Fata Morgana
Dessert? This more likely deserves posting in the Off Topic forum, but rather than double post, I am including it here. BMW 507 powered speed boat. Quite nice. Not easily duplicated.
It is a very cool boat but seemed larger than in this picture...
Length: 5.85m (19' 2")
Beam: 1.85m (6')
Draft: 0.35m (1' 2")
The BMW Abbate V8 runabout could be considered as a successful collaboration between the Marine Division of Bayerische Motoren Werke in Munich and the Italian speedboat champion and boat builder Giulio Abbate, brokered by the Frankfurt-based gentleman driver, Helm Gloeckler.
By 1958 Wilhelm 'Helm' Gloeckler had become famous developing his own Porsche specials, which ultimately resulted in Porsche's own sports-racer: the 550 Spyder. Running a major BMW dealership at Frankfurt, Gloeckler was also instrumental in delivering the BMW 507 to Elvis Presley, then stationed at the nearby US Army base in Friedberg.
A keen speedboat driver and water skier, Gloeckler was convinced that combining the potent and lightweight all-aluminium BMW V8 engine with an elegant mahogany runabout of Italian provenance would constitute an ideal match. As BMW was already developing further applications for their advanced V8 engine, the time seemed right for a marine version.
The project, carrying the code '401', involved converting the 503/507 twin-carburettor motor to make it suitable for propelling high-performance water craft of the kind Gloeckler had in mind. With the addition of a second cooling system circulating in specially designed exhaust headers, an enlarged sump and further modifications to facilitate the required inclined installation, this engine proved ideal for Gloeckler's dream boat.
In Giulio Abbate, a member of one of Italy's most famous boatbuilding families and a successful offshore racer, Helm Gloeckler found the perfect partner for his ambitious project. When finished, his boat not only satisfied his personal ambitions but also served as a showpiece and demonstrator for BMW technology. Keen to promote their V8 engine's derivatives, BMW exhibited the runabout at trade fairs, among them the Hannover-Messe, and at international boat shows.
Built by Abbate of Lake Como, Italy, the craft is constructed of mahogany - seam battened on sawn frames - and a double diagonal marine plywood bottom, bright varnished to the waterline and painted below, with laid timber deck. The BMW 507-series 401 marine petrol engine produces 150hp at 4,500rpm and drives via the original Paragon converter (giving forward/neutral/reverse gears) to a special high-speed bronze propeller. Instrumentation is housed in two large BMW 507-style multi-function roundels.
The foredeck features chromed cleats and spotlight, windscreen to the large ****pit, with bench seating for three and wheel steering to starboard. There are BMW two-tone mattresses on the aft sundeck and access to the engine compartment beneath. The inventory includes oars, fenders, lifesaving equipment, BMW V8 toolbox and the original road trailer with cover.
With hindsight, Gloeckler's naming the BMW Abbate 'Fata Morgana' ('Mirage') seems to reflect the enterprise's flawed economic vision. Only one other BMW Abbate was ever made, a prototype exhibited at the Milan Motonautica, and the planned small production run never materialised.
