Just Cool Cars: Big '56 BMW has a whistlin' V-8

CARMEL, Calif. -- When you've owned a car for 35 years, you start to think of it as an old friend. And David Perez knows how to take care of his friends, having gradually nursed his 1956 BMW 501 back to showroom shape.

The 501 may not fit the modern-day image of a BMW. It's a grand touring car with a V-8 engine. If its beautiful lines don't catch attention, details like the rear-hinged "suicide doors" will certainly turn heads. We caught up with Perez and the 501 at the Quail Motorsports Gathering over the summer.

"I kind of restored it from the ground up," says Perez, of Anaheim, Calif. He took his time to do it right: the effort lasted 30 years. The car didn't even have a motor in it when he bought it.

Now, what once was BMW's flagship is a showpiece. "It just drives beautifully," Perez says. "It whistles as it drives down the highway."