Baroque Angel: Former Star of the Munich Police Force
by Gunnar Heinrich ::: YouTube ::: BMW 501
SOME time back, I was on an assignment covering a small town’s board of selectmen meeting when the item regarding budget allocation for police transport arose. Step forward the town’s sheriff who, as humble as pie, asked politely for the council’s consideration in letting his department lease two Harley Davidson motorcycles.
To support his case and show due diligence for finding the best rate for the tax payer, he submitted a paper showing competitive quotes from several local Harley dealers. The board chatted amiably amongst themselves for a moment, asked the top cop a question or two, and then voted.
The police department got their Harleys for summertime cruisin’.
In this video from Deutsche Welle TV, we’re introduced to retired Munich cop Herbert Joksch who pridefully shows us his former patrol car – a green 1950′s BMW 501 known as the “Baroque Angel.” Early predecessor to the 7-Series, BMW’s 501 was Munich’s luxurious answer to the Mercedes 300.
Herr Joksch remembers:
“When you were standing outside [directing traffic] for seven hours at a time and then some fellow policeman drove through the square in a Baroque Angel, all you could do was wave to him briefly. It wasn’t a feeling of envy. But your dearest wish at that moment was to one day be allowed to sit in that car.”
Officer Joksch, members of a certain police force Stateside know just how you feel.
About the Author: Gunnar Heinrich is publisher of Automobiles De Luxe online and is executive producer of the Automobiles De Luxe Television series on PBS member station CPTV.
euri | Jul 5, 2010 | Reply
Ha, great vid! (the retired officer still knows how to handle the 501!)
G | Jul 5, 2010 | Reply
Yes he whips that Bimmer round pretty nicely.
Distiller | Jul 6, 2010 | Reply
The 502 version was even more interesting, as the first post-war German V8 powered serial car. That V8 was also used in such exotics as the Talbot-Lago America.