MEET SOME OF THE NORTHSIDERS

Some of the crew that went to the 351 Annual Meeting
this is a small selected set of photos taken by our great friend and photographer JOSÉ MATOS

Independence days: When brands were free

Were it not for commercial giants such as VW/Audi, Richemont and the Swatch Group, there seems little doubt that many of the makers of cars and watches beloved of people like us – Classic Driver types, I mean – would no longer exist...

Neither Bentley nor Lamborghini, for example, are likely to have been so successful without VW behind them , and Aston Martin might well have been long gone without the intervention of Ford a startling 20 years ago. And what about Rolls-Royce? Saved by BMW for certain, likewise the Mini/MINI brand, and probably the same for Land Rover thanks to Tata.

Creativity vs. profitability?

Watch-wise, I doubt we'd still be able to buy a new Breguet, Blancpain, Glashütte or Hamilton had Swatch not taken them under its wing, and even Omega and Longines might not have survived. As for A. Lange & Söhne, IWC, Vacheron Constantin and Jaeger-LeCoultre - could they really have carried on without the might of Richemont behind them? It seems improbable.

But many people believe something gets lost when a name that was once famous in its own right becomes the puppet of a conglomerate which, inevitably, measures success by profit and loss. The main problem is usually that free thinking and creativity become stifled in favour of a design ethic that has more to do with production costs than the urge to make something really special.

In the case of cars, add in the constraints of modern-day safety standards and it quickly becomes obvious why there will never be any more products from the famous names which are as daringly designed as, for example, the Jaguar E-type or Lamborghini Espada.

Icons of individuality

And when it comes to watches,  could today's brilliantly clever CAD software and a team of holding company accountants ever have produced horological icons such as the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, the Omega Speedmaster or the IWC Portuguese – that were all created, tellingly, when said brands were wholly independent?

But the fact is, today's buzz-word in the luxury goods game is once again 'individuality' - which is why, for example, the builders of high-end custom motorcycles are currently doing a roaring trade.

No monkeying around

Copenhagen-based Nicholas Bech, the co-founder of the hugely successful Wrenchmonkees custom shop, recently told me that customers come to them because they want something no one else has got, rather than the type of 'universal' motorcycles offered by the big manufacturers.

"We've made bikes for everyone from students to high-end businessmen, doctors, lawyers and artists, all of whom have one thing in common - they wanted something individual.

"But the real irony of it is that now that the café racer movement is getting huge, the big brands want to join in – but the only way they can really do that is by commissioning one-off bikes for promotional use through underground builders like us."

Photos: Getty / Manufacturers / Jaeger LeCoultre / Wrenchmonkees

Classic cars, watches and motorbikes can be found for sale in the Classic Driver Market.

Choppy Cub

Timeless Classics: BMW 507 Roadster

In the early fifties, BMW had a reputation as a leading sports car manufacturer (thanks largely to the pre-War 328), and a newly developed V8 engine – but no sports car in which to put it. But then, a design proposal was sent to Bavaria that would prove influential to the company’s bloodline…

The BMW 507 would distance the marque from its pre-War design hangover

With the post-War car market in America booming, importer Max Hoffman’s New York office had the ear of every European manufacturer. Having already found an American market for Jaguar, Hoffman soon got wind of BMW’s ambition to create a much-needed sports car – one intended to follow in the wake of the boatloads of 300 SLs and 356 Speedsters soon to make the voyage across the Atlantic at his behest. With BMW’s new V8 engine awaiting a sporting model to receive it, his only concern was that the car’s outward appearance might remain a little too faithful to the already ageing (but by no means fallen) ‘Baroque Angel’ saloons on which it was to be based.

A few pivotal pen-strokes

For this reason, Hoffman suggested that designer Albrecht von Goertz send some design proposals from America to Munich – a move that was to prove momentous. The board immediately chose his proposal for a modern (yet deliciously timeless) roadster over Ernst Loof's more traditional offering, believing the former capable of distancing the marque from its pre-War design hangover.

Goertz's gills and grilles

From the much-broadened kidney grilles, back through the gently sweeping beltline and over the delightful rear haunches, the Goertz-penned 507 was astoundingly beautiful. Its stylistic reverberations can be felt to this day (see the side-ventilation ‘shark gills’ or the forward-lean of the trademark kidneys), but appreciation for it came right from its debut in 1955 at the Waldorf Astoria. Elvis Presley and Count Agusta each gave one as a gift to Ursula Andress and John Surtees, respectively; and while only the rich and famous might ever have been able to afford one, the fact that no more than 251 were produced adds to their allure, both then and now.

Deathless desirability

This has contributed towards the widely held belief that the 507 is BMW’s single most desirable production car, a belief reflected in its current market value. Last November, RM Auctions sold a rare silver Series II example for $1.65m at its fitting ‘Art of the Automobile’ sale. The Rudge-wheeled Series II seen here will soon cross the block at RM’s Amelia Island auction, carrying an estimate of $1.4m - $1.8m.

Its price at the time might have put it agonisingly out of reach for most buyers but, today, the resulting rarity only adds a facet of exclusivity to the appeal of the 507’s visual and dynamic timelessness.

This article is part of the 'Timeless Classics' feature series that is presented and supported by our friends at RM Auctions.