Description
Mercedes-Benz stood astounded when in 1954 at the Geneva car show when BMW lifted the cover off her 502. Not a straight-six but a V8, no 80 Ps but 100 Ps. The BMW immediately put the slightly earlier introduced Mercedes-Benz Ponton in its shadow. The public nicknamed the BMW 501 and 502’2 lovingly “Barockengel” for their ability to effortlessly race over the Autobahn. The BMW 502 with its 100 Ps V8 engine even managed a top speed of 160 km/ hr, which for then was seriously fast. The BMW 502 also happened to be the first post-war German car to be fitted with a V8.
This particular example remained in the hands of just one person for a long period of time. He also was quite an adept mechanic who worked for Pon, Quite understandable he wanted to work on a proper car on his weekends off. In the past this car was restored from the ground up and completely body-off. The restoration was carried out to an exacting level and has been very well maintained ever since. The condition of this BMW 502 is best described as an older restoration that has been very well maintained and still runs perfectly.
The bodywork still looks great. The brightwork is particularly neat and the paintwork is still in a good condition bar some minor signs of normal usage. The car stands upon steel rims fitted with the correct hubcaps. The panelwork is nice and thin as well as being correctly aligned.
The inside of this BMW 502 is a veritable feast of the finest materials available at the time. The dashboard and doors have lovely wooden inlay and cloth upholstery is of the highest quality. The well laid carpets have a perfect fit. The instrument and controls are all in good order and have a fine authentic look about them. The headlining is also in very good shape.
Mechanically the car has benefitted from the expertise you can rely on from a good mechanic. The engine produces enough torque throughout the rev range. The transmission is precise. The rebuilt or replaced brake and suspension are in a very good state of maintenance.
The car has a wonderful amount of documentation with many issues of the BMW V8 owner’s club magazine, the BMW V8 journal, as well as parts lists, invoices and general model information. A good BMW 502 is a rare find these days. Over the last few decennia they did not fetch enough to warrant a hearty injection of restoration funds. Nowadays appreciation of the BMW 502 has increased with people valuing this is not just any old post-war and worthwhile worth preserving for future generations. Not many have been spared and as it is always most costly to restore a car yourself, do yourself a pleasure and take full advantage of one where someone has already carried the expense.
Price in Euros € 67. 500,-
