Rare V8-powered BMW 502 heads to auction

BMW is pushing forward with a dramatic electrified future, having just revealed its Vision Neue Klasse X concept.

If you prefer a journey into the past, however, next month’s H&H Classics auction in Derbyshire will star this rare 1957 BMW 502 saloon. 

It represents one of just 12 examples thought to remain in the UK, and comes fitted with BMW’s first production V8 engine.

The first BMW built in Bavaria

Launched at the 1951 Frankfurt Motor Show, the 501 was the German marque’s first car to be launched and sold after World War Two. 

It was initially powered by a six-cylinder engine, but BMW was influenced by the Oldsmobile Rocket V8 that had debuted in 1949. And where Detroit used iron, BMW designed its 2.6-litre overhead-valve V8 with a lightweight aluminium block. 

Producing 100hp and 136lb ft of torque, the V8-powered 502 featured a four-speed manual gearbox. A top speed of 99mph made it the fastest German saloon on sale when it arrived in 1954.

Along with impressive power and performance, the BMW 502 also commanded a hefty price tag. So while the six-cylinder 501 had proved popular, BMW sold fewer than 200 examples of the 502 in its first year of production.

No iDrive controller here

This particular 502 was purchased in late 1957, and was subsequently bought by the founder of the Trainer BMW dealership in Swansea. An extensive restoration was undertaken by Trainer BMW, which led to the car being a consistent winner at the BMW International Concours D’Elegance during the early 1980s.

Stored until the early 1990s, the 502 was bought by its current vendor in 2016. Work was undertaken to fix a crack in the engine block, treat corrosion and replace the bumpers with new-old-stock items.

The vendor admits the bumpers do wear some surface rust, and that the paintwork is only in a ‘fair’ condition. Pleasingly, though, this is because he uses the 502, rather than simply storing and polishing it.

The BMW’s red velour upholstery is noted as being intact and, like the wooden veneer on its dashboard, only in need of a small amount of attention.

A classic driving machine

Rare when new, and even more so today, the chances to own a right-hand-drive BMW 502 are few and far-between. It certainly makes for an intriguing alternative to more predictable German classics, and is ready to be driven again.

H&H Classics has given the 502 a pre-auction estimate of between £18,000 and £22,000, making it a relatively affordable car of this era.

The V8-powered BMW will go under the hammer on Wednesday 24 April 2024, as part of the H&H Classics sale at the Pavilion Gardens in Buxton, Derbyshire.

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