BMW 507 (white) in the movie “Invitation to Monte Carlo” with Claud Biederstaedt and Germaine DamarBMW 507 (red) in southern hilly landscape, several driving shotsBMW 507 (red) in bavarian landscape, several driving shotsBMW 507 (red) in italian landscape/ small town, several driving shots

BMW 507 (black), several studio shotsBMW 507 (red), pan over kidneyshaped grill and hoodBMW 507 (white), blue light, several shots

Design drawings and operation permission of the BMW 507, several shotsHistoric advertisements of the BMW 507, several shotsBMW 507 at the 1955 IAA in Frankfurt, surrounded by the crowdBMW 507 with hardtop next to gangway of an airplaneBMW 507 and “Miss BMW Connection”Elvis Presley in front of a BMW 507Curd Jürgens with a model of the BMW 507Aristoteles Onassis wih the BMW 507Albrecht Graf Goertz, Designer of the BMW 507 and the BMW 503Giovanni Michelott, Designer of the BMW 3200 Michelotti Vignale„BMW Research and development Department, Nürburgring Field Office“ with a group of engineers and Ernst LoofBMW 3200 Michelotti Vignale at the exhibition in Turin 1959, lateral and front viewBMW 507, body by Raymond Loewy (1957)

BMW 507 in the Villa d´Este gardens, several stillsVilla d´este, pan down onto BMW 3200 Michelotti Vignale, BMW 507 Prototype („Loof-Prototype“) and the BMW 507,several shots all togetherBMW 3200 Michelotti Vignale, several stillsPeter Kraus, german singer and entertainer, looking at the BMW 507, zoom out into far shot with all three carsBMW 507 Prototype (“Loof-Prototype”), several stillsBMW 507, several stillsFar shot with BMW 3200 Michelotti Vignale, BMW 507 Prototype („Loof-Prototype“) and BMW 507,several shotsBMW 507, several stillsFar shot with BMW 3200 Michelotti Vignale, BMW 507 Prototype („Loof-Prototype“) and BMW 507BMW 3200 Michelotti Vignale, several driving shotsBMW 507 Prototype (“Loof-Prototype”), several driving shotsExhibition with BMW 3200 Michelotti Vignale, BMW 507 Prototype („Loof-Prototype“) and BMW 507, spectators, design sketches, several shots

“The basis is the same: they have the same engine, the same chassis and the same drive train, but I think the prototype at least is a prototype and it is a sportscar, a pure sportscar. The BMW 507 with the Goertz design is a very ideal art piece of elegance, sportiveness and dynamic.”“There was founded a project titled 528 and the design people of BMW made the design of this prototype. The body was built in Stuttgart by Baur and completed was the car at the german Nürburgring from our development departement there. The name of the engineer was Ernst Loof so the car is often called the “Loof-car” which is not the right description, because Loof was an engineer.”“I think, inside BMW they thought, yes, it´s a true sportscar, but the US-importer, Max Hoffmann, said: I cannot sell this car in the US. So he thought about another designer and so Graf Goertz came into place. He designed the 507, it was a wonderful design and it was a accepted by Max Hoffmann and by the Board of Management in Munich.”“Before the 2nd world war BMW has had the 328, a wonderful, very successful sportscar, and it was part of the heart of BMW having sportscars, and the idea, having a new sportscar in the 50s was the right one, it fits to BMW.”“In 1959, the italian designer Giovanni Michelotti designed his BMW 507, it was not called 507, it was called Michelotti Vignale 3200. But the basis, the chassis was the same as the series car.”“It is a unique model, it was successful, well respected, but I think the public thought, the series 507 is much more elegant.”

Adrian van Hooydonk watching the BMW 507, walking out of the picture„The 507 ist a sportscar, a roadster, and roadsters are very emotional products by definition. Then the proportions are great, still today. We like cars that are basically low with big wheels, so very good proportions. And then it has beautiful sculpture and fantastic details. These are all things that even today are interesting.” “There are several details on the 507 that we still can trace back to the cars that we do today. There is this air outlet on the cars side, on the fender, which we have on all our Z cars, on the Z3, the Z4, the Z8. An then there is a line on the body´s side which we have on all our BMWs still today. And then sculpture is something that we are still doing today and obviously, the kidney-shaped grill is something that has combined all our cars throughout our history. The shape of the kidney grill has changed and on the 507 we have a particurlarly wide variation of the theme. That indicates the considerable engine power that the 507 has. And this is something that we still do today: if we design a car that has a lot of power, then we make the kidneys a little bit wider. So there are still quite a few elements that we use today.”“Old cars are interesting for us to look at as designers. Especially at BMW we are very aware that we have such a rich history and that we have such beautiful and fantastic cars in our heritage. But at the same time, BMW has always tried to offer our customers the latest in technology, also in the 50s, and therefore I think we should offer them the latest in design. BMW is a forward looking company: we are proud of our history and our heritage but we don´t think we should start to repeat ourselves, I don´t think that´s what the customers want either.”“50s design was post-war era, industrialisation picked up again, an era of hope, people wanted to forget about the 2nd world war. And there were so much new technology, new materials that allowed designers to experiment and to do new shapes. Today, we are living in a pretty complex time, but for designers this is also a good time because we have overcome a lot of difficult issues in production and automisation. Today again we are able to do more different shapes, more emotion in car design and it´s happening right now.”“I have a lot of respect for Graf Groetz and the work that he did. The 507 and the other car that he did for BMW are fantastic. Of course it was dificult for him: he was not working inside of BMW, he was external. He was not working in Germany, he was working in New York, so it must not have been that easy. But then again I believe car design was never easy because cars are very complex products. So today maybe even more than in the 50s, there is a lot of demands and legal requirement that designers have to fullfill. At the end of the day, people buy cars for emotional reasons, then, in the 50s and still today. So I think this is the most important aspect of design and there is never enough time to do it, so this hasn´t changed eather.”“Car design is emotion, is all about emotion and sensuality is emotion, so in car design we can express and evoke emotion by sculpture and the way lines flow. If we do our job well, people want to touch the cars. I see that happening with the 507 a lot, it also happens with some of our new cars, the 6 series is also a car that people can´t keep their hands off of it. I think we have been successful in evoking some emotion again.”

Flight over the Lake of Como: Villa d´Este seen from aboveVilla d´Este seen from the lakesideSeaplane on the Lake of ComoConcorso d´Eleganza, pan over exhibition of the competing carsRolls Royce´s “Spirit of Extasy”, focus change onto visitorsVisitor with capView into engine compartment of the Hispano-Suiza H6B Cabriolet, 1928 (Nr.10), pan to juryRadiator mascot of the Hispano-Suiza, jury in backgroundVisitor with cap directing Rolls Royce Phantom I Piccadilly Roadster, 1927 (Nr.6) to its placePan down from Villa d´Este onto exhibitionOwner cleaning spokes with brush and towelDuesenberg J Convertible Sedan, 1931 (Nr.16), pan from radiator grill to visitors, man with hat watching radiator mascotVilla d´Este, pan down to BMW 507, 1957 (Nr.60), several detailsPresentation, far shot with BMW 507, pan to sculptureVisitor taking picures, blonde lady, three gentlemen discussing behind car, zoom out, man with sunglasses and straw hatJaguar SS 100, 1937 (Nr.22) owner: Peter Kraus, german singer and entertainer, several shotsPeter Kraus polishing his Jaguar, several shots„Now it´s restaured, I made it all on my own, it took three years and now it´s sinply wonderful. So I can participate in ths concorso and after, I turn to rallyes again, so he´ll be taken a bit harder then.”„I think, a car needs to be on the street and has to be driven, it wants it and that´s what is best for it. That´s wht they are made for, not necessarily for being exhibited, but this is nice, too.”?You owned a 507 as well, what happened to it?“I took part in a flower parade in Vienna with lots of spectators. Senta Berger (actress) sat next to me and suddenly the fans came creeping on the hood in front and the trunk lid in the back, it was horrible. They crushed every side of the car, as it´s an aluminium body. Senta became histerical, what I understood quite well, and we escaped through the flower borders, somehow. At this time, the cost estimate of BMW was so high, that I had to sell the 507, which was quite hard to me. I know, who owns it now, and I hope it´s well restaured again.”Several nameplates: Corvette Rondine, Pinin Farina, Alfa Romeo, Monteverdi Palm Beach, Touring, PegasoPan over several competitors to Lancia Flavia Coupé, 1964 (Nr.98), car of Claude Picasso, son of Pablo Picasso, several shots. The Lancia Flavia still is in original condition, it has never been restaured. Claude Picasse is the second owner.Claude Picasso arriving and entering his car, two perspectives„It´s amusing to present the car and to talk with everyone. And it was very interesting for me, because this car was designed by Zagato and Mr. Zagato was here! So I met Mr. Zagato the creator of this special design which is very refined and it´s very amusing, because people say: “You can tell this is the day when Mr. Zagato went completely crazy!”“If you take a look at all the glasswork, it´s all bent everywhere you can see on the side, the glass comes up on the roof, we have little sun shades, the back window has an electric motor, it will lift the electric window in the back and create a little more ventilation which was a fancy idea in those days without air conditioning.”It´s the 50s anniversary of the BMW 507, do you know this roadster?“Yes, yes, yes, I know the car and I liked it very much as a child. I always liked the 507 and it has a wonderful noise, the engine also is very special, all BMW engines are very special! I own one car with a BMW engine, it´s a Formula 2, and it was the winner fo

All following statements were made in 2001 “A car means general interest. People dream of a car, but a camera you don´t nead urgently. Whatever happens, the most exciting product one can do is a car.”“During the first days, I was at BMW, they showed me the 328 and said: „This is a BMW, we need something like this!“ But I think, ist shouldn´t be seen too directly, saying: “I´m going to design a second 328.” It should be more emotional: What did these cars stand for? It needs to be similar in an emotional way, not necessarily visually.”?Did you ever meet Ernst Loof? “He was a competitor and then they said: „Goertz won!“…And then Loof was quite angry, what I can understand very well.”“I remember, the 507 didn´t have no glasses and nothing in, I drove around in the works. This feeling is incredible when you can say: “This is my car!”…And I am convinced, I had a wonderful, exciting life!”“There were so many people who wanted to change the “kidney” [shape of the grill]…they tried it until the loading for the exhibition, but I always hat his excuse: we don´t have the time, we´ll change it at the next car.”“I was in Munich and Grewenig said: „Of course you come to Frankfurt!“ I simply answered: “These guys from BMW turn me crazy, I go to New York!”…The first day after the exhibition in Frankfurt I got a telegram from Mr. Grewenig: “The sensation of the Fankfurt Exhibition! Best regards Grewenig.” At this moment, I had to take deep breaths.”Concorso d´Eleganza Villa d´Este 2004BMW 507, owner Francis Maret with Albrecht Graf Goertz, several shots: Garf Goertz talking to Francis Maret, sitting inside the 507, writing autograph on a brass badge“They are children of mine. And when you meet your children after a certain time, you are happy.”„For me it was fantastic, becaus from one day to another I was compared to Farina and Bertone and so on. nobody on this world had known me the day before.”