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A tough act to follow, for sure, but not to the extent that you would turn your back on the sports car market for the best part of three decades. Yet thats precisely what happened. When BMW 507 number 252 was shipped to its owner, it signalled the end of BMW two-seater sports car production until the board of management came up with the idea of creating a new department. A creative think tank, where engineers, technicians and designers were given free rein to work on turning concepts into reality. >>>

The name of the company was BMW Technik, known internally as ZT. Within just six months, the 60-strong team had delivered a range of concepts under the name of Z1. It seemed like a long shot, but the BMW board gave the project the green light and a working prototype was presented within a year. In August 1986, BMW Technik went public with its first product: the BMW Z1, with the Z standing for Zukunft,
<<<< German for future.

BMW 507 (1956)
BMW’s retort to the Mercedes-Benz 300SL was the 507 Roadster. Every bit as exclusive, the BMW should have been followed by a long line of descendants just like the SL.

However, it remained a one-off, because BMW had to concentrate on survival with volume sellers such as the Isetta and 700.

Styled by Albrecht von Goertz, the 507 had an aluminium body and 150bhp 3.2-litre V8 engine, so it was good for 124mph. Despite this, only 252 were sold and BMW didn’t replace it, though the Z8 of 1999 was a tribute to the 507 in its styling and V8 power.

ntroduced to American drivers in 1955, the BMW 507 was a roadster based on the company's previous 501 and 503 models (via MotorTrend). The car made its debut at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City and even before it landed in the U.S., it already carried a massive reputation of being the "most beautiful car in the world." Munich's dream car was developed with the aim to compete against the highly regarded Mercedes-Benz 300SL. The frontman behind the 507 was Max Hoffman, a New York-based luxury car dealer who influenced the development of a European sports car especially tailored for American buyers.

The 507 was packed with a 3.2-liter, V8 engine that produced 150 horsepower. It had a top speed of 122 miles per hour (mph) and could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 11.1 seconds. This was a perfect car in every sense. It was built and assembled by the best technicians in Bavaria and was loaded with best-in-class materials. Due to this, the cost of production of each unit came close to a whopping $10,000, almost double its projected cost price.

BMW incurred a loss on each unit it produced and in 1960, the model was pulled out of the brand's lineup, MotorTrend notes. Although the car couldn't survive in the market, it now collects above $1 million from buyers. Fun fact: a 1957 BMW 507 sold for $5,040,500, making it the most expensive BMW ever sold.

The first car to wear the prestigious ‘M’ badge, the M1 really was the product of BMW’s Motorsport Division.

Originally conceived for Group 5 racing, it missed the chance due to its late delivery, so BMW created the Procar series instead to support Formula One races for two seasons.

The 277bhp 3.5-litre straight-six engine was mid-mounted and gave the M1 impressive pace. This didn’t improve its appeal to road car customers much and only 456 were made in total.

Scolded by this, BMW didn’t return to a mid-engined road car layout again until its four-seat i8 hybrid in 2014.