1959 BMW 507 Roadster

BMW's history began in 1916 and its roots lie in the production of aircraft engines, an activity that filled the company’s order books in the early years and, thanks to its military connections, allowed it to expand. The technical know-how it gained during that period led first to the production of motorcycles, from 1923, and later to the assembly of cars. From the 1930s onwards, BMW passed through a very important period which included the launch of the 303, the first car equipped with the “double kidney” front grille that became a hallmark of the Bavarian brand, and with the first significant victories in international races with the 328, including the Mille Miglia in 1940. World War II inflicted a severe setback on BMW, which the Nazi’s first forced to stop production of cars and motorcycles in order to refocus on aircraft engines and, after the end of the conflict, when the Allies confiscated the Munich plant and three factories in the eastern part of Germany, which ended up in Soviet hands.

The opportunity to revive the brand came after a meeting between BMW’s top management and Max Hoffman, the largest importer of German cars into the United States, who had already played an important role in the overseas success of the Porsche 356 Speedster, the Mercedes-Benz 190 SL and the 300 SL “Gullwing”.

BMW also wanted a distribution facility in America, and with these assumptions came the idea of producing a sports car that would be significantly more attractive than the small British roadsters yet cheaper than the cars offered by Mercedes. Hoffman suggested that the design of their car be followed by the Count and designer Albrecht von Goertz, who proposed a more convincing design than the one developed in-house. Consequently, in the summer of 1955 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, the 507 was unveiled.