original 507 Zenith carburettors, the same powerplant it sports today. By the 1990s chassis no. 70241 had made its way to the UK, where it was fully restored by TT Motorsports in the late 1990s, which included the installation of a more modern five-speed ZF gearbox. Importantly, the original four-speed gearbox will accompany the car. The 507 then made its way to the U.S., before returning to Europe and settling with its current owner in Germany. Invoices on file for restoration work undertaken by Tom Fisher Classic & Race Car Service in Brannenburg in late 2016 and early 2017 total to over €22.000 with the intention of making the car a perfect driver in modern conditions.

Thanks to its upgrades, this example of the 507 Series II is an upgraded and highly usable specimen of a rare and iconic design.

Please note that contrary to the printed catalogue, this lot is offered with a reserve.
Veuillez noter que, contrairement aux indications du catalogue papier, ce lot est présenté avec prix de réserve.

To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/pa19.