1937 BMW 328 NSKK Race Car

This 1937 BMW 328 NSKK was a BMW works car that went missing for 80 years. It returned to public view in 2022 at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

Due to the cancellation of the 1939 Mille Miglia in Italy, a Mille Miglia-type race was held in Libya, and the BMW NSKK (German governmental corps) entered three BMW 328s, finishing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd and went on to Le Mans where they achieved 1st, 2nd and 3rd in their class and 5th, 7th and 9th overall. War broke out in September 1939, and the three BMWs apparently disappeared. Eventually, cars numbered 26 and 28 were rediscovered after the war, but car number 27 remained lost until 2017, when an expert from BMW Classic examined a 'mystery car' sequestered in a garage and identified it as missing number 27. It was acquired by the current owner, who had the BMW forensically restored to its original race-correct configuration.

The BMW 328 was a dominant force in the two-liter sportscar class from June 1936 until 1939. It had a lightweight tube frame construction with welded floors and stressed aluminum coachwork. Its lightweight characteristics were complemented by its potent Hemi-headed, inline-six-cylinder engine. The most radical versions of the 328 were provided to the Nationalsozialistisches Kraftfahrkorps (NSKK) and its German national racing team, a motorsports conglomerate operated by Germany's government.

During 1938, the NSKK used an initial trio of 328 Roadsters to compete and win nearly every sportscar competition across continental Europe. The following year, three 328s were ordered from BMW on November 13, 1938, and delivered to NSKK headquarters in Munich on February 2, 1939. These uniquely configured 328s were chassis numbers 85335, 85336, and 85337. They received lightweight coachwork, an enlarged fuel tank, additional cabin instrumentation, plexiglass wind wings, racing windscreens, reinforced suspension components, metal covers for the passenger and rear spare area, and 17-inch light alloy wheels with hydraulically assisted drum brakes. The engine was given Solex 30 IF carburetors, and its 135 horsepower was sent to the rear wheels via a four-speed Hurth gearbox and a lightened competition axle.

This particular BMW 328 'Special Competition' Roadster was first registered as 'IIA-58110.' After racing the trio of 328 Roadsters for several weeks, the NSKK sent 85335 and its two siblings to their competitive debut at The Royal Automobile Club of Italy's Corsa Sulla Litoranea Libica. BMW hoped to repeat the two-liter class sweep of the event which they had accomplished in 1939. Spanning 1,550 kilometers, the race began on March 26, 1939, and this BMW wore race number 62 and was driven by HSH Prince Max Schaumburg-Lippe and Ralph Roese. By the conclusion of the race that evening, the 328s had emerged triumphant once again, with 85335 finishing 5th overall and 2nd in class.

This car's next outing was at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 17, 1939. Roese and Paul Heinemann had driven 85335 during practice sessions beginning on June 14. During the early hours of the race, Roese performed driving duties, and by 4 AM, Roese and Heinemann had worked their way up to 10th overall. After the race's 21st hour, they reached 7th overall, in which they would remain for the final three hours. At the conclusion of the race, the BMW finished 2nd in class and nine laps down from the race's overall winner. It helped secure BMW another full podium sweep of the 2.0-liter category.

The car's final competitive outing was at Belgrade's Kalemegdan Park road course on September 3, where Roese drove to a 2nd overall finish (the car wore race number 44).

Following the Belgrade Grand Prix, the BMW disappeared and was widely presumed to have been scrapped. Instead, it remained hidden in plain sight, and by May 1963, it was in the possession of Carl Reitzel in Newark, New Jersey. From there, it passed to James P. McAllister of Port Jefferson, New York in August 1966. By this point in history, it had been made to resemble a normal 328 road car and its distinctive body features had been obscured. During the 1980s it was passed by descent to Jeffrey McAllister, who had it restored for use as a competitive vintage racing entry.

Over the next two decades, McAllister exhibited the car sparingly in vintage races and regional concours events. During this time, ongoing research and information provided by marque enthusiasts and experts revealed the car's provenance.

In October 2017, the BMW was acquired from the McAllister family and was sent to D.L. George Historic Motorcars in Cochranville, Pennsylvania who had previously restored 85337. The special BMW was returned to its original 'as-raced in 1939' configuration. The worked began in 2018 and concluded in 2022, with costs that exceeded seven figures.

Upon completition, the BMW 328 scored 3rd place in the Early Le Mans class at the 2022 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2023