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The myth of the BMW 528/502 sports car - the unknown brother of the BMW 507

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Created on February 26, 2012

Reading time 4min

Written by:

Wolfgang Thierack

Photos:

Archiv Lutz Montowski

Dr. Karlheinz Lange - Archiv Wolfgang Thierack

Archiv Lutz Montowski

Dr. Karlheinz Lange - Archiv Wolfgang Thierack

BMW 528/502-Sportwagen (1954) - gebaut als Vorgänger und Prototyp des BMW 507

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BMW 528/502-Sportwagen (1954) - mit den beim Bau involvierten Personen (von links nach rechts): Heinz Jacht, Karl Zylka, Paul List, Hermann Esch, Johann Genn, Willi Martini und ein unbekannter Mitarbeiter

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Summary

The BMW 507 is one of the most famous post-war sports cars in the luxury class. At the time of its creation, there was a little-known alternative design, built by Ernst Loof together with the Baur company. Although the car even won a beauty award, it was not supported by the US importer. Count Goertz drew an alternative, which was then also preferred and built in Munich. The BMW 528/502 sports car remained a prototype and has survived to this day. This report describes the development history of the little-known 507-ner alternative BMW 528/502.

This article contains the following chapters

A new sports car is to be created
Test drives with the prototype on the Nordschleife
Beauty award for the new sports car
Setbacks during the test drives
No mercy for the design from US importer Hoffman
The prototype survives!
Technical data of the BMW 528/502 sports car

Estimated reading time: 4min

Preview (beginning of the article)

On March 1, 1954, the Board of Management at BMW in Munich decided at a meeting to build a sports car again. The prototype was to be built under the responsibility of Fritz Fiedler, then a member of the Board of Management. The chassis was to be designed in Munich, while the frame was to be built in the test workshop. The construction of the body was commissioned from Baur in Stuttgart under the supervision of Ernst Loof. The bodyshell was then also built there. The assembly of the prototype and its subsequent testing were to take place at Loof's BMW testing facility at the Nürburgring. This should disprove the myth that Loof approached the Board of Management on his own initiative to develop such a car.

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