The special BMW 507 by Raymond Loewy
01/03/2014
Raymond Loewy is one of the most famous designers in the world. Products bearing the signature of the Paris-born American include the Shell trademark, Schick electric razors, IBM input devices, Lucky Strike cigarette packs, the Coca-Cola bottle, but also a whole series of cars such as the Hillman Minx (1956-1959), the Sunbeam Alpine (1959-1967) and, of course, the Studebaker Champion and Avanti models.
In the fifties, Raymond Loewy designed a car for himself. It was built on the chassis of a BMW 507with a V8 engine. Loewy wanted the car to be as safe as possible and installed a roll bar, for example.
His ideas were realized by the then still young bodywork company Pichon-Parat. The car was on public display for the first time at the 1957 Paris Motor Show .
The press feedback showed varying degrees of enthusiasm for the American's work. ADAC Motorwelt wrote: "Raymond Loewy chose a BMW chassis to seal a futuristic coupé with an aluminum body." The Automobil Revue wrote: "The coupé designed by Raymond Loewy for himself in collaboration with Pichon-Parat on a BMW chassis 507 realizes sensible ideas in the pursuit of safety, while its exterior form is judged differently."
The fact is that the car was probably ahead of its time. Some elements of the shape, particularly the sweep at the rear, were later found in the Loewy design for the Studebaker Avanti (1962-1963).
The Loewy-507 was shown in Pebble Beach in 2013. It is in the collection of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.
