1937 BMW 327 Cabriolet

BMW's roots go back to Rapp Motor, which was founded by Karl Rapp as an engine manufacturer. Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH ('Bavarian Motor Works') was founded as a successor company to Rapp Motor in 1917 and by 1918 was known as BMW. The blue-and-white roundel BMW logo, which is still used, alludes to the white and blue checkered flag of Bavaria, and is said to symbolize a spinning white propeller on a blue-sky background.

In 1924 BMW built its first motorcycle, the R32. This had a 500 cc air-cooled horizontally-opposed engine, a feature that would resonate among their various models for decades to come, albeit with displacement increases and newer technology. The major innovation was the use of a driveshaft instead of a chain to drive the rear wheel. For decades to follow, the shaft-drive boxer engine was the mark of the BMW motorcycle.

The following year BMW bought the Dixi Company, which produced an Austin Seven under license, and this became the new company's first car, the BMW 3/15. By 1933 BMW was producing cars that could truly be called theirs, offering steadily more advanced sportscars and sedans. The pre-1944 cars culminated in the 327 coupe and convertible as well as the 328 roadster, very fast 2.0-liter cars that were very advanced for their time.

In 1933, BMW introduced the six-cylinder 303, featuring overhead valves, four bearings, and a swing-axle suspension. The swing axles were later abandoned in favor conventional live axle, while up front there was a transverse-leaf independent suspension and rack-and-pinion steering.

The BMW 327 Sports-Tourer was introduced in 1938. It had a shortened, boxed, ladder-type chassis of the 326 saloon, which it shared with the 320, but featured semi-elliptic rear springs in place of torsion bars. The gearbox was a Hurth four-speed manual unit with freewheeling between 1st and 2nd gears, enabling clutch-less gear changes at low speeds. Hydraulic brakes could be found at all four corners.

The BMW pushrod six-cylinder engine had since been enlarged to 1971cc and offered 55 horsepower in the 327. The 327 could also be ordered with the 328 sports car's 80 BHP unit at extra cost.

This particular example is a 327/328 Cabriolet that has been treated to a restoration that was completed over the course of the last two decades. This car was originally delivered to local German Agency 'Michel' on May 4th of 1939. When new, it was painted dark blue and black with a blue leather interior. It is believed that the car came to the United States at the hands of a G.I. station in Germany at the end of the war. They were discovered with the G.I. in the 1980s by a local Long Island car enthusiast. At the time, it was in a sorry state, having been left open to the elements for many years. The engines and radiators, however, had been safely stored.

The car has been totally rebuilt, in terms of its bodywork and structure and also its mechanical aspect. A donor 327 was used to provide necessary parts. Instead of its original scheme, it was painted a lighter two tone blue.

The engine is a 1971cc overhead valve six-cylinder unit fitted with three Solex carburetors and offering 80 horsepower. There is a four-speed manual transmission along with 4-wheel hydraulic drum brakes.