Two years later, the BMW 507 was born with a stunning streamlined design complemented by pronounced wheel wells. The hand-assembled roadster had a front-mounted 3.2-liter V8 engine capable of generating 148 horsepower. Power was sent exclusively to the rear wheel via a four-speed ZF manual gearbox.
The 507 shared the frame of its coupe sibling, the 503, but the wheelbase was shortened from 111.6 to 97.6 inches. Weighing at 2,835 lbs, the roadster was fitted with parallel double wishbones with torsion bars and a sway bar for the front suspension, while the rear suspension had a live axle with torsion bars as well.
Everything was looking promising for the 507. However, trouble hit when Hoffman’s intended selling price of $5,000 soared to as much as $10,500. The reason was the high production costs, eventually leading the company close to bankruptcy.