racing legend john surtees' BMW 507 roadster is up for auction

most prestigious classic cars have had interesting lives, but few quite as interesting as this BMW 507 that had been owned by legendary racer john surtees for the last 70 years ago. the english driver, internationally known for his successful career on both 2 and 4 wheels, sadly passed away last year. the BMW is now being auctioned at bonhams in england with an estimated value of around 3 million dollars.

images courtesy bonhams

the car is listed in immaculate condition. it is quite rare with only 252 ever built. this, combined with its unique story, makes it quite possible for the car to go for a good deal more than the estimated price. surtees, who had raced motorcycles in his early career on behalf of mv agusta, quickly became a champion. once winning the championship in 1956 in the 500cc class, he was given an incredible gift. the ecstatic owner, count agusta, was set on rewarding surtees’ success by buying him his car of choice — he received this letter soon after the race:

‘dear mr surtees,
this letter is to confirm that on the 12th january, 1957, we presented to you an amount of dm 27,115.00 for you to buy a bmw type 507 touring sports car which was intended as a gift to you in appreciation of your winning the motorcycle world championship in 1956 for our company in the 500cc class.

we want to mention here the fact that the above world championship in the 500cc class was the first ever achieved by this company, and the above was but a token of our sincere gratitude.

yours very truly’

surtees was quite ecstatic with his automobile and took it for a spin from england to italy when reporting for his new job racing for ferrari. it was here that this BMW met the famous enzo, who was actually rather unpleased that his new driver drove something other than one of his own illustrious cars — a german car to boot. soon surtees was forced to buy a 330 GT, but despite this ultimatum, surtees held on to his beloved blue roadster and drove it extensively throughout europe in his lifetime. now, you can have a chance to own this sporty little blue BMW at the center of surtees racing career.