1959 BMW 501 - 501/8-Zylinder

BMW’s economy model for the luxury class

Delivered to Salzburg after production had already ended

Part of an important BMW collection since 1979

Preserved in largely unrestored condition

When BMW unveiled the 501 at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1951, the message was unmistakable: Munich wanted back into the luxury-car market. The imposing saloon, with its sweeping wings, soon acquired the nickname “Barockengel” – Baroque Angel. Beneath the voluptuous bodywork initially sat a six-cylinder engine whose basic design dated back to the pre-war years. For almost one and a half tonnes of Bavarian Baroque, it was anything but extravagant.

The decisive development came in 1954. With the 502, BMW introduced Germany’s first post-war saloon with a V8 engine. The newly developed 2.6-litre light-alloy V8 produced 100 hp, combining relatively low weight with the sort of refinement expected of a suitably prestigious motor car.

From the spring of 1955, the 501 was allowed to benefit from this achievement as well. As the BMW 501 V8, it received the same 2,580 cc engine, albeit with five horsepower less. Even so, 160 km/h was possible – finally the sort of performance BMW considered appropriate for the saloon.

The crucial difference between the 501 V8 and the 502 was found less beneath the bonnet than around it. The 501 was deliberately more modestly equipped, doing without some of the prestigious chrome trim and luxury equipment of its more expensive sibling. In return, at DM 13,950 it saved its buyer almost DM 4,000 over the 502. You still got eight cylinders, just slightly fewer opportunities to explain them to the neighbours.

The BMW 501 V8 was built from February 1955 until July 1958 and became one of the best-selling versions of the Baroque Angel. A small bright spot during what were otherwise very difficult times for BMW.

This BMW 501 V8 was delivered to Salzburg in April 1959, almost a year after its successor, the 2600, had already appeared. By 1979 it had reached its third and, to date, final owner, becoming part of his extensive BMW collection.

The Baroque Angel survives in remarkably untouched condition. Repainted once on the outside, it still retains its original and well-preserved cloth interior. Even the original maintenance booklet has survived. Kept running throughout the decades and used for outings with the whole family, it is now being passed on with considerable reluctance.

Rarely does a BMW luxury saloon of this era survive with quite so much charm and so little restoration – and show itself to such advantage in the process. That it still presents this way today undoubtedly owes much to its unusual history.