1939 BMW 328 Competition Touring Coupe
| May 5, 2008
In February of 1939, wanting to prove the supremacy of their engineering, the German SS brought this chassis from BMW to “Touring” in Milan to be fitted with a lightweight aerodynamic coupe body.
Once fitted with the body, this car won its class at the 1939 Lemans and also at the 1940 Mille Miglia. (Purists will point out that the race was known as the 'Gran Premio di Brescia delle Mille Miglia' and did not at all follow the familiar Brescia-Rome-Brescia route, but instead consisted of nine laps around a 103-mile circuit. This was done to circumvent the ban on road racing in Italy after a massive and fatal accident during the 1938 Mille Miglia. Nevertheless Huscke von Hanstein's victory has gone into history as one of BMW's finest.)
Then following World War II, this car was found by an American Army Master Sergeant in the basement of the house of an SS Trooper. After this, the car and was used for many years as a daily driver in Germany. Later, it was bought by American enthusiast in the 1980s. The car was restored and the new owner drove it at many events including twice at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix.
The number of regular 328s (including cars produced by Frazer Nash in England on the 328 chassis) produced Before WWII is estimated at 426. Over 200 of the cars still exist, a remarkable feat for a country where many cars were confiscated by the authorities. What apparently has contributed to its survival is that the engines of the 328 required very high quality petrol, which was hardly available, making the car unusable during the war and not attractive to the ruling party.
This car has a 2-liter, inline six-cylinder, 80 bhp engine.