From Surtees to Grenfell

From Surtees to Grenfell Words Michael Grenfell/Jeff Heywood Photos Michael Grenfell & BMW Press

BMW’s wonderful and rare 503 Cabriolet

BMW’s 503 model is often overshadowed by its sporty brother, the charming and revered 507 roadster. But that’s not to say the 503 is in any way inferior to the 507. Some, including the author, enjoy its Gran Tourismo nature, its spaciousness, refinement and the power from its 3.2-litre V8. It’s designed to cosset you as it whisks its passengers across countries in comfort and style.

This particular (and very rare) right hand drive example also benefits from leaving BMW’s Munich factory a cabriolet, allowing the driver and passengers to enjoy wind in the air motoring. Read on to discover how the 503 came into being, and how this car’s past owners make for fascinating reading.

Elegance personified, BMW’s 503 Cabriolet perfectly captured in a delightful English garden setting

Something as simple as the door card sums up the 503. Exquisitely trimmed, pleated and piped in leather, the chromework is deep and lustred and the panel itself has been worked so there are recesses for the chrome door opener and the two separate storage compartments are just quite special with small leather pulls mounted on them. Also look at the door hinges, they are huge. Rolls Royce was mentioned in the main body of the article and the hinges resemble something from a Rolls or a Bentley

Post WW2, BMW was in a perilous financial state. Its Eisenach factory now lay in East Germany and was in the hands of the Russians and the Munich plant had been heavily bombed by the allies. The way it survived, by patching up some of the buildings at the Munich plant and producing pots, pans, bicycles and other metal based products, is nothing short of a miracle. The company finally received the go ahead to return to automobile production in 1949 and famously chose to go down the route of making low production, luxury cars, starting with the 501 ‘Baroque Angel’. By the mid-1950s, BMW was still a relatively small concern and, due to the hardship that WW2 brought, it was anxious to expand internationally. In particular it was jealous of the success Mercedes-Benz was experiencing with its 300SL. The problem BMW had was the need for a more powerful engine to power these new, heavier vehicles. The 501, which began production in 1952, was powered by the 64hp 2-litre BMW M337 straight-six engine, which was based on the pre-war BMW M78 engine. The M337 straight-six struggled with the 1,285kg mass of the 501, allowing the competing and cheaper Mercedes-Benz W187 to outperform the 501.

Thankfully, BMW had the foresight, thanks to the persistence of chief engineer Alfred Böning, who persuaded the board that the new, luxury (and heavier) BMWs needed a more powerful engine to provide the motive force required to compete with Mercedes. The solution was an all-alloy overhead valve V8 based loosely on the Oldsmobile Rocket V8. Böning began work on the new engine in 1949. After a delay, the V8 was completed by engineer Fritz Fiedler, who returned to BMW in 1952, and it was introduced at the 1954 Geneva Motor Show in BMW’s new luxury 502 Saloon. With a 2.6-litre displacement, the new engine produced 100bhp, giving the new 502 model a top speed of 99mph.

Buoyed by the fact that the company now had a modern, powerful engine, BMW’s sales manager Hanns Grewenig, persuaded the board that they needed some decent new models, including a sports car, to put it in. He was helped in this by the influential Max Hoffman, who imported European cars to the US. Hoffman told BMW’s management that if they made a sports car retailing for about $5,000 (12,000DM) he could sell thousands of them. Hoffman had been largely responsible for the successful introduction of the Mercedes 300SL Gullwing in America, but he was also an avid enthusiast for all things BMW.

In fact, in 1955 BMW’s management, influenced by the public reaction to the appearance of Mercedes-Benz’ 190SL and 220SC show cars in New York in February 1954, approved a project to produce not one but two sports cars, the 503 and 507. The 503 was based on the 502 chassis and the 507 on a shortened 502 chassis, which Fiedler modified. Although the 503 was conceived as a large GT type tourer, it was marketed as a sports car. Both it and the 507 were powered by the new V8, with power increased to 140hp and then 150hp once it reached a larger 3.2 litre capacity. Even more power could be extracted by the factory, though, the V8 in Surtees’ 503 reputedly had over 160hp.

Where BMW slipped up was by not going down the route suggested by Hoffman. BMW regarded itself as a supplier of cars to the elite. It was not interested in competing with the budget Mercedes 190SL. It considered the more expensive 300SL as the real competition. It therefore decided to concentrate on quality and style.

Ernst Loof, BMW’s designer, produced the preliminary drawings for the 503. When Max Hoffman saw them he asked if a young industrial designer he knew, Albrecht Goertz, could take a look at them. Goertz’s suggestions for improvement were so good that the

BEE 46 looking magnificent at Blenheim Palace. A pillarless design with a hood that almost folds flat always looks best on a cabriolet

Sat in the solid cast aluminium dash is the exquisite Telefunken radio, which has an Art Deco feel. The heating controls look almost bomb-proof in their construction The 503’s set of clocks. The dials and numerals look quite Americanised in their style. Quality touches abound with Bakelite covering the steering wheel and control knobs

designs for both the 503 and the 507 were handed over to him. His full name was Albrecht Graft von Schlitz gennant von Goertz Von Wrisberg. As if that wasn’t enough, he called himself Count Graf von Goertz, assuming a courtesy title he was not entitled to use on the death of his father and elder brother. He did however marry The Baroness of Bodenhausen before they separated in 1942, so perhaps the title had come in useful.

Both the 503 and the 507 were exhibited at the 1955 Frankfurt Motor Show, where Battista “Pinin” Farina declared the 503 to be the prettiest car in the show. After the Geneva Motor Show in 1956, Hansjoerg Bendel, a motoring journalist for Road and Track magazine said in June 1956: “The 503 [as] tried proved to be, at least for my taste, the car of the show… I found out that it represents a well-nigh ideal combination of really outstanding performance, first rate road holding and a high degree of comfort… I regard the BMW 503 in every respect a dream come true”.

And so he should, for the 503 was heroically over engineered, each car being handbuilt by BMW’s craftsmen in Munich, with the aluminium bodywork hand beaten by Karrosserieentwurf, BMWs bodyshop. The dashboard alone was a work of art in itself, manufactured from solid cast aluminium. The complicated cantilevered and spring assisted glovebox lid (again in cast alloy), weighed more than most ordinary dashboards on its own. Each car was custom built, with no two bodies or specifications the same.

The 503 was produced in left hand drive configuration as both a fixed head coupé and in cabriolet form in tiny numbers, 412 in total. It won numerous gold medals and was purchased by both the aristocracy (e.g. Count Faber-Castell) and the very wealthy. Instead of selling them for $5000/12,000DM in the US, as Hoffman had requested, they initially retailed for $7988/29,000DM. This was more expensive than an Aston Martin and getting into Rolls Royce territory. The workmanship that went into the 503 was better than Aston’s and on a par with Rolls Royce. Yet, although they were among the most expensive cars in the world, they were still sold for far less than the cost of producing them. Hoffman cancelled his orders and BMW were unable to sell them through their own network in quantities sufficient to make a profit. Only 138 of the Cabriolets were built between 1956 and 1959 when production ceased, having nearly ruined BMW.

BMW 503 Reg No BEE 46

The importer of BMWs into the UK at the time of the 503 being on sale was AFN Ltd, run by the famous H J Aldington, or Aldy as he was known throughout the motoring industry. AFN had been the sole importer of BMW automobiles since 1934 having been impressed by the sophistication of the German products compared with their own agricultural offerings, the chain driven Frazer-Nashes, beloved of enthusiasts.

BEE 46 was manufactured on the 27th May 1957 and delivered to AFN Ltd on the 18th June 1957. It was one of only three right-hand drive 503 Cabriolets built to order by BMW. Only one other survives, thought to be in the Far East. Since the 503 was configured as a lefthand drive car, building a RHD version

(not even listed as an option) was a highly expensive exercise available to very special clients only.

In 1957, Aldy’s wife Ivy wanted a 503 Cabriolet, and Aldy carried sufficient weight to persuade BMW to build one for her in RHD format. Ivy then allowed Dr Noel Bee, the family doctor, friend, confidante and a very loyal pre-war customer of AFN, to use it. Dr Bee was an avid enthusiast of BMW and also a financial supporter of AFN. All the doctors in his Lincolnshire practice purchased cars through AFN and he had owned a succession of their cars. He was also a breeder of Hackney horses, part-time sculptor, harness maker and cartoonist. Dr Bee had bought his first car from AFN in 1936, a Type 34 Frazer Nash-BMW, which he used on his doctor’s rounds for the two years that he owned it. Or, at least, this was the story given to John Surtees CBE the subsequent owner. However, having researched this story, it appears that a surprising number of cars imported by AFN were said to be for the use of the wives of directors, probably for tax or import regulation reasons. The story cannot be true in any event as Ivy didn’t drive.

BEE 46 was registered to AFN Ltd on the 19th September 1957 and appeared on their stand (133) at the International Motor Show held at Earls Court between the 16th and 26th October 1957. It was so expensive that at the end of the catalogue, which listed the prices of the cars displayed, interested parties were referred to ‘The Exhibitor.’

It seems pretty clear that this car was ordered for Dr Bee who selected its equipment, including an engine specced to BMW 507 levels. Those who knew him thought the car was his and when he took possession of the car, his private plate, BEE 46, was transferred from his AFN-acquired Bristol 400 to the new 503 and from then on the car was taxed by the good doctor and used for his rounds in Lincolnshire. However, it still remained the property of AFN Ltd. The plates still on the car are those original 1949 ‘Ace’ plates.

Dr Bee was to save Aldy’s life a few years later when, in 1965, Aldy was involved in a minor car accident. Dr Bee saw at once that his behaviour after the accident was odd and insisted he was taken straight to hospital, rather than being taken home. A stroke was diagnosed at the hospital. He lived until 1976, but was disabled and partly blind. Tragically, Ivy died of cancer in March 1966.

The standard 503 in 1957 was equipped with a 140hp engine, giving a 0-60 time of approximately 12 seconds. Top speed was around the 120mph mark. The engine breathed through twin Zenith 32 NDIX carburettors. The rear axle ratio was 3.90, although 3.42 was an option. Initially, the gearbox was remote from the engine with the gear shift on the steering column and there were drum brakes all round.

BEE 46 had a higher spec from the factory. Along with the 507-spec engine, it had the gearbox mated to the engine with a floor mounted gear change, necessitated because the column mounted change lever would have been too close to the driver’s door in a RHD car. This was

The rear seating area is nicely trimmed, but obviously it isn’t expected to be used as much, maybe by small children, as there is less fuss back here and very little kit. Although the rear bench looks very comfortable The BMW OHV V8 in all its glory. The engine’s block and head are cast from aluminium with cast iron wet liners. The twin Zenith carbs and their filters are quite prominent. This particular example is good for 155hp

The red leather trimmed interior is sumptuously finished, with quality touches everywhere one casts an eye

‘They don’t make them like they used to’ and the same could be said for the standard factory toolkit that is impressively equipped

something that was common to all three RHD Cabriolets and to all LHD 503s from 1957 onwards. It also has disc brakes on the front wheels, an option not available to other 503s until later.

The last time the car was taxed during Dr Bee’s use (as evidenced by the tax disc still attached to the screen 25 years later) was on the 9th January 1967. The disc was issued by Holland CC, the area in Lincolnshire in which Dr Bee had his practice, and is still with the car. In that year the car was returned to AFN, who still owned it, and was consigned to AFNs collection of Historic Vehicles in the Showroom at The Falcon Works, Isleworth, where it remained owned and displayed by AFN until it merged with Porsche in 1987. Denis Jenkinson (Jenks) saw it there in 1985 and described it as “a rare Cabriolet beast” in his book on the history of Frazer Nash.

John Surtees CBE

John Surtees, the only man to have won a world championship on two and four wheels, had been a long time BMW fan. When he won the 500cc World Championships in 1956 for MV Augusta, Count Augusta provided sufficient funds for him to buy a BMW 507. Surtees was unhappy about some aspects of the car, particularly the braking and was instrumental in persuading BMW to start fitting disc brakes to their cars.

In 1992, Surtees was tipped off by a friend at AFN that one of its assets, of which Porsche was disposing of, was a very well preserved 503 Cabriolet, chassis No 69141. Surtees found it at the back of AFN’s workshop and was allowed to buy it. It was in remarkably good and totally original condition having been unused but cosseted for 25 years.

This became one of his favourite cars and he rejuvenated it, kept and used it sparingly until his death. He left copious handwritten notes on the work carried out over the years with the help of German engineers and his own team of mechanics. It was kept with his 507 and other cars and bikes in his collection. As an engineer he did some of the work himself, too. He was fastidious about keeping the car as original as possible. He was still personally working on the car the year before he died in 2017. The result of his efforts is a fabulously low mileage (70,700 miles) original car, complete with all its original tools, jack and handbook. The interior, with the exception of the carpets that have been removed for safe keeping, is original. So too is the engine and all the running gear, including the shock absorbers. New carpets have been manufactured to original specification.

The hood and windows are raised and lowered by the original electro hydraulics, the 503 being the first German car to have a power assisted hood. It is still equipped with its fully working Telefunken Autosuper radio and electric automatic aerial.

The car has all matching numbers as confirmed by BMW, with Engine 30166. It also has with it a large ring binder containing comprehensive, dated notes on the work Surtees carried out on the car after it had been repainted and detailed by Mototechnique in 2004. The notes are handwritten and the numerous diagrams which accompany them are hand drawn by Surtees or his mechanic. Some remanufactured suspension parts have ‘SURTEES’ stamped on them. He also designed and fitted an updated antiroll bar.

The two tone colour of light metallic grey/blue over dark grey is original, and repainted using the same colour codes as original. Because the car was in such good condition, Surtees didn’t so much restore it as refresh it. Apart from the respray and exhaust system (replaced by a stainless steel item) all other parts of the car have simply been retained and maintained, other than obviously consumable items such as tyres and fan belts. The hood and hood bag are replacements.

All mechanical parts have been examined and any work necessary to improve performance without destroying the original parts has been carried out. For instance, the shock absorbers are the originals which were sent away for servicing rather than being replaced. The engine was examined by Surtees, including the big end bearings and no work was deemed to be required. The compressions are that of a virtually new engine.

Roof up and the 503 retains an elegant look, the hood following the lines of the coupé model quite accurately

Current condition

Michael Grenfell, the current owner of this 503, has carried on the improvements on the same basis as Surtees. Exploratory dismantling has revealed original factory numbers written on the rear of the dash, the top of the solid cast aluminium dash and on the rear of the upholstery panels. On a rolling road test it was established that the engine was developing 155bhp, slightly higher than the nominal output for a 507, giving a theoretical top speed of about 125mph.

The car seems to have had only modest use by Dr Bee for the 10 years he drove it. After that, from 1967 to 1992, it was in AFN/ Porsche’s possession as a museum piece in their showroom. From 1992 until 2020, it resided with Surtees collection in specialised heated accommodation in a converted barn next to his house in Kent. The mileage records he kept show that he covered barely 1000 miles in the last 14 years that he owned it, but kept up a continuous programme of maintenance and improvement, which as a trained engineer he obviously enjoyed.

It is clear that AFN continued to maintain the car and its equipment whilst in its possession. Labels on the original Telefunken radio showed that they returned the unit and its ancillaries to Germany in the 80s for servicing, as did Surtees in 2011.

Kevin O’Rourke of Mototechnique, who carried out the respray in 2004, told me that the bodywork was in extraordinary condition for its age and completely original and unmarked apart from some minor work on the sills. John Giles of TT workshops (and once Chairman of the UK BMW Historic Car Club), who did some maintenance work to it shortly after Surtees acquired it, said the same.

Michael came into contact with Jeff via well-known journalist David Lillywhite, editorial director of Hothouse Media, who oversees the content in Magneto Magazine, amongst others. David was in attendance at this year’s Salon Privé Concours d’Elegance at Blenheim Palace and suggested that Michael and myself touch bases, which I’m eternally grateful. Michael’s 503 was invited to take part in the concours and was the only BMW in attendance.

Here’s BMW’s 503 Coupé for comparison purposes…

Legacy

The 503 was much more important in the continuing development of BMW than the 507. The 503 laid down a path for BMW in subsequent decades in a way that rendered the 507 irrelevant for the next 30 years. The 503 embodied many of the distinct characteristics that subsequent BMWs followed: superb build quality, high performance four seaters for wealthy buyer and the sharp but conservative styling that BMWs are known for have their ancestry in the 503. That it wasn’t a sales success was almost entirely due to the obsession with quality and the resulting price tag. It nearly bankrupted BMW but left us with a fabulously glamorous legacy in the few surviving cars.

A huge thank you goes to Michael Grenfell for allowing the club to run this article in Straight Six and for the supply of photos, and also to David Lillywhite for kindly introducing me to Michael - Jeff