Out of Nothing

This is the inspiring true story of four tenacious men from the Pacific Northwest and their journey to conquer the world records of motorcycle land speed racing at the Bonneville Salt Flats. This rare and special film will remind you how perseverance against all odds can send the most unlikely men roaring into glory.

1958 BMW 507 SERIES II ROADSTER

The BMW 507 Roadster is a car that was built by BMW between 1956 and 1959, despite its beauty the 507 almost bankrupted the company and by the time production ceased, only 252 had been made.

Despite its Germanness, the 507 was actually the idea of an Austrian-born American man by the name of Max Hoffman. Hoffman was the largest importer of european cars into the United States and frequently made recommendations to marques like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Alfa Romeo and a number of others. He’s credited with conceiving a number of cars including the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider and the now iconic Porsche 356 Speedster.

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Hoffman spent significant time talking to the heads of BMW about cars that were missing from their vehicle line-up in the mid to late 1950s, his idea for the BMW 507 Roadster was to create a sports convertible based on the BMW 501 and BMW 502 saloons. It would be priced at a point between the expensive 300SL and the comparatively cheap Porsche Speedsters, Austin Healeys and MGs.

Powered by an aluminium alloy, BMW OHV V8 with a capacity of 3168cc the 507 produced 150hp at the rear wheels and was fitted with a close ratio 4-speed manual transmission. The 507 could make the 0-62 dash in 11.1 seconds and had a top speed of 122mph – both very reasonable numbers for a sports car of the late-50s.

The stunning design of the car was created by Albrecht von Goertz (chosen at Hoffman’s insistence) and all of the body panels are hand-beaten aluminium. It’s interesting to note that no two 507s are identical and as a result each of their soft-tops had to be made specifically for the car it would be attached to. The roof from one car wouldn’t fit the one next to it, a complication that contributed to the spiralling costs of the project.

Despite (or perhaps because of) the BMW 507s high sticker price when it was released, it won over a number of celebrity owners. Elvis Presley had one that he eventually gave to Ursula Andress. John Surtees had one and even Bernie Ecclestone owned one for a time before selling it at auction for $904,000 in 2007.

The value of the remaining 202 507s is increasing its meteoric rise, the value of the car shown here is estimated to be between $1 million and $1.4 million, but we won’t know for sure till it rolls across the auction block in New York with RM Auctions on the 21st of November 2013.

Photo Credits: Michael Furman ©2013 Courtesy of RM Auctions

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CAFE RACER DREAMS BMW R90/6

By Wesley Reyneke | Rather Be Riding

Some custom motorcycles are so outlandish that they grab your attention immediately, while some are so understated and classy that, once you notice them, you can’t look away. Case in point: Cafe Racer Dreams‘ #38.

This stunning ’74 BMW R90/6 belongs to José Martín Espinosa, a prominent figure in the Spanish fashion industry. He commissioned the build after a series of email conversations with CRD and a couple of visits to their Madrid headquarters, fully entrusting the creative direction to them.

The Beemer’s stance has been altered by shortening the forks and swapping out the rear suspension for shorter-than-stock Hagon units. A shorter, hand crafted subframe supports the custom made seat. The battery has been relocated to underneath the swingarm, leaving the area behind the airbox free of clutter save for the ignition, which has been moved to under the seat.

Both fenders are stock BMW items—the original front fender has been adapted to fit the rear, and a R100 fender fitted to the front. Along with the tank, they’ve been sprayed a luxurious black with subtle white pinstriping—true to the original paint scheme. Bespoke fender braces add to the bike’s overall classic appeal, as do the crash bars and Firestone Deluxe Champion tyres.

CRD turned to their own catalogue for finishing kit—the turn signals, tail light, Renthal Ultra-Low bars and mufflers can all be bought from their online store. The headlight is also a CRD unit, but it’s been modified to house a Motogadget speedometer and various controls. On the handlebar, Motogadget’s stealthy m-Switch units replace the standard BMW switches.

I once asked CRD’s Pedro García what his personal design philosophy was. His reply was: “Less is more, and pay full attention to the final finish.” In my opinion, CRD #38 is the epitome of this philosophy. An elegant vintage custom, with a host of finer details that only become apparent as you dig deeper.

Check out previous CRD builds in the Bike EXIF Archives, and keep up with CRD’s news on their Facebook page. Images courtesy of Rafa Gallar.

fromBIKEEXIF

Vespa Raid Maroc

Le Maroc en Vespa ça vous branche ? Voici une vidéo de la dernière édition du Vespa Raid Maroc qui s’est déroulé fin octobre. Et retrouvez toutes les infos sur cette organisation un peu spéciale sur le sitewww.vesparaidmaroc.com