21. BMW 502
After the war, BMW wanted to attack Mercedes in the luxury car class and introduced 501 and 502 Sedans. Those cars were powerful cruisers nicknamed “Baroque Angel” for their looks and swopping fender curves. Unfortunately, they didn’t sell well, and the company lost money. In an attempt to gain wealthy customers, BMW introduced the 502, a luxury hand-made two-door coupe/convertible with an aluminum V8 engine and a high price tag (via Supercars).
Needless to say, BMW’s reputation wasn’t strong during the 1950s. The 502 Coupe, despite looking fantastic, was a failure with only a few hundred made. Today, it is one of the rarest and most sought-after cars BMW ever made, but in the ’50s, it was a costly mistake. Also, the all-aluminum V8 wasn’t reliable as Mercedes’ straight-six.