Making a glittering comeback at Concours d’Elegance in Pebble Beach is one of the best classic-car discoveries of today: the BMW 507 driven by Elvis Presley. As the “King of Rock’n’Roll†and musical legend like no other, it is very interesting to see this car that he was driving during his military service in Germany.
The history of the car is quite colourful. For almost 50 years it was lost – nobody knew where it was. It was, obviously, in pretty bad shape when it was sent back to BMW. However, someone actually found it and BMW Classic put in 2 years’ worth of restoration work to make it ready for show again. It is the first time the public will see it in decades.
The car was restored to its original condition and will appear at this year’s Concours d’Elegance on August 21st. It is expected to draw a crowd because no one has seen it for many years. In fact, the car community has been wanting to lay eyes on it for the longest time. The BMW 507’s chassis number was 70079 and it is restored back to how it looked on 20 December 1958 when Presley got the car. It is in its Feather White paintwork, working 150 horsepower V8 aluminium engine, centre-lock rims, black-and-white interior and a Becker Mexico radio.
“The opportunity to bring back the BMW 507 owned by the King of Rock’n’Roll to us here in Munich for purposes of restoration in accordance with the wishes of the previous owner, Jack Castor, was a dream come true for all those involved,†commented Ulrich Knieps, Head of BMW Group Classic. “This was an exceptionally fascinating project. The outcome is not simply a source of great pride to us. Jack would undoubtedly have been delighted by the outcome.†This is a very exciting comeback!