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Topic starter
02/03/2025 2:42 pm
For the war effort, BMW went back to its WWl roots producing piston and jet engines for the Luftwaffe. After the war, like other German auto manufacturers, slowly rose from the ashes, producing cheap cars that the defeated population could afford with the idea of amassing enough capita to re-enter a mote luxury and performance market. In 1954, BMW upgraded their 501 saloon to the more luxurious and better performing 502 later named the 2.6 Luxus. The body style designed by Bauer coachbuilders (a collaboration going back to 1930) and was affectionately known as the "Baroque Angel". Upgrades from the 501 included special trim, fog lamps and a more luxurious interior with individual front seats, and, in this model, a late '50s, it has a wrap around rear window and the larger 3.2 "Super" aluminum V8 with twin Solex carburetors that produced 140 HP giving the car 110 mph top end. Its first year only 200 502s were made because with development costs for the V8, the MSRP was about 3 times the average German's salary.
Model by AUTOart:
02/03/2025 3:02 pm
Unusual. Unique. Beautifully detailed. Super Cool!
Christopher Moroni and Rich Sufficool reacted
02/03/2025 4:15 pm
That's one interesting AUTOart model that I've never seen in hand. I've never seen a 1:1 either. I didn't know about the suicide doors and how large the trunk lid is. Thanks for the pics Rich.
02/03/2025 7:13 pm
I passed on these years ago because I was too stupid to know what they were. Nice pics Rich!
03/03/2025 12:11 am
I remember seeing it in pics but I passed on it too because I thought it was just an ugly model.
Sorry, I should have said model of an ugly car. The model itself is not ugly.
Christopher Moroni and Tony Perrone reacted
03/03/2025 8:40 am
I passed on it too because I thought it was just an ugly model.
...that's what I thought, plus it sat too high in the back, the headlights are too close together, etc. Furthermore, every time I looked at that car.... I pictured this one: 😬 😬
1957 Aurora
Tony Perrone and Steve Jacobs reacted
03/03/2025 11:02 am
That one's not a whole lot better. It kind of reminds me of a young girl I met in high school. 😱
Tony Perrone and Christopher Moroni reacted
03/03/2025 12:47 pm
@rich-sufficool Perhaps I phrased that badly, what I meant to say was, "Why did BMW designers locate the headlights so far inward, why didn't they incorporate them into the fenders?"
Not that it's a terribly bad look - most probably feel it's an elegant nod to the classic 1930's - it just struck me odd, as most designers try to make vehicles look wider, lower, longer....
My comment had nothing to do with the model's fidelity; Autoart produced a faithful 1/18 replica. 😀
03/03/2025 2:32 pm
Maybe the designers couldn't fit the headlamp housings into the fenders due to space requirements. There had to be enough room for tire travel and in the pic the tire looks fairly close forward. Jus sayin...
Tony Perrone and Christopher Moroni reacted
Topic starter
03/03/2025 2:32 pm
@chris I gotcha. I always remembered that 502 as the go-to saloon for the 1950s West German Polizei with the roof mounted 'gum ball machine' and that cool siren.
