The King fell in love with this German beauty. How will it look, restored, at Pebble Beach?
When you're serving in the Army and you're stationed in Germany, the best thing to do with your free time is to go see car races – the Europeans love them!
It's what Elvis Presley did, back in 1958, and he didn't regret a bit making a short trip to southern France, to see the hill climb champion Hans Stuck race a BMW 507 at the Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry. He fell in love with the car and, being the King of Rock 'n' Roll, managed to have the exactly same roadster leased to him in December that year.
BMW's 507 had a top speed of 205 km/h (127 mph) and managed to win some of the most important races in its time. BMW refurbished the car with a new windshield, new four-speed transmission, and a 3.2-liter aluminum V8 that developed 150 hp. As an anecdote, the original color of this 507 was Feather White, but a lot of the King's female fans covered it in red lipstick and phone numbers, so Elvis decided to repaint it in red.
A couple of amazing years followed for this car, as Presley's 507 appeared in several international magazines alongside The King. It isn't clear what Elvis did with it after leaving the Army, but the car was eventually brought to the United States, where the famous radio host Tommy Charles bought it, apparently just because it had belonged to The King. He ripped its BMW drivetrain and replaced it with a Chevrolet V8, Borg-Warner four-speed transmission, and Chevrolet rear axle – the perfect combination for drag racing. And drag racing he did!
The car changed hands again and eventually was bought by collector Jack Castor, who kept it in storage since 1968, wanting to restore it someday. This day came in 2009, when it was uncovered by Bimmer, as the 'Holy Grail among BMWs.'
BMW Classic was eventually selected by Castor to restore the car, and Elvis' 507 will be displayed in all its restored beauty at Pebble Beach, on the 21st of August 2016, as part of BMWs 100th Anniversary celebration. Judging from the pictures below, it looks absolutely amazing!
Keep in mind that, of the 254 BMW 507 models that were made, almost all of them still exist today. Having this particular 507 back into the family is, therefore, nothing short of a miracle.
Now hit the gallery and see how BMW managed to restore this wonder!