Albrecht Graf von Goertz, the designer of the BMW 507
Albrecht Graf von Goertz was an industrial designer responsible for the design, among other vehicles, of the BMW 507. Born into an aristocratic family in the Hanover region, he first worked as a bank clerk in Germany, but after a period of time in England, he went to the U.S., where he found work in a factory and at the same time dedicated himself to repairing cars, his great passion, which led him, in 1939, to create his first car on the basis of a Mercury.
After World War II and his service in the U.S. Army in the Pacific, he studied at Pratt Institute, where he caught the eye of designer Raymond Loewy, with whom he worked for Studebaker.
In 1953 he settled in New York as an independent designer, founding Goertz Industrial Design Inc. At the request of the BMW importer for the United States, he presented his design proposals for a sports roadster to the company’s management, sketches that were approved and gave life to two legendary cars, the BMW 503 and the BMW 507.
Design work on the BMW 503, designed by Goertz
Both cars, due to the limited presence of the German brand in the United States at that time, were too expensive to be successful against their competitors, so they did not have the expected success. Today, the few surviving 507s reach two million euros on the market. The BMW Museum in Munich has in its possession an example that belonged to Elvis Presley.
Goertz poses with another of his works, the Datsun – Nissan 240 Z.
Goertz not only designed the iconic Japanese Datsun 240Z sports car, but was also involved in the design of a Sportback variant of the VW-Porsche 914, ambitiously presenting his work to Porsche. This prototype was exhibited at the Turin Motor Show. Despite the effort and presentation, unfortunately, his design proposal did not receive the desired approval.
Goertz design proposal for Porsche
Albrecht Graf von Goertz, renowned for his contribution to the world of automotive design, left a lasting legacy in the history of automobiles. He passed away in 2006 in Kitzbühel, Austria, a place where his creative talents and passion for engineering left an indelible mark on the automotive world.
