BMW 328

BMW
328
Production period:	1937-1939
Class :	Sports car
Body versions :	Roadster
Engines:	Otto engine : 2.0 liters (59 kW)
Length:	3900 mm
Width:	1550 mm
Height:	1400 mm
Wheelbase :	2400 mm
Empty weight :	830 kg

BMW 328 Roadster

328 engine compartment left side

View into the engine compartment of the BMW 328

Rear of the BMW 328, built in 1938

1986 in the paddock of the Nürburgring

BMW 328 “Mille Miglia”, built in 1940, with Adolf Brudes at the wheel

BMW 328 Touring Coupé, winner of the 1940 Mille Miglia replacement

BMW 328 Sport Cabriolet in the Museum of the Autostadt Wolfsburg

The BMW 328 was a sports car made by Bayerische Motoren Werke . The roadster built in Eisenach was shown for the first time at the 1936 Eifel race on the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring , where it won the sports car class up to 2000 cc (without compressor) under Ernst Jakob Henne with an average of 101.6 km / h. The BMW 328 was available from February 1937 at a price of 7,400 Reichsmarks. According to BMW AG, 464 cars were built up to the beginning of 1940, other sources cite 462. The BMW 328 was one of the “dream sports cars” of its time. The predecessor was the BMW 319/1 .

General

The BMW 328 is an open two-seater. The chassis and suspension come from the BMW 319 , the engine block and brakes from the four-seater touring car 326 . In the 326, the six-cylinder in-line engine with a displacement of two liters and parallel valves in the cast iron cylinder head developed 50 hp (38 kW) at 3750 rpm. The engine has two ascending flow carburetors, inlets and outlets are on one side. For the 328, Rudolf Schleicher designed a new cylinder head made of aluminum with V-shaped hanging valves, hemispherical combustion chambers and a compression of 7.5: 1 (instead of 6: 1). Short intake ducts branched out in the head lead directly from the three Solex downdraft carburetors, which are located above the engine, to the intake valves. In order to be able to operate the exhaust valves from the camshaft located below on the other side, a mechanically complex solution was chosen: The bumper acts via a lever on the rocker arm shaft on the intake side and a second, almost horizontally arranged, short bumper that runs across the cylinder head an angled rocker arm that operates the exhaust valve. Each exhaust valve therefore has a tappet, two push rods and two rocker arms. The engine initially developed 80 hp (59 kW) at a rated speed of 5000 rpm.

The power is transmitted to the rigid rear axle via a single-disc dry clutch, a four-speed transmission from ZF or Hurth and an undivided cardan shaft. The axle bridge is bolted to the differential gear inserted from the front below. ( Banjo axle ) It is guided by longitudinal leaf springs and the levers of the shock absorbers, which act on the axle bracket above.

The front wheels are individually suspended in the manner of a double wishbone axle on a transverse leaf spring above and the levers of the lever shock absorbers, which are designed as triangular links. The long tie rods of the rack and pinion steering are behind the axle.

The “four-wheel fluid foot brake”, as it was called in the BMW sales brochure for drum brakes with hydraulic actuation, is superior to the cable-actuated brakes that were widespread at the time. BMW promised that the car would come to a standstill from 30 km / h after five meters, which corresponds to a braking deceleration of 6.94 m / s². The brakes are self-adjusting and each wheel brake cylinder has a larger diameter at the rear, i.e. towards the brake shoe that runs off, than at the front. BMW emphasizes the advantage achieved in this way of even wear on both brake shoes.

With a length of 3.90 m and a width of 1.55 m, the car looks delicate. The sporty character is emphasized by the two leather straps over the bonnet and the central locks of the steel disc wheels. The entry into the BMW 328 is narrow despite the rear-hinged doors and is made more difficult by the relatively large steering wheel.

Telescopic shock absorbers were installed in many of the 328 that have survived.

Technical specifications
Engine:	6-cylinder in-line engine (Otto)
Bore × stroke:	66 × 96 mm
Displacement:	1971 cc
Compression ratio:	7.5: 1
Mixture preparation :	3 downdraft carburetors Solex 30 JF
Power:	80 PS (59 kW) at 5000 rpm *
Crankshaft :	fourfold stored
Valve control:	lateral camshaft , drive by duplex chain; hanging valves
Tank capacity:	50 liters (on request 100 l)
Cooling:	Water cooling with circulation pump, 7.5 l cooling water
Transmission:	4-speed (3rd and 4th gear synchronized)
Landing gear:	Tubular frame with box cross members
Front suspension:	Independent suspension on wishbones (shock absorber lever) and transverse leaf spring
Rear suspension:	Rigid axle on two longitudinal semi-elliptical leaf springs, braking torque support by lever of the shock absorber
Shock absorber:	hydraulic lever shock absorbers
Brakes:	Drum brakes, hydraulically operated, self-adjusting (drum diameter 280 mm)
Wheelbase:	2400 mm
Gauge:	1153/1220 mm
External dimensions:	3900 × 1550 × 1400 mm
Tires:	5.25 or 5.50-16
Empty weight (without driver):	830 kg
Top speed:	150 km / h

• Various sources cite 4500 rpm.

Body styles

BMW 328 Fachsenfeld Coupé

In addition to the standard roadster, there were individual bodies for the BMW 328, including cabriolet versions from Ludwig Weinberger and from Gläser, as well as a coupé with a removable roof (hardtop) from Wendler in Reutlingen. According to the design of Baron Koenig-Fachsenfeld , Wendler also built two streamlined cars based on the BMW 328, which were considered extremely streamlined at the time. In 1978 measurements in the wind tunnel showed the relatively high drag coefficient (c _w ) of 0.44 for this vehicle, which among other things resulted from the ventilation slots in the bonnet. By making these slots smaller (as originally intended in the design) it sank below 0.40. These bodies were mainly made by hand using a mixed construction method, in which the body panels were connected to a frame made of wood with many small nails.

The BMW 328 "Mille Miglia"

For the 1939 Le Mans 24-hour race , BMW had a coupé with an aluminum body in Touring's patented “Superleggera” design (super light) made by the Milan-based coachbuilder Touring on the 328 chassis . The particularly thin body panels of the car were welded to a tubular frame. This very expensive construction - before the Second World War, aluminum was an expensive high-tech material that was not easy to weld - was used in various racing vehicles at the time. In the Le Mans race, Max zu Schaumburg-Lippe / Hans Wencher finished fifth in the overall standings and became winners in the class up to 2 liters. A year later - at the Mille Miglia in 1940 - BMW used this car and a so-called Kamm Coupé as well as three roadsters based on the 328. The roadsters were considered prototypes for the planned post-war model. They are known as the Mille Miglia type because they were only used as works cars in this race.

The performance data for the racing engine, which corresponds to the series engine in terms of displacement (1971 cm³) and technical structure, fluctuate between 87 and 90 kW (118/122 hp) at 5000 to 5800 rpm and a compression ratio of 9.15: 1 The test bench achieved 96 to 99 kW (130 to 135 hp). The curb weight of the roadster (with 100 l of fuel) is 700 kg, the coupé weighs approx. 780 kg. A maximum speed of 200 to 220 km / h can be achieved.

Huschke von Hanstein and Walter Bäumer won the Mille Miglia with the Le Mans Coupé from Touring in 8: 54: 46.3 hours or at an average speed of 166.7 km / h. Adolf Brudes and Ralph Roese finished third with one of the three roadsters. The other two roadsters came in fifth and sixth. The Kamm Coupé failed.

After the war, the touring coupé was confiscated by US officers and shortly afterwards sold to a former BMW employee who emigrated to Canada in 1947, took the car with him and sold it. In the 1970s, the coupe changed hands again before BMW was able to buy it back and restore it in the summer of 2002.

Brudes' car came to England in 1945 and there in the following years to various owners who modified it according to their needs. In 1974 the car returned to the Nürburgring for the first time. In 1975 BMW was able to buy back the 328 “Mille Miglia” and, at great expense, restore it to its original condition. The picture from 1976 shows the car still with right-hand drive.

Since the mid-1990s, BMW tried to reconstruct the Kamm Coupé using data from private collections, photos and computer simulations after the original was scrapped after an accident in the early 1950s. At the end of April 2010, BMW presented the replica of the racing car to the public at the Concorso d'Eleganza in front of the Grand Hotel Villa d'Este on Lake Como.

BMW 328 re-user

Right from the start, the BMW 328 was the starting point for numerous conversions and self-builds, especially for competition purposes. Starting with the replacement of individual body parts (fenders, doors) for lighter versions, development led to the use of complete light metal bodies even before the war to the installation of BMW 328 engines in specially made chassis. The designs by Toni Neumaier in particular proved to be on a par with the cars of the NSKK racing team prepared by the factory before the war .

However, the BMW 328 experienced the real heyday of the in-house builds and conversions derived from it in the immediate post-war period. This was due, on the one hand, to the fact that the engine was almost the only one in Germany that was competitive and also available in sufficient numbers, and on the other hand, with its displacement of 2 liters, it was ideally subject to the regulations of the Formula 2 newly introduced by the international automobile association FIA and therefore gave many racing drivers at home and abroad the opportunity to easily find a suitable racing car.

The two racing brands Veritas and AFM also tried to penetrate this market niche in Germany . Their first models were created by converting existing BMW vehicles and thus initially dominated the German scene. In the former BMW plant in Eisenach , where all series models were built before the war, the development of high-performance models based on the BMW 328, which were used by the state racing collective , was continued under the brand name EMW . Both the two West German manufacturers and the racing collective developed reduced-displacement versions of the engine with roller-bearing crankshafts for racing in the 1.5-liter class. In addition, in the workshop of the former were BMW representative Reif in Chemnitz rebuilt several BMW 328 competition vehicles. Another racing sports car based on the BMW 328 was the Great Werkmeister , which Georg Werkmeister built in Dingelstädt .

In Great Britain, where the BMW 328 had already been sold under the Frazer Nash brand name before the war , the British aircraft manufacturer Bristol Aircraft Company secured the design documents and the production rights together with Frazer Nash. Under the direction of the former head of design at BMW, Fritz Fiedler , whom Bristol had also taken over, the engine was further developed to achieve more power and stability. From 1947 it was installed in Bristol's first automobile, the Coupé Bristol 400 derived from the BMW 327 . The six-cylinder engine remained standard in all Bristol Cars models until the 406 (1959–1961). In addition, like its German counterpart , it achieved numerous motorsport laurels in numerous racing and sports cars, including manufacturers Cooper , Frazer Nash, Lotus , AC and Lister, until the mid-1950s.

Depending on the source, the Belgian or French designer Maurice Monnier used the chassis and engine parts of a BMW 328 for the Monnier Spéciale , a racing car designed in 1947 that took part in several Formula 2 races from 1950 to 1954 .

328 homage

Coupé Mille Miglia 2006 in the BMW Museum

328 Roadster tribute

There are so-called BMW tributes to the pre-war model BMW 328: 2006 from the Coupé, 2011 from the Roadster. The Z4 (E85) served as the basis , but the bodies of both concept cars were made from CFRP ( carbon fiber reinforced plastic ). For the roadster homage it is reported that it is a good 400 kg heavier than the original.

Literature and Sources

• Werner Oswald: All BMW automobiles 1928–1978. 2nd edition, Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1979, ISBN 3-87943-584-7 .
• Ingo Seiff: BMW - The pleasure of driving. Weltbild Verlag, Augsburg 2000, ISBN 3-8289-5374-3 .
• Karl-Heinz Edler, Wolfgang Roediger: The German racing cars. 2nd edition of the reprint from 1956, Fachbuchverlag Leipzig 1990, ISBN 3-343-00435-9 .
• Rainer Simons: From Roadster to Myth. BMW 328. (Authorized Edition) Copress-Verlag, Munich 1996. 328 pages, ISBN 3-7679-0481-0 .
• Time horizon - a guided tour through the BMW Museum. ST / D / 15 / 04.98.
• Stefan Knittel: Driving report: BMW 328 Mille Miglia Roadster from 1940. In: Motor-Klassik. Issue 4/1988, Vereinigte Motorverlage, Stuttgart.

Web links

Commons : BMW 328  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Model BMW 328. In: BMW History. BMW AG, accessed on July 13, 2016 (dossier in the BMW Group archive with technical data). 
• Manual for the BMW 80 PS sports car, model 328. In: BMW history. BMW AG, April 1937, accessed on July 13, 2016 (manual with pictures, 60 pages). 
• Spare parts list for the BMW 80 PS sports car, model 328. In: BMW history. BMW AG, August 1937, accessed on July 13, 2016 (spare parts list with pictures, 117 pages). 
• "BMW 328 Kamm Coupé. Make new out of old ” , Süddeutsche Zeitung , April 27, 2010, with photo series

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Michael Behrndt, Jörg-Thomas Födisch, Matthias Behrndt: ADAC Eifelrennen . Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2009, ISBN 978-3-86852-070-5 .
2. ^ Werner Oswald: All BMW automobiles 1928–1978 . 2nd edition, Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1979, ISBN 3-87943-584-7 .
3. ↑ Paul Simsa : dream sports car . In: Motor-Revue, No. 40, winter edition 1961, Vereinigte Motorverlage, Stuttgart, pp. 32–35.
4. ↑ https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/22725/lot/368/
5. ↑ https://bmw-grouparchiv.de/research/detail/index.xhtml?id=2692125 Image of the "Rolling Chassis"
6. ↑ https://bmw-grouparchiv.de/research/media/14a91246-7a12-4be4-8112-81faff44885b/web?pfdrid_c=false image of a 328 wooden frame
7. ↑ Stefan Grundhoff: “BMW 328 Comb Coupé. Make new out of old ” , Süddeutsche Zeitung , April 27, 2010
8. ↑ http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/news/bmw-concept-car-hommage-an-das-328-coupe-762083.html from May 11, 2006, accessed July 8, 2017
9. ↑ ^{a b} Tom Grünweg: Old idea in a new form. BMW 328 homage. Spiegel Online , May 24, 2011, accessed on July 8, 2017 : "For the model's 75th birthday, the designers created a unique piece with the trains from back then."  

Timeline of the Dixi , BMW and EMW models from 1927 to 1955
Type	1920s				1930s										1940s										1950s
	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	0	1	2	3	4th	5	6th
Small car		Dixi 3/15
				BMW 3/15			3/20
Lower middle class									309
								303	315
Middle class									319/329			320		321			...			321/2
											326						...			326/2				340		EMW 340
upper middle class														335
Roadster / Coupé / Convertible					BMW Wartburg				315/1 / 319/1			327					...			327						EMW 327
												328
Kübelwagen												325															EMW 325
Under the “Dixi” brand ; The Austin 7 compact car is built under license Produced under the brand "EMW" in the GDR by the Eisenacher Motoren Werk