PetroliciousCo goes for a spin with Klaus Kutscher, the man behind the restoration of Elvis Presley’s BMW 507.
You may remember, shortly before its debut at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours, BMW issued details concerning the restoration of Elvis Presley’s 507, given that it had been left to rot in a pumpkin warehouse for the best part of four decades and was thus in need of some spit and polish (you can read the full story HERE).
Turns out Klaus Kutscher, the man at BMW Classic in charge of the restoration, only knew how big a task his team had when the The King’s 507 finally made its way back to Munich in 2014. For starters, the 3.2-litre V8 and four-speed ZF manual gearbox were missing, a bit of an issue if you need the 507 to, y’know, move. Inside the previous owner had cut the living bejesus out of the dashboard, the paintwork had been repainted – twice – and even the frame had been ‘modified’ before the 507 was involved in a heavy accident.
After months of restoration, Klaus – in his Petrolicious debut – finally takes the 507 for a spin around Laguna Seca (not the first BMW driven in the area we’ve been quite envious about…) ahead of its Concours debut. And clearly, the man himself if proud of his accomplishments:
“This was my project. The car has a wonderful design. The lines are wonderful, the curves and the back fenders, and the long bonnet, I think it looks…outstanding. And we always want to keep the car in Pebble Beach condition, so that means in perfect condition. Now you can see the result looks, for me, beautiful. More than beautiful.”
The King would be proud Klaus.
