BMW 3.2 Saloon

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It wasn’t until 1951 that BMW unveiled their first all new post-war model. The extravagant 501 model was soon nicknamed the ‘Barockengel’ (Baroque Angel) by the German public, a reference to its flowing lines and suicide rear doors that looked (a bit) like angel’s wings.

It was fitted with an updated version of the pre-war BMW 326 six-cylinder engine, although unfortunately the voluminous and well-appointed bodywork weighed rather more than planned, significantly hampering its autobahn capabilities.

This weight issue had been a concern even before launch, the management giving the green light to an all-new engine which was to make its debut in the 1954 502 model. The new powerplant was a super-smooth all-alloy V8 of 2,580cc, its single camshaft running in the centre of the V operating pushrod overhead valves. Now with 100bhp on-tap, the new car could just about touch the magic ton, restoring BMW to its rightful place as a manufacturer of performance machinery.

Better still was to come, an enlarged 3,168cc 140bhp V8 was announced in 1955, finding its way into the gorgeous BMW 507 two-seater sports, 507 Coupe, 505 Limousine and the 502, although the larger engined version of the 502 saloon was simply refered to as the 3.2.

Selling for a hefty 19,000 DM, it would have taken the average German worker over five years to buy one, some 3,117 V8 502s finding wealthy customers before production halted in 1964.

This 1958 3.2 is believed to have been used originally by the German Embassy (evidenced by the special bracket on the rear bumper to mount the Diplomatic plates) and was bought by the vendor from a friend who had acquired in 1973 for £350. He had run it for a while before embarking on a comprehensive restoration that included stripping and rebuilding the engine with new rings and bearings. As with so many projects, it then got put to one side, the vendor eventually managing to prize it out of garage where it had sat unloved for many years.

We are advised that the basic structure of the car is remarkably sound, although clearly some of the outer panels will need to be sorted out. The vendor believes it to be largely complete, although he hadn’t be able to locate the dynamo at the time of writing.

A very worthwhile and interesting project, it comes with a workshop manual, its original buff logbook and an old MOT from 1976 which should assist its new owner in regaining its registration number, VXO 96, which is not recognised on the DVLA computer so has presumably not been assigned to another vehicle since.