+++ Glamorous single piece with V8 engine +++ Legend about Konrad Adenauer, who lost his hat +++ Still on duty as wedding limousine +++

The only one of its kind 

If Konrad Adenauer had sat in the BMW 505 Pullman Limousine at least once in 1955 – who knows how things would have turned out for the luxurious automobile and the German Chancellor. A small series production was planned, in case a decision in favour of the BMW 505 Pullman to become the new state carriage were to be made. Our company would have loved to receive this prestigious order, hoping to reach exclusive groups of customers. However, the BMW 505 Pullman remained the only one of its kind. Although rumors about a second identical model kept surfacing, these have long since been refuted. It was not until 1963 that a similar successor model, the BMW 3200 S, was built based on the Baroque Angel frame.

A car for the Chancellor

In 1955 at the IAA ­­– then also known as the Frankfurt Motor Show ­– our company exhibited various sedans: the BMW 502 with 120 hp, a BMW 503 with 140 hp and the BMW 507 with 150 hp as well as the prototype of the BMW 505 Pullman. This was built on the chassis of the BMW 502 3.2 liter, which had been extended by 200 mm, and was specifically planned as a counterpart to the Mercedes-Benz 300 – the vehicle in which Chancellor Adenauer was been chauffeured in at the time. The BMW 505 Pullman Limousine had a V8 engine with 120 hp and reached a top speed of 170 km/h. The engine was sent to the Swiss company Ghia-Aigle in Lugano by the then Commercial Director of BMW AG, Hanns Grewenig, where the prototype was manufactured according to the design drafts of the Michelotti studio in Turin.

So much luxury - and then the hat

The BMW 505 Pullman was luxuriously equipped in the style of a state limousine – also because it was known within the company what kind of special features the Chancellor desired: a hydraulically retractable rear partition so that the chauffeur could not listen in, an intercom system between the driver and passenger compartment and remote radio control. While the BMW 505 offered all this, it did not provide any more space for Adenauer's long legs than the Mercedes. But it is said to have been the hat that put the Chancellor off changing cars. When he got out of the car after the test drive, he supposedly knocked it off his head on the door frame. All legend. What is proven is that Adenauer canceled the planned test drives due to illness and never even took a seat in the BMW 505. He sent his chauffeur, especially as he himself did not know much about the driving characteristics of an automobile, as he told him. The driver was initially enthusiastic about the driving performance, only to miraculously change his mind. It later emerged that the Chancellor's personal advisor was involved in the decision about the vehicles. His behavior led to a political scandal and later brought him to court. But that's another story. 

All in white ... with red advertising lettering 

The BMW 505 Pullman made a career even without the Chancellor. Repeatedly, the Bavarian state government lent out the limousine, which was advertised as a "state coach for diplomats, statesmen and general managers", and in 1956 the Italian Prime Minister Antonio Segni got into the car, which Ghia-Aigle called the "State Sedan". Sold by BMW AG to private owners in 1957, the vehicle finally came into the possession of Irmgard von Opel, the granddaughter of company founder Adam Opel. Her business was the first German potato chips, which is why from 1969 onwards, the "State Sedan" was driving around the county with red Chio-Chips lettering on white finish.

All in white … with a bouquet of flowers

In 1982, the BMW 505 Pullman came back into the possession of the BMW Group. Between 2016 and 2021, it was extensively restored and can be admired in its original black color not only as part of the collection, but it is occasionally lent out as a wedding car. This year, Prince Leopold of Bavaria, brand ambassador for BMW and former racing driver, used it for the big Wittelsbach wedding of his relatives in May. When Ludwig Prince of Bavaria and Sophie-Alexandra were married in Munich's traditional Theatinerkirche, the bride drove up in a BMW 505 Pullman limousine, befitting her status. 

If you are curious about the historic vehicle, you can find more information about the BMW 505 Pullman Limousine here.