BMW 503

Infobox Automobile


name = BMW 503
manufacturer = Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW)
production = May 1956 – March 1959
413 built
predecessor =
successor = BMW 3200 CS
body_style = 2 door 2+2 seater GT
2 door 2+2 seater cabriolet| engine = 3168 cc V8
layout=FR layout
transmission = 4 speed manual
length = Auto mm|4750
width = Auto mm|1700
height = Auto mm|1400
weight = Auto kg|1500
(measurements approximate)
wheelbase = Auto mm|2835
track =
fuel_capacity=
related = BMW 507
BMW 502
similar =
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 Production got under way during the summer of the next year, and by 1959, when the 503 was withdrawn, 413 had been built including 139 cabriolets.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 convert|120|mi/h|km/h|0|abbr=on. 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.

*De|BMW 503
*Italian|BMW 503|2008-02-08