1956 BMW 501 Saloon

The BMW 501 was a luxury saloon manufactured by BMW from 1952 to 1958. Introduced at the first Frankfurt Motor Show in 1951, the 501 was the first motor car to be manufactured and sold by BMW after the Second World War. The 501 made an impression on the public with its solid engineering and its extravagance. Its list price of more than 15,000 DM was about four times the average salary in Germany at the time. The public nicknamed the 501 "Barockengel" (Baroque Angel) in reference to the curved, flowing style of the body.

The 501 was built an all-new platform, with a perimeter frame, double A-arm front suspension with torsion bar springs, and a live axle with torsion bar springs at the rear. The steering mechanism was similar to a rack and pinion system except that the rack was semi-circular instead of straight. The car was powered by the M337 engine, a development of the BMW M78 used in the pre-war BMW 326. The four-speed gearbox was not bolted to the engine but was a separate shaft-driven unit mounted between the second and third cross-members. The body was designed in-house by Peter Schimanowski, however after seeing the prototype, BMW's management commissioned Pininfarina to build an alternative. The resulting Pininfarina prototype was thought to be too similar to his design for the Alfa Romeo 1900 saloon, so BMW stayed with Schimanowski's design.

This wonderfully restored example came to our vendor's Danish collection from Sweden. Cosmetically and mechanically restored, the engine was overhauled with new pistons and bearings, and the transmission also received attention during this time. Such was the quality of the restoration the car won "Best in Show" at a Danish classic and vintage car show in 2000. Although not to be relied on in a car of this vintage, we are told the odometer stands at circa 6,800 kilometers and we believe it's gone "round the clock", a testament to the early post-war engineering standards of BMW.