BMW 507: which version to buy
If you are choosing a BMW 507, the catalogue gives you one decision, not a menu. Across 1 generation (1956–1959) there is 1 body type — Cabrio — and 1 version: 3.2 MT. There is no second engine, no automatic, no restyle line, and no later generation in this dataset. “Which version” therefore means: take 3.2 MT on the numbers that exist, or do not take the model.
If you are choosing a BMW 507, the catalogue gives you one decision, not a menu. Across 1 generation (1956–1959) there is 1 body type — Cabrio — and 1 version: 3.2 MT. There is no second engine, no automatic, no restyle line, and no later generation in this dataset. “Which version” therefore means: take 3.2 MT on the numbers that exist, or do not take the model. The extra money, if any, is not in the data; what the extra horsepower of a sibling trim would buy is also not in the data, because no sibling trim is listed.
BMW 507 generations: what actually changed
1 generation (1956-01-01 to 1959-12-31) is the whole production window. Body: Cabrio. Versions in the generation: 1 — 3.2 MT. Start and stop of the version match the generation: 1956-01-01 to 1959-12-31. There is no restyling generation in the data, so you cannot pick an “early” versus “late” BMW 507 by generation number. You also cannot pick Series 1 versus Series 2 from these figures: that split is not in the catalogue.
Because there is only 1 generation, generation-to-generation arithmetic is empty: horsepower did not rise or fall between generations, displacement did not change, drive did not switch. The buyer’s comparison is inside 3.2 MT itself — what the numbers buy, and what is not measured.
BMW 507 specs: the only version, named as in the database
| Version | hp | Nm | Displacement (cc) | Fuel | Cylinders | Layout | Boost | Gearbox | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.2 MT | 150 | not measured | 3168 | Gasoline | 8 | V-shaped | No | Manual | RWD |
3.2 MT is Gasoline, 8 cylinders, V-shaped, 2 valves per cylinder, boost No, carburetor, engine Front, longitudinal, compression 7.8. Peak power is 150 hp / 110 kW at 5000 rpm. Torque in Nm is not measured; torque rpm is not measured. Gearbox: Manual, 4 gears. Drive: RWD.
Power per litre on 3.2 MT: 150 hp ÷ 3.168 L = 47.3 hp per litre (rounded to one decimal). In kilowatts: 110 kW ÷ 3.168 L = 34.7 kW per litre. Displacement per horsepower: 3168 cc ÷ 150 hp = 21.1 cc per hp. Those ratios are the only specific-output figures you can compute from this catalogue. There is no second row to subtract from.
If you expected a BMW 507 coupe as a separate buy: this generation’s body is Cabrio only. If you expected a kit-car or Hot Wheels analogue as a catalogue version: they are not versions here. If you expected a later roadster (Z8, Z4) or a 503/508/300SL comparison table: those models are not in this dataset, so they cannot be ranked against 3.2 MT with numbers from this launch.
BMW 507 engine: what the 3.2 MT V-shaped 8 actually gives you
You are buying one engine specification: 3.2 MT, 3168 cc, Gasoline, 8 cylinders, V-shaped, 2 valves per cylinder, boost No, carburetor, Front, longitudinal, 7.8 compression, 150 hp / 110 kW at 5000 rpm.
What that buys, in arithmetic on these figures:
- 150 hp is the entire power choice. There is no +10 hp or −10 hp trim.
- 110 kW is the same peak restated; it is not a second engine.
- 5000 rpm is the only power-peak speed listed. There is no higher-rev variant.
- Boost: No means you are not choosing a forced-induction option; the catalogue has no turbo/supercharged 3.2 MT.
- Carburetor is the only fuel system. There is no injection row to pay extra for.
- Manual, 4 is the only gearbox. There is no Automatic and no 5-speed in the data.
- RWD is the only drive. There is no AWD/FWD alternative.
Engine bay layout in the data is Front, longitudinal. Cylinder count and layout are 8 and V-shaped — take those labels as written, not a nickname. Valves per cylinder: 2. Diameter and stroke: not measured. Fuel grade: not measured.
Because Nm is not measured, you cannot compute newton-metres per litre, and you cannot say which version has more mid-range pull. There is only 3.2 MT, and its torque figure is not measured.
BMW 507 performance: 0–100, top speed, mpg
For 3.2 MT: 0–100 is 11.1 s; maximum speed is 196. City consumption: not measured. Highway consumption: not measured. Combined consumption: not measured. CO2: not measured. Eco class: not measured.
What the extra second would buy does not apply: there is no slower or faster catalogue version. 11.1 s is the only 0–100. 196 is the only top speed. You cannot rank 3.2 MT against a missing automatic or a missing later generation.
Fuel economy (mpg) is not measured on any cycle in this data. A buyer who needs a litres/100 km or mpg number cannot get it from this catalogue; writing a guessed mpg would be a number that is not in the data.
BMW 507 dimensions, weight, tank
Kerb weight: not measured. Gross weight: not measured. Ground clearance: not measured. Fuel tank: not measured. Wheels: not measured.
Because kerb weight is not measured, kg per horsepower cannot be calculated for 3.2 MT. Weight is a common search; the honest answer on this dataset is not measured, not “light” or “heavy.” Dimensions as a block of millimetres are not in the launch data either, so length/width/height cannot be used to choose a version.
Front suspension on 3.2 MT: Independent, torsion. Rear suspension: not measured. Front brakes: Drum. Rear brakes: not measured. You are not choosing disc versus drum at the front among versions — Drum is the only front-brake label listed.
Which BMW 507 version to choose
Choose 3.2 MT if you want the BMW 507 as this catalogue defines it: 1 generation, Cabrio, Gasoline 3168 cc, 8 cylinders V-shaped, 2 valves per cylinder, boost No, carburetor, Front, longitudinal, compression 7.8, 150 hp / 110 kW at 5000 rpm, Manual 4, RWD, 0–100 in 11.1 s, 196 top speed, Independent torsion front, Drum front brakes, years 1956-01-01 to 1959-12-31.
There is no other version to choose. Arithmetic between versions is not available: you cannot say “the 3.2 MT has X more hp than …” because the second term does not exist. You cannot say generation 2 added displacement, because pokoleniy is 1. You cannot say restyling changed gearbox, because restyling is not a separate generation here.
What you are not choosing, because it is not measured or not listed:
- A higher-power 3.2 MT (no second power figure under the same name).
- A torque-rich tune (Nm not measured).
- A lighter chassis (kerb weight not measured).
- A more economical tune (city/highway/combined not measured).
- A larger tank, different wheels, or more clearance (all not measured).
- Automatic, extra gears, or a drive other than RWD.
- A coupe body in this generation’s body field (Cabrio only).
- Price, original price, or “for sale” stock — not in the data.
If two cars both claim to be BMW 507 3.2 MT, this catalogue cannot separate them by horsepower the way two identically named Land Cruiser 3.3 AT rows would be separated (299 vs 309 hp). Here there is one 3.2 MT at 150 hp. Condition, matching numbers, and market price are outside this dataset.
Bottom line: the BMW 507 buyer’s grid collapses to one cell. 3.2 MT is 150 hp from 3168 cc (47.3 hp/L), 110 kW (34.7 kW/L), 11.1 s to 100, 196 top speed, Manual 4, RWD, Gasoline, 8 cylinders V-shaped, boost No. Everything else that usually splits “which one to buy” — weight, tank, clearance, wheels, Nm, mpg, a second generation — is not measured or not present. Buy 3.2 MT as the only specified version, or look outside this model; the catalogue does not offer a second BMW 507 to spend more on.