1957 BMW 507 Series II Roadster

Tony’s Take: The BMW 507 Roadster was a flop. The German automaker planned to send 5k units a year @ $5,000. The 507 ended up costing $10,500 ($114k in today’s money). Just 252 examples saw the light of day, 52 of which are presumed lost. Today, the BMW 507 Roadster is collector catnip: a car so rare and beautiful it’s fit for a king. Yes, Elvis bought a 507 while stationed in German. The Memphis Flash also gave a 507 to Bond Girl Ursula Andress after they wrapped Fun in Acapulco. The Roadster [unintentionally] replaced the car Andress’ husband sold to Fred Astaire. Go figure.

In 2018, Bonham’s auctioned the Series 1 507 above for $5m. It was a particularly high price for a particularly historic example, accompanied by lots of letters and ephemera. The original owner was none other than British Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver John Surtees – the only man to win world championships on both two and four wheels. The last four 507’s sold for an average of $2.1m. They lacked celebrity provenance and all appear to be restored examples.

Bonham’s is back in the 507 biz with another “pedestrian” 507. Only this one’s an unrestored, numbers-matching Roadster. The auctioneer estimates a hammer price between $1.8m to $2.2m. I think they’re going to be pleasantly surprised when it fetches $2.4m to $2.7m. While 50’s-era cars are normally pursued by Boomers, BMW guys are a cult. There’s a young tech guy, gal or non-binary out there, somewhere, with a roundel on his, her or their heart. They/them will bid this beautiful Bimmer to infinity, and beyond!