BMW 503

BMW 503

Manufacturer	Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW)
Production	May 1956 – March 1959 413 built
Successor	BMW 3200 CS
Body style(s)	2 door 2+2 seater GT 2 door 2+2 seater cabriolet
Layout	FR layout
Engine(s)	3168 cc V8
Transmission(s)	4 speed manual
Wheelbase	2835 mm (111.6 in)
Length	4750 mm (187 in)
Width	1700 mm (66.9 in)
Height	1400 mm (55.1 in)
Curb weight	1500 kg (3307 lb) (measurements approximate)
Related	BMW 507 BMW 502
Designer	Albrecht von Goertz 1914 - 2006

The BMW 503 is a two door 2+2 seater sports car unveiled by BMW at the 1955 Frankfurt Motor Show. Production got under way during the summer of the next year, and by 1959, when the 503 was withdrawn, 413 had been built including 139 cabriolets.

Design

The car was styled by the entrepreneurial auto-designer, Albrecht von Goertz based on preliminary drafts prepared by Kurt Bredschneider. It was originally intended to feature a flamboyant shape incorporating rounded mudguards which would have emphasized its kinship with the BMW 502 sedan, but regulations concerning matters such as light positioning rendered such a form impractical. In retrospect, the more square cornered look of the car as it emerged with fully integrated wings may have been more in tune with future styling trends than the original proposal.

Technical

The 503 incorporated the 3168 cc light metal V8 engine from the 502 which in this application delivered a claimed power output of 140 bhp (103 kW) and acceleration from standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 13 seconds along with a top speed slightly short of 120 mph (193 km/h). The four speed manual transmission was unchanged from that used in the 502.

Commercial

Also presented at the 1955 Motor Show was the car’s sister model, the BMW 507, a two seater aluminium bodied roadster targeting customers looking for more raw performance. Both would be overshadowed in the marketplace by headline grabbing sports cars from Mercedes Benz. Although the 503 outsold its sibling, sales volumes were dwarfed by those of the rivals from Stuttgart-Untertürkheim. Fifty years later, the BMW sports cars from the 1950s are much sought after by collectors and enthusiasts both on account of their inherent qualities and because of their rarity.