1937 BMW 328 Roadster

On June 14th of 1936, at the annual Eifelrennen event held at the Nurburgring, a strong field of race cars was defeated by Ernst Henne driving the prototype BMW 328 roadster. Fritz Fiedler, the company's chief engineer, gave the 328 a solid but lightweight twin-tube chassis, with a live rear axle mounted on semi-elliptical springs and independent front suspension via A-arms and a transverse leaf spring. Steering was by rack-and- pinion. The lightweight aerodynamic body was made of aluminum over ash with steel fenders. The 328 was powered by a six-cylinder engine with an ingenious new cylinder head designed by Rudolf Schleicher. Downdraft inlet ports and triple-Solex carburetors gave the car tremendous performance without the need of supercharging.

The 328 won its class at the Mille Miglia, Le Mans, Spa 24 Hours and Britain's Tourist Trophy. Leading drivers included members of the factory team, as well as privateers and team drivers such as those supported by British importer Frazer Nash. Taking performance to another level, a special aerodynamic coupe body won the Mille Miglia outright in 1940.

This BMW 328 Roadster was in the ownership of a Russian military officer station in Germany in the post-War era. It was later acquired by an Austrian where it was dismantled with the intention of conducting a complete restoration. Discovered after many years in storage, the BMW was restored in Austria and prepared for vintage events.

In the mid-2000s, the car was purchased by Henry Petronis. During his ownership, the elegant BMW was displayed at the St. Michaels Concours d'Elegance on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

The 328 is finished in traditional white German racing livery and outfitted with rear-wheel spats, turn indicators and drilled wheels wearing period-appropriate Englebert competition tires. The seats are upholstered in black leather and the fascia features the full complement of Veigel and VDO instruments. There is a more modern Volvo gearbox and the engine is equipped with the high-performance OZ 80 aluminum cylinder heads and three Solex twin-choke carburetors.

In 2012, the car was offered for sale by Gooding & Company at their Scottsdale, Az. auction. The car was estimated to sell for $500,000 - $650,000. The car found new ownership for the sum of $517,000, inclusive of buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2012