BMW 501

BMW 501
Overview
ManufacturerBayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW)
Also called
  • BMW 2.6
  • BMW 2600
  • Barockengel[1]
ProductionOctober 1952–1962
DesignerPeter Szymanowski
Body and chassis
ClassLuxury car
Body style
LayoutFR layout
Related
Powertrain
Engine
Transmission4-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase2,835 mm (111.6 in)
Length4,730 mm (186 in)
Width1,780 mm (70 in)
Height1,530 mm (60 in)
Kerb weight1,340 kg (2,950 lb) or more
Chronology
PredecessorBMW 326
SuccessorBMW 2500 / 2800 ‘New Six’

The BMW 501 was a luxury car manufactured by BMW from 1952 to 1958. Introduced at the first Frankfurt Motor Show in 1951, the 501 was the first BMW model to be manufactured and sold after the Second World War, and as the first BMW car built in Bavaria. The 501 and its derivatives, including the V8 powered BMW 502, were nicknamed “Baroque Angels” by the German public. The BMW 502 was the first postwar German car to be manufactured with a V8 engine.

While the 501 and 502 model numbers were discontinued in 1958, variations of the model, with the same platform and body, were continued until 1963.

  1. ^ "BMW 501/502: Der Barockengel". 4 July 2015.