When BMW discreetly started sussing out customer interest in a new coupe in 1935, it had only been building cars for seven years.
So when the 328 debuted in the Eifelrennen at the Nürburgring on 14 June 1936, it catapulted the company forward. A former motorcycle racer called Ernst Henne won the race in the car, and around 100 more victories followed that year.
Aerodynamics pioneer Professor Wunibald Kamm soon began experimenting with a sleek bodied derivation, carrying out wind tunnel tests. Italian coach builder Touring was drafted in to bolster BMW’s then-modest manufacturing capacity, and the resulting ultra-light weight – Superleggera – all-aluminium coupe took a class win and finished fifth overall at Le Mans in 1939, having covered 1,981 miles at an average 82.5mph.
This story is from the June 2018 edition of Top Gear.
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This story is from the June 2018 edition of Top Gear.
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