BMW V8 3200 Super Autenrieth: There's only one

N Just a handful of classics allows us to do something similar parking is as enjoyable as driving. The BMW painted in a deep, almost brown dark red with the unique body is definitely one of them. Wonderful how he even puzzles experts.

Absolutely unique piece on behalf of a Hamburg lawyer

'A four-door convertible with six seats? And straight side walls? From BMW? Yes, what is because that? ' when parking the car up on the Gaisberg asks a walker who is identified by the embroidered company logo on the dark blue anorak as an avowed lover of the Munich brand. The owner explains to him: 'This is a 502 in a super version, with a 3.2-liter V8 engine and two carburettors for 140 hp at 4,800 rpm. A Hamburg lawyer had it in 1959 with a four-door convertible body ordered from Autenrieth in Darmstadt and registered on February 25, 1960. It is an absolutely unique piece, only built once and fully documented. ' So much for the sober facts.

With all the serious German luxury of the fifties, the BMW asks us to take the front seat. In order to be able to use it fully, the gear shift once moved up to the steering wheel, but remained true to the H-scheme. Shifting is no problem, only the reverse gear is a bit reluctant when pulling all the way forward. Based on the US model, there are two more seats next to the driver - as long as the middle armrest remains folded.

The V8 starts up without any problems, the choke button moves back to its starting position after a few seconds, the friction disc of the clutch nestles softly in the flywheel, and the BMW glides with the glorious appearance of a sporty majesty confident uphill. Second course, then third ... where, please, is the mountain? The V8 juggles its 1,550 kilograms curb weight plus a full tank and two passengers lightly into the cloudless blue sky over Salzburg. This is the big cinema from the late fifties to the swinging sixties - somehow it seems strange that Marika Rökk isn't waiting for us behind the next bend, with a beaming smile and dancing leg straight into the mild air.

Georg Autenrieth founds Karosseriewerke Weinsberg in 1912

The steering forces are kept within limits, the standard drum brakes - discs were only available as optional equipment - stay on track when decelerating. Biancaenjoy the day at Autenrieth. She experiences the exit in exactly the sense for which the convertible was once built. In right turns she slides on the gray leather upholstery with a small squeaked 'Oops!' automatically towards the driver; in left turns it supports the door with a lock that can be easily closed.

The torsion-resistant rectangular frame of the 502 was also welded to the body at Autenrieth; The BMW does not seem to be lacking in torsional strength. Rattling, creaking or locking weaknesses are apparently as foreign to the unique specimen as a Papuan at the Oktoberfest. This sense of quality directs one's gaze to Darmstadt, to the former site of the body shop. Georg Autenrieth was born in Gerhausen in Swabia in 1881. In 1895 he completed an apprenticeship as a wheelwright: body construction for the outgoing carriage era. From 1905 he worked for NSU in Neckarsulm - and in 1912, together with Franz Eisenlohr, founded the Weinsberg bodyworks. Major orders for NSU and later for Fiat followed. From 1918 on, Autenrieth broke new ground and founded his own body construction company. The first customers are NSU and Daimler. In 1922 the trained wheelwright relocated to Darmstadt. The company name: 'First Darmstädter Karosseriewerke Georg Autenrieth'.

Autenrieth-502 - once as expensive as BMW 507 and Mercedes-Benz 300 SL

That is as interesting as the Autenrieth story The fate of the BMW 502 convertible presented here. Commissioned by a Hamburg lawyer named Walter Hoepffner, the one-off BMW became the property of the auto mechanic Michael Jungnickel on July 1, 1966. Then the track silts up - but only until 1968. In that year, the concept of a generation including the apo and student movement, the already badly battered BMW meets the young automobile historian Erik Eckermann. He learns: 'The 3.2-liter super chassis got a special body on request. The result: four doors in a pontoon body, a four-door 503 so to speak.' At the time, the unique BMW was in the price range of the BMW 507 and Mercedes-Benz 300 SL; At the time, it was one of the three most expensive German vehicles with a total price of more than 31,000 marks.

Only to be delivered in a package - including sports aircraft

And how did the current owner get the gem? The Salzburg resident discovered the rarity more than two years ago from a tax consultant who was quit with the motor hobby. Its condition: The Autenrieth is only available if the rest of the collection is disposed of at the same time. 'Sure,' says Peter Wiesner, 'we'll do it'. The hope that these are more rare automobiles is only half the price. As a package, Wiesner purchases a BMW 327 Cabriolet, a Ferrari Mondial Spider and - a Piper Tomahawk. High-flying dreams sometimes fly high. Wiener wants to part with the unique specimen again - for a bid that is in the area of ​​the very good BMW 507or Mercedes-Benz 300 SL. Bianca takes note of this rather unmoved. She enjoys the airstream: It turns her long, blonde hair into a swirling reflection of a solar storm and a ripe wheat field. At the next boutique we will stop and look for a new dress for Bianca. It should be white silk with large dark red dots. Lawyer Hoepffner probably dreamed of this as early as 1960.