The BMW 501, the company’s first postwar car, was so sumptuously designed that the German public nicknamed the model Barockengel – “Baroque Angel.” The sobriquet – and the affection for the car – has endured for 70-plus years.
For good reason. The 501 was a carefully engineered, long-planned jewel of a car.
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG had struggled to get back into car manufacturing after World War II. Most of its production capacity had either been destroyed or seized by occupying Russians. The company first focused on small appliances and then motorcycles, all the while planning its reentry into the auto market.
The car won raves when it was displayed at auto shows in 1951 -- praised for being as beautiful in its mechanical engineering as its sheet metal. Innovations included a manual transmission not routinely fastened to the engine but rather shaft-driven and positioned farther to the rear. The interiors were quiet, spacious and luxurious. The chassis with its unique frame-on-frame construction was sturdy and relatively lightweight.
The 501 won a permanent place in German culture with its appearance as a dashing police car in the Bavarian television series “Funkstreife Isar 12.”
This 501 has the advantage of being late in the model’s six-year production run. The unusual, charming color and spectacular interior are clearly the result of a superior restoration. This elegant vehicle will be rock-solid as an investment and a huge source of pleasure to the lucky new owner.
The BMW 501, the company’s first postwar car, was so sumptuously designed that the German public nicknamed the model Barockengel – “Baroque Angel.” The sobriquet – and the affection for the car – has endured for 70-plus years.
For good reason. The 501 was a carefully engineered, long-planned jewel of a car.
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG had struggled to get back into car manufacturing after World War II. Most of its production capacity had either been destroyed or seized by occupying Russians. The company first focused on small appliances and then motorcycles, all the while planning its reentry into the auto market.
The car won raves when it was displayed at auto shows in 1951 -- praised for being as beautiful in its mechanical engineering as its sheet metal. Innovations included a manual transmission not routinely fastened to the engine but rather shaft-driven and positioned farther to the rear. The interiors were quiet, spacious and luxurious. The chassis with its unique frame-on-frame construction was sturdy and relatively lightweight.
The 501 won a permanent place in German culture with its appearance as a dashing police car in the Bavarian television series “Funkstreife Isar 12.”
This 501 has the advantage of being late in the model’s six-year production run. The unusual, charming color and spectacular interior are clearly the result of a superior restoration. This elegant vehicle will be rock-solid as an investment and a huge source of pleasure to the lucky new owner.
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