501 & 502: The Baroque Angel
The BMW 501 was the first new BMW to be produced after the war, and it debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show in April 1951, when a pre-production prototype was displayed. Production would not get under way until October 1952 due to delays in body production. The first 2045 cars were manufactured by Karosserie Baur to enable production to start while BMW was tooling up elsewhere for higher production numbers. The two-litre pushrod engine was virtually the same as the pre-war 326’s unit, but now with a Solex carburettor with two-position starting device. Now that front leaf springs were no longer used, the engine was moved further forward compared with pre-war cars, improving cabin space. A four-speed ZF all-synchromesh gearbox, mounted under the rear seats, also improved interior room as there was no transmission tunnel, but was ingeniously linked under the floor to an American-style column gearchange. Everything else was new, including a hefty welded frame of brand-new design, with a front section that supported the engine and suspension, and separate rear outer section that included the body mounts and rear suspension which comprised very long longitudinal torsion bars.

The four-door saloon body styling was certainly groundbreaking, and a little controversial. The front end resembled the pre-war 327 with a tall upright twin grille. However, the rest of the styling was groundbreaking, using curved-glass technology. The windscreen used a distinct and attractive wraparound curve, the screen was now fixed in position and no longer openable. Running boards, still seen on post-war cars, were no longer used, and all panels took on a swooping, curved line, including the roofline that descended towards the rear of the car. All panels at the rear were also curved, as was the rear bumper, like the front, and the rear screen too, although the earliest 501s had a smaller rear screen that was non wraparound. The rear passenger doors were hinged at the rear, and body colours were somewhat limited, as with Henry Ford’s quote, “You can have any colour you like, as long as it’s black.” Strong new post-war competition came from Ford, Opel, Borgward, DKW and Daimler-Benz; the 501 was going to have to be a strong contender to be successful. The car was nicknamed the Baroque Angel due to its distinctive, flowing contours.
Internal appointments were good, although the switchgear and knobs were spread around the cabin, making them not particularly easy to identify and use. It was entirely possible to seat six occupants inside the wider body, albeit with no elbow room. There were two separate front seats (and each one reclined separately) but with virtually no room between them, hence three up front and three behind.
The performance of the six-cylinder cars was hardly scorching, but Ernst Loof won the 2-litre class outright in a 1953 Nürburgring race event on home soil followed that same year by another outright class win in the Tour de Belgique against 161 competitors. However, the expensive 501’s sales were not as high as expected, with the public still largely travelling by two wheels, not four, and average annual earnings only one quarter of what this model cost. The Mercedes-Benz 220 was only two thirds of its price, slightly quicker, but there were waiting lists, whereas the BMW was ex-stock.
The more powerful V8 502 models were available from the 1955 model year, and continued in production until 1963, with some models being right-hand drive and fitted with wood veneer and leather trim and a floor gear lever. Servo-assisted brakes were offered on deluxe models, with very late cars gaining front disc brakes, too.
The V8 was largely thanks to the return to BMW of Fritz Fiedler, who had done a stint at Bristol and Frazer Nash in the UK, returning for a brief spell at Opel before settling back at BMW. The 2580cc engine used a light-alloy block and heads with a two-barrel downdraught Solex carburettor. The 502 made its debut at the Geneva Salon in March 1954.
Two variations of the 501 were also offered at this time, the 501A and 501B, both now equipped with an improved-performance version of the 1971cc engine, with the B version available in lesser trim form with a hefty price reduction of 1500 DM, which improved sales substantially. In the spring of 1955, the original six-cylinder engine was enlarged to 2077cc via a 2mm bore increase to 68mm. There was also a cheaper, detuned version of the 2.6-litre 502 known as the 501 V8. Extra brightwork was fitted to the 502 from 1955.
Production of the six-cylinder model lasted until 1958 as the 501/3, while the V8 cars continued until the end of production in 1963, and some had a more powerful 3168cc V8 engine first seen at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1955. This model was simply known as the BMW 3.2, while the smaller-engine car was known as the 2.6. The larger V8 did have better performance; 0-60mph was now around 15 seconds. An even faster 502 was the 3.2 Super (140bhp) from 1957 and, towards the end of production, improvements included the option of power steering and front disc brakes with vacuum-boost assistance. Final run-out models were known as the 2600 and 3200, each offered with two trim versions: the L (Luxus) and the S (Super). The 160bhp 3200S uniquely used twin Zenith carburettors and was reported as being the fastest production saloon built in Germany at the time, achieving a top speed approaching 120mph. Just 1328 of these were manufactured.
Two-door coupé and convertible variants of the 501 and 502 series were available but not through the factory. Coachbuilders Autenrieth of Darmstadt and Baur of Stuttgart produced factory-approved conversions, with Autenrieth introducing styling changes such as a lowered bonnet, more raked front grille and squared wheelarches. As for long-wheelbase conversions, a high-roofed ambulance version of the 502 was built by Heidemann and just two examples of a 505 model in limousine form were manufactured in 1955, with a staggering UK price approaching nearly £2700.
Styled by Michelotti, it used the 120hp 3.2-litre V8, and the 1955 Frankfurt show car is now in the BMW museum. Frazer Nash also fitted the V8 engines into some competition cars, with production halting in 1957.
501 and 502 BODY TYPES: Four-door saloon plus some specialist conversions and a coupé. Manufactured at: Munich. Number produced: 8951 501s and 13,500 V8 cars. Production span: 1952-1963.
Top speed: 84mph/135km/h (2-litre) and 120mph/185km/h (3.2 V8); 0-60mph/100km/h: 27 seconds (two-litre) 15 seconds (3.2 V8); average economy: 23-28mpg (six-cylinder cars); 15-20mpg (V8).
PRICE AT LAUNCH: 15;000 new DM
MEASUREMENTS: Length: 15ft 6¼in (4.73m); height: 5ft ½in (1.53m); wheelbase: 9ft 3½in (2.83m); width: 5ft 10in (1.78m); kerb weight: 3153lb (1430kg); wheels: 16in; turning circle: 36ft 3in (11.0m); fuel capacity: 12.75 gallons/58 litres; boot capacity: “Five suitcases.”
TECHNICAL: Engine types: 1971 and 2077cc six-cylinder and 2580 and 3168cc V8 petrol; gearbox: four-speed manual; suspension: upper and lower A-arms with longitudinal torsion bar each side (front); two longitudinal torsion bars (rear); brakes: drum front (front disc optional on late V8 cars) and drum rear.
TRIM: Cloth/leather.
KEY OPTIONAL EXTRAS: Power steering (late V8 cars only).