1958 BMW 503 3.2L série II coupé Lot n° 27

Bought new in Paris in August 1958 In the same family since the beginning Only 273 copies and 139 of this series Fully restored in 2001 at Lecoq French car registration document Chassis: 69278 - Engine: 30364 Bodywork: 1278 Presented at the 1955 Frankfurt Motor Show as a prototype, the BMW 503 represented the German brand's return to the premium car market. But beyond its design, which impressed Pinin Farina, who declared it to be the most beautiful car at the show, it was its design and aluminium V8 engine that made a big noise. It was clear that this new 3.2-litre V8 with a displacement of 3.2 litres and a power output of 140 hp had considerable potential and allowed the German GT to rise directly to the rank of luxury car. Aimed at the reborn German bourgeoisie and the American market, this coupe will bring a stylistic revival to the Bavarian brand. Its pontoon bodywork and engine directly competed with Mercedes-Benz on its own turf. In fact, sales manager Hanns Grewenig had been pushing for a while for a car with a V8 engine, but it wasn't until the announcement of the 300 SL launched by Mercedes-Benz that the project received the green light. Encouraged by importer Max Hoffman, who saw a bright future for it in the United States, he encouraged BMW to adopt the design by Count Albrecht von Goertz, an independent industrial designer, an eclectic designer ranging from fountain pens to industrial furniture. The latter was commissioned to produce the coupé and cabriolet on the chassis of the 502 sedan, with a wheelbase of 2,834 mm. A number of developments occurred during his life, the most important of which was the change of the gear lever to the floor at the end of 1957 (the 503 Series II - introduced in 1957 - used the 507 type engine/transmission system with floor shifting). The design of the turn signals was also changed, the windscreen wipers were installed in parallel and the passenger compartment was partly modernised. 70 years later, there is no doubt that the sobriety of these lines has aged magnificently and gives the car a timeless elegance. Discovering such a car is always an exceptional moment. Attached to the history of each car we present at auction, this one has a special character. Received by a man beautifully wearing his 87 springs, we discovered a car carefully preserved by a son who was keen to maintain his father's passion for vintage cars. As an enthusiast of the genre, it must be said that his father had a particular fondness for the BMW brand, to the point of owning some of its jewels. It was on August 2, 1958 that his father ordered his 503 coupé from the Impérial Garage in the 8th arrondissement of Paris before taking possession of it a few weeks later, on August 21. It is impossible to know the real mileage of this vehicle, but we know that the car was sent back to BMW in Munich at the end of the 1960s to have disc brakes installed in the front as on some of the last examples produced in 1959. Replaced at the beginning of the 1970s by a brand new 3000 CS coupé, the car moved to the family stronghold in the Dordogne where it was stored in one of the company's buildings until 2002. On the death of his father in 1985, the son took over the reins of the family business without giving him time to look into the future of the car. He confided to us that he had always taken care to start it up once or twice a year, before reaching retirement age, and that he really cared about it. In 2002, after having taken some information, he had the car sent to Lecoq for a complete restoration, giving the order to replace the original black colour and the red leather upholstery for these two current blue shades according to the colour chart of the brand at the time. Completely dismantled, a large file of invoices of more than 90 000 € and numerous photographs retrace each step of the restoration. As for the engine, it was restarted by the Lagrange garage in Villeneuve sur Lot, a great specialist in BMW race preparations. Since 2007, the beautiful 503 coupé has been back on the road for a few family gatherings or reunions in the region. On the day of our visit, in the cold winter of January, the car started at the first keystroke, letting the sound of a balanced V8 sound full lung thanks to its stainless steel exhaust system. Driver, passenger or spectator, this car is beautiful from every angle. Accompanied by its original maintenance booklet, four-language user manuals, a