1938 BMW 328 Roadster

• Built in March 1938 and supplied new to Portugal
• Extensively restored by TT Workshops from 2009-2011
• Eligible for prestigious events such as the Mille Miglia
• One of only 461 to be built

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION

The lightweight, six-cylinder BMW 328 proved to be a formidable force in international motor racing during the late 1930s, and has since become a highly coveted choice of pre-war sports car. 

The 328 being offered for sale here was built by BMW in March 1938 and dispatched on 5 April to the Portuguese importer – Stand Batalha, Antonio Marques da Fonseca, which was based in Porto. The car was later owned by the Automuseum Deventer in the Netherlandsbefore returning to Portugal.

After being acquired specifically to take part in the Mille Miglia, the BMW was brought over to the UK, where it was treated to a painstaking, no-expense-spared restoration. The work was carried out by leading specialist TT Workshops in Wiltshire, and took place between 2009 and 2011. 

Every part of the project is faithfully recorded in the car’s huge history file via a comprehensive set of photographs and a wealth of invoices. It included sympathetically restoring the ash frame and lightweight bodywork, while the bottom end of the six-cylinder engine was rebuilt to original specification and the cylinder head was upgraded to later Bristol spec. 

The triple-carburettor straight-six is mated to the correct Hurth four-speed gearbox, which was one of two options that BMW provided to owners – the other being a ZF five-speed ’box.  

Since the restoration was completed, the BMW has been owned by noted enthusiasts who revel in driving their cars and enjoying them to the full. One recent custodian is a veteran ofrallies and events such as the Mille Miglia, for which the 328 would make the perfect choice. 

From its recessed spare wheel to a split windscreen that can be folded flat, its sporting pedigree is clear, and it drives beautifully thanks to its strong, crisp engine and lightweight construction. On the road, it’s certainly a very different proposition to the many pre-war models that rely on brute force to deliver their performance. 

As one of only 461 examples to be built between 1936 and 1940, this BMW 328 is a rare and highly sought-after car that would be welcome – and extremely competitive – in the world’s most prestigious events.

MODEL HISTORY

When renowned motoring writer Denis Jenkinson reflected on 50 years of the BMW 328 in 1986, he wrote that this acclaimed model ‘set a standard in modern sports cars that was not surpassed until the 1950s and not outmoded until 10 years later.’

That was high praise from a man who was not easily impressed, and it was entirely deserved. The 328 embodied BMW’s ‘leichtbau’ ethos of gaining performance by reducing weight, and at its heart was a six-cylinder engine that could trace its heritage to the Rudolf Schleicher-designed 1173cc unit that had been produced for the 303 model.

It was enlarged to 1490cc for the 315, then 1911cc for the 319. By 1936, it had been stretched once again to 1971cc for the new 326 – and it was this variant that provided the basis for the 328. 

For this latest sports car, Schleicher designed a new cylinder head with inclined overhead valves and ‘cross pushrods’. Power was boosted to 80bhp at 4500rpm in standard form, and could be increased to more than 100bhp for competition use.

Fittingly, the 328 made its debut at the 1936 Eifelrennen race meeting at the Nürburgring. Ernst Henne won the 2-litre class and set a new sports-car lap record, beginning an illustrious motorsport career for the 328 that also included class victories at the Tourist Trophy and Le Mans. In 1940, Huschke von Hanstein and Walter Bäumer took a special 328 coupé to outright victory in the 1940 Gran Premio di Brescia, which, in effect, was that year’s Mille Miglia.

The 328 won plaudits from all who drove it. In 1937, former ‘Bentley boy’ Sammy Davis took one to Brooklands and lapped the banked circuit at an average speed of 102mph for more than an hour. Motor Sport, meanwhile, called it ‘the fastest and, simultaneously, the most comfortable sports car that has ever been built’.

The 328’s six-cylinder engine went on to enjoy a second life following World War Two, when the Car Division of the Bristol Aeroplane Company acquired the design for use in its new models. It was effective not just in road cars, but was also tuned for a variety of motorsport applications during the 1950s – proof of its enduring quality.