1936 BMW 319 Four-Window Cabriolet

The kidney-shaped grille first appeared on the BMW 303, introduced in 1933, and was the first to be equipped with an inline 6-cylinder engine. It had a displacement size of 1182cc and was a development of the prior 3/20's inline 4-cylinder unit. Within a couple of years, the 303 was phased out and replaced by two similar models with larger 6-cylinder engines.

In 1934, BMW introduced the 1.5-liter 315 model. It was joined a year later by the 1.9-liter 319, the company's most powerful car yet. It was the brainchild of Fritz Fiedler and Rudolf Schleicher. In a similar fashion to the Type 328 successor, the earlier model was given a rigid, tubular A-frame chassis. In keeping with the company's 'Leichtbau' (or lightweight construction) philosophy, the patent-protected structure consisted of two large-diameter side members and three rectangular cross members. It had a rack-and-pinion steering, live rear axle, and an independent transverse-leaf front suspension setup. It also had hydraulic shock absorbers and four-wheel drum brakes.

Powering the 319 was a 1.9-liter overhead valve straight-six engine offering 45 horsepower. The engine was mated to a four-speed manual transmission. Top speed exceeded 70 mph in standard tune.

The Type 319 was available in five body styles and produced through 1937, with 6,646 examples built. Around 2,066 examples were bodied as 4-window cabriolets with rear seats. Each had a base price at around 5,800 Reichmarks.

This example is an early Bayerische Motoren Werke product. The pre-War history is not known; by the early 1950s, it had been exported to Guatemala. In May of 1956, it was purchased by Ernesto Johan Pira Snepels, but it is not known how long he retained the 319. In October of 1987, the cabriolet was acquired by a Guatemalan BMW dealer named Arne Rainer Sapper Cordua, and he sold the car in 1989 to a local collector. In 1991, a restoration was conducted and around this time the car was exported to the United States for display and potential sale.

Over the following years, the BMW was displayed at the Auto Collections in Las Vegas, and in 2011 it was sent to China for exhibition at the Shanghai Auto Museum.

It is believed that this BMW 319 retains its original matching-numbers engine and 4-speed gearbox. The car is finished in a two-tone paint combination with matching disc wheels, the early kidney-shaped grille and circular propeller logo.
The engine is a 1911cc overhead valve inline 6-cylinder unit fitted with a single Downdraft carburetor and offering 45 horsepower. There is a four-speed manual gearbox and four-wheel Mechanical drum brakes.

By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2017