1956 BMW 503

The BMW 503 is a two-door sports car with two plus two seats, manufactured by Bayerische Motoren Werke.

The eight-cylinder V engine developed for the BMW 502 sedan was and remained for a long time the only German cast-aluminium eight-cylinder engine. It served as the basis for an ambitious sports car project that commercial director Hanns Grewenig pushed through against the wishes of BMW's then chief engineer, Kurt Donath.

An initial body design by Veritas initiator Ernst Loof was rejected by BMW management. Instead, Grewenig commissioned Albrecht Graf von Goertz, who had already designed the BMW 507 through the mediation of American importer Max Hoffman, to design a luxurious, pontoon-shaped sports car with a classic BMW kidney grille. After 18 months of development, the BMW 503 and BMW 507 appeared at the International Motor Show in September 1955. The trade press and the public were enthusiastic.

Although the BMW 503 received gold medals from the juries of beauty contests in Cannes, Rome, Lisbon, Vienna, and Wiesbaden, the car did not become a major sales success, mainly because of its high price: in May 1956, BMW asked 29, 500 marks for the coupé and convertible; in December 1957, the car cost 31, 500 marks, and in July 1958, 32, 950 marks. Since a terraced house cost almost twice as much at the time, only wealthy customers—such as Count Faber-Castell, Rudolf-August Oetker, and film actress Sonja Ziemann—could afford the car.

The aluminium body was manufactured by coachbuilder Baur. The 3, 168 cc engine delivered 140 hp (103 kW) at 4, 800 rpm and accelerated from 0 to 100 km/ h in 13. 3 seconds. The top speed was stated as 190 km/ h. As with the BMW 507, the lateral “gills” were intended to prevent heat buildup in the engine compartment. Given the thermal issues, BMW produced a few BMW 503s at the customer's request with air outlets on the sides of the front fenders. Count Goertz subsequently approved this modification as aesthetically valuable.

The BMW presented here comes from Italy. It is a black 503 with a red leather interior. This is a beautiful combination, and the leather is still in perfect condition. Furthermore, the car looks absolutely fantastic, even from underneath. The engine runs smoothly, and the finish shows that this is a top-class vehicle. It drives, shifts, steers, and brakes perfectly. A true gentleman's car.

This car has Italian registration.