Historic Abbate BMW 507 V8 powered runabout up for auction

28 July 2011

In a one-off auction by Bonhams at the BMW Museum in Munich this autumn there is a chance to purchase a glorious piece of history in the form of a 1958 BMW Abbate V8 runabout – one of only two in existence.

This Italian mahogany speedster was the brainchild of semi-professional racing driver Helm Gloeckler, who partnered up with Giulio Abbate, a member of one of Italy’s most famous boat builder families to create this ambitious combination of an ultra light BMW all-aluminium V8 engine with an elegant runabout.

The modification included retuning the 503/507 dual carburettor motor to deliver high performance, and adding an extra cooling system and specially designed exhaust heaters with an enlarged oil pan – a real show piece for BMW engineering.

The estimate is £175,000 to £240,000.

This is the only boat for sale in the single marque auction, 'Power by BMW', which focuses on BMW manufactured and powered motor cars and motorcycles and BMW 'automobilia', but it was considered to quite uniquely fit the theme of the auction.

The auction is due to take place on the first weekend in October 2011.

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