Tom Olsson brought to my attention an episode of Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Rather than a comedian, his guest is Austrian actor, Christoph Waltz, best known for playing Nazi Hans Landa in the Quentin Tarantino film Inglorious Basterds.

If you watch episodes of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, you will know that Seinfeld, a car guy, picks a car that he feels best matches his guest’s personality. In the case of Christoph Waltz, an Academy Award winning actor from Vienna, he picked a white BMW 507. The episode is worth it just for the car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it9R7Xd2A4Q

What is probably not known by many is that this 507 is a very special one. It is a 1957 Series II 507 #70089, owned by Ron Gilmartin. This particular car was owned by Gilmartin’s friend, Jack Castor. Castor had the Elvis 507, #70079, along with a lot of other special cars, sitting in a barn in Northern California. The Elvis car was so deteriorated that Castor had purchased another 507 to use as a guide for restoration. The two 507s were ‘discovered’ by Jackie Jouret when she was editor of Bimmer Magazine.

BMW Group Classic made Castor a deal. They would restore both the 507s. Jack Castor would be given a life estate in the Elvis 507, meaning he could drive it for the rest of his life and then it would revert back to BMW. Meanwhile, the second 507 would be owned by Castor. Unfortunately, Jack Castor died while the 507s were being restored in Germany.

In August 2016, both 507s were brought to California to make their debuts at the Monterey Car Week. BMW presented the Elvis car, as they now owned it. The second 507 became part of Jack Castor’s estate. His widow sold the car to Ron Gilmartin, a good friend of Castor’s. He took possession of the 507 at Pebble Beach. I had the opportunity to talk to Gilmartin as he dusted the car at the BMW Villa, the day before the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Meanwhile, Jack Castor’s widow stayed with the Elvis 507 as it was shown on the lawn at Pebble.

Ron Gilmartin loaned his 507 to Jerry Seinfeld for the episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.