VIN: the works / Elvis Presley BMW 507 chassis 70079

Jan 29

Jan 29 VIN: the works / Elvis Presley BMW 507 chassis 70079

BMW - BMW 507 - BMW VINs - 507 VINs - BMW Works Cars - Elvis Presley - Tommy Charles - Lloyd Cottle - Jack Castor - Actors - Musicians - TV & Movie Cars

History of chassis 70079

Chassis 70079 was a Series 2 507 manufactured in September 1957. It was retained by BMW as a press car.

70079 was configured with Feather White paint and a Black leather interior. BMW management also specified several optional extras to include Rudge wheels, a Becker Mexico radio, a hardtop and the high output 165bhp engine.

Between late September and early October of 1957, the car was displayed at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Afterwards, it was registered M-JX 800 and began a life of promotional work.

During this time, chassis 70079 was driven extensively by Hans Stuck whom BMW had recruited in an ambassadorial role to promote the 507.

Stuck drove 70079 at three European Hillclimb Championship events in the summer of 1958. He most notably placed fifth in the GT class at Freiburg-Schauinsland and followed this up with appearances at Gaisberg and Ollon-Villars.

Another aspect of Hans Stuck’s PR role with the 507 was to demonstrate the car to potential VIP customers.

Towards the end of 1958, BMW loaned chassis 70079 to HP Filmproduktion and the car made a brief appearance in the movie Hula-Hopp, Conny.

Elvis Presley Arrives in Germany

On October 1st 1958, American film and music star, Elvis Presley, landed in Germany.

23-year old Presley (among the world’s best known entertainers) had been drafted for duty in the US Army. He served as a private and was assigned to the 3rd Armored Division in Friedberg, West Germany.

Presley was given permission to live off site and took up residence in a local hotel.

He soon began to look out for something interesting to replace his Volkswagen Beetle and, in early December, came across chassis 70079.

By now surplus to BMW’s requirements, the car had been sold to Frankfurt dealer, Autohaus Wurth, on December 12th.

Presley wanted a car immediately and, as there was a long delay for a new 507, chassis 70079 was given a quick refresh prior to hand over at a ceremony on December 21st 1958.

The price was roughly half that of a new 507. Presley thought he was buying the car but it transpired he had signed a lease that would expire at the end of his military service.

During his tenure with the white BMW, Presley reputedly became so fed up with fans leaving lipstick marks on it that, in the summer of 1959, he had the car re-painted red. The work was carried out by Ernst Poepel who owned a garage in Bad Nauheim and was already working for a US Sergeant called ‘Hot Rod’.

Presley was discharged from the US Army on March 2nd 1960 and returned home. That same year, chassis 70079 was exported to the USA but by whom is unclear.

In 1962, it was purchased from a New York Chrysler dealer by Tommy Charles, a radio personality from Birmingham, Alabama.

Charles decided to drag race the car and stripped out the BMW drivetrain in favour of a Chevrolet V8 which he mated to a Borg-Warner four-speed gearbox and Chevrolet rear axle. New seats and gauges were also fitted.

In 1966, the car was purchased by Air Force pilot, Lloyd Cottle, who traded a Ferrari 250 GTE and $1500 in cash.

Two years later, the car was sold to collector, Jack Castor of San Francisco. Castor rarely used his 507 and, in around 1974, he took it off the road completely.

Chassis 70079 remained in storage until 2014 when it was acquired by BMW and restored. As part of the deal, Castor had his other 507 (the ex-Helm Glockler chassis 70089) restored free of charge.

Notable History

Manufactured September 13th 1957
Feather White, Rudge wheels, Hardtop, special tuned engine

09/1957 displayed at the Frankfurt Motor Show

Registered M-JX 800 and retained as a works press demonstrator

20/07/1958 EMC Freiburg-Schauinsland Hillclimb (H.J. Stuck) 10th oa, 5th GT class (#80) M-JX 800 70079
15/08/1958 EMC Gaisberg Hillclimb (H.J. Stuck) ran (#92)
31/08/1958 EMC Ollon-Villars Hillclimb (H.J. Stuck) ran (#110)

Late 1959 loaned to HP Filmproduktion for the movie Hula-Hopp, Conny

12/12/1957 sold to Autohaus Wurth, Frankfurt

Re-registered F-04071

Leased to Elvis Presley

Re-registered A-1499 (US Armed Forces plate)

Re-painted Porsche Red

Possibly: re-registered G-1620

1960 exported to New York

1962 sold to Tommy Charles, Alabama

1966 sold to Lloyd Cottle, Arizona

1968 sold to Jack Castor, San Francisco

2014 acquired by BMW, Munich