1955 BMW 502 - 502 Baur Cabriolet

Original Cabriolet built by Baur

One of the rarest post-war BMW models

One of only 46 examples built in this form

Beautiful colour combination

Only two owners since 1967

With the 501, BMW had returned to the upper echelons of motoring in the early 1950s. The large saloon was dignified, expensive and, with its voluptuous lines, soon became known as the “Baroque Angel”. Those who wanted something even more exclusive, however, could order a BMW from 1954 onwards that initially lacked one rather essential component: the body.

Selected coachbuilders could order the 501 and 502 as so-called “F” models. The F simply stood for Fahrgestell – chassis. What arrived was a complete running chassis with engine and gearbox, but without a finished body. The stage was thus set for bespoke coachwork to suit the customer’s wishes. A 502-F therefore denotes no later conversion, but a car intended for individual coachwork from new.

Baur in Stuttgart occupied a special position. It was the only coachbuilder whose variants could be ordered quite normally through the BMW dealer network and were even listed in the official price list. Customers could choose between a Coupé and two- or four-door Cabriolets. Predictably, such pleasures did not come cheaply. In 1955, BMW charged DM 21,900 for a 502 Cabriolet, compared with DM 17,800 for the already anything but inexpensive saloon. A little more sky above one’s head therefore came at a substantial premium.

Production numbers were correspondingly modest. Only 96 examples of the 502-F are said to have been delivered in total. According to BMW Group Classic, Baur built just 57 Cabriolets based on the 502 in 1955 and 1956: 46 with two doors and a mere eleven with four.

These open Baroque Angels therefore rank among the rarest BMWs of the post-war era. Faced with such numbers, even the 503 and 507 begin to look almost commonplace. A Baur 502 Cabriolet was certainly not a BMW for everyone even when new – and today, still less so.

This BMW 502 Cabriolet was delivered through AUTOMAG in Munich on 10 August 1955. It is an original two-door Cabriolet built by Baur. According to BMW, it left the factory with the 2.6-litre V8 producing 100 hp, six-seat accommodation, leather upholstery and metallic-effect paintwork.

In May 1987, the Cabriolet was advertised for sale with a Munich telephone number in the magazine “Markt”: “newly restored, DM 105,000”. The same seller was also offering a 503 Cabriolet for DM 60,000. Whether the much livelier 140 hp engine fitted today was already installed at that point is not known. What is certain is that the photographs already show the unusual hubcaps styled to resemble centre-lock wheels – a rarity in their own right and even recorded in the vehicle documents.

It is further known that in October 1995 the BMW belonged to a hotelier in Bad Kohlgrub, Bavaria, as he contacted BMW about the car at the time.

In January 2004, the consignor was able to acquire the Baur 502. With this jewel, he crowned the V8 section of his BMW collection and kept the car registered from May 2004 until December 2007. It was hardly driven, however, as running his business left precious little time for leisure.

Maintenance and necessary repairs were nevertheless carried out, as documented by various invoices as well as the fault-free German roadworthiness inspection of September 2026.

Today, a BMW 502 Baur Cabriolet represents one of the grandest German cars of the post-war era, powered by Germany’s first series-production post-war V8, made of aluminium no less. The tiny production numbers guarantee genuine rarity. The silky power delivery of the V8 and the dignified appointments turn every outing into an occasion. A 502-F such as this Baur Cabriolet is quite rightly regarded as a piece of motoring heritage.