Miguel Sánchez
The 328 is one of the most popular prewar models. And not only because it was a mechanical marvel that was the product of a growing German car manufacturer, but also because of the beauty of its forms. Soft, rounded, classic but at the same time futuristic ... Anyone who has seen a BMW 328 knows that it is impossible not to look at it several times. Manufactured between 1936 and 1940, each and every one of its around 460 units has something special that elevates it to what it is: an icon.
As was common at the time, these sports cars were produced almost by hand. For this reason the customizations and bodies made are almost impossible to list. In this case, and to increase the legend of this unit, it was hand-built by Touring in their workshops in Milan. There it acquired this bodywork on its German chassis "super light”That captivates by those futuristic aerodynamic shapes, conceived in a time without wind tunnels applied to the automotive industry. An exciting car in its conception, but no less in its sporting record.
THE ONLY DOUBLE WINNER
Preserved as one of the jewels of the collection treasured in Munich by BMW, this unit of the 328 is the only double winner of the Mille Miglia 64 years away! After all, it was the absolute winner in both the 1940 edition and the 2004 classic edition. A winning car capable of setting speed records thanks to its ability to cut through the wind, its mechanics and… its only 780 kilos of weight.
Of course, that low weight helped create a car with a real chance of outrunning the ubiquitous Alfa Romeo 8C. And be careful, because that was not easy. Except twice, the Milanese had won every Mille Miglia since the race's debut in 1927. Yet that German six-cylinder manufactured in 1939, of just 1971cc and 80CV of power ... It caught them completely off guard.
Piloted by Walter baumer y Huschke von Hanstein -the aristocrat who during the 50s was director of the racing department at Porsche-, this 328 crossed the line of the circuit of Brescia after 8 hours and 55 minutes in the race. Thus he won the 1940 edition, inscribing his name in the legend of the Mille Miglia. And twice ... Since in addition to winning the race he obtained the average speed record in the test, setting it at almost 168km / h (!).
ONE OF THE JEWELS OF BMW
That victory marked a milestone, as no one seemed capable of snatching the laurels of the Italian event from the Alfa Romeo. The last time had been in 1931, when the Mercedes team piloted by Rudolf caracciola y wilhelm sebastian he was the winner with his huge SSK. In addition, this put a finishing touch to the history of 328, abruptly interrupted by the arrival of WWII.
The 328 had such fame in its time that the British, in full retreat after the surrender of Nazi Germany, took one of the models participating in the Mille Miglia to study it in the Bristol factories. Fortunately, the winner of the 1940 edition survived the war and the postwar period, being today guarded in the belongings of the BMW Group Classic so that we can see it, and listen…
