The BMW 503 was designed by Count Albrecht von Goertz, the same man who designed the BMW 507.

BMW ads referred to the 503 as "an elegant luxury travel sports car from the stable of the large BMW eight-cylinder cars." The 'large eight-cylinder cars' was a reference to the Baroque Angels, BMW's mainstay at the time.

BMW introduced the 503 at the Geneva Auto Show in 1955. Like the 502 which preceded it, the 503 featured a 3.2 liter V-8, the most modern engine of its day and Germany's first eight since the War. The engine produced 140 hp @4500 rpm, and it powered the 503 to a top speed of 118 mph.

The 503 was the first German automobile to have an electrically-operated power top. Another unique feature of the car was the transmission, which in early models sat under the front seat and was not directly connected to the engine. The body was made of all aluminum.

The price of 30,000 Deutsch marks limited sales. The 503 was available as a 2 door coupe and cabriolet. Only 412 models were produced, with 273 coupes and 129 convertibles.

Circle of friends of the BMW 503 covers the history of the 503, technical data, photos and much more. In German. The best 503 site!

BMW 503 Vehicle Profile from Motorbase UK.

Circle BMW Mobile Tradition BMW 503 Coupe is an art print in signed special editions of just 1000 apiece. 

BMW Information BMW 503 has a little info and a couple of pictures.

De BMW V8 Story in German traces the history of BMW V-8 engines. Has pictures of 500 models.

BMW Model History from the Unix nerd has a nice history overview and a great table for all early models, including the 503.

Post WW2 BMW Image Gallery - BMW 503 has several large images of the 503.

BMW: The Route to Success is a nice history with info on the 503. 

BMW 503 Cabrio has some facts and a few pictures.

BMW 503 page has some facts and pictures.

1956 BMW 503 page is an ad picture of a red cabrio.

BMW 503 page has a nice picture of a blue cabrio.

BMW 503 page has a photo collage and some facts about a 503 for sale.

Oliver's Homepage features a 503 for sale.

BMW 503 page is a picture of a red cabrio.