One of BMW’s most celebrated vehicles, the 507 has remained an icon of design for 60 years. Conceived by the legendary American sports car dealer Max Hoffman, the 507 was intended to be the manufacturer’s halo car, bringing a company then known for mundane sedans and microcars into competition with the likes of Porsche and Mercedes-Benz.
Sold new through Automag Buchner & Linse of Munich, Germany, chassis number 70044 is a rare first-series 507, produced in July of 1957. Originally finished in Papyros, a scarce shade of off-white with a red leather interior, it was equipped with whitewall tires, a hardtop, and a Becker Mexico radio with an automatic antenna. The car’s first owner would be Herbert Dinkheller, who worked for a tobacco company in Frankfurt and who acquired the car shortly after it was built. While the 507 was registered under the name of his company at first, ownership was later transferred to Dinkheller personally in November of that year. The car was purchased from Dinkheller by its second owner in April of 1958.
