The unique MM racers
and an alluring copy.
Hans Arend de Wit
Until bumps were built in the narrowed passages of the winding two-lane brick road along the river Amstel it often was used as a test track for the well to do in Amsterdam, to demonstrate their cars to friends and colleagues. It so came to pass that a creative director of an advertising agency 'sold' eight Alfa Romeos out of sheer passion. On a sunny day on this rustic river road, way back in time, we happened to spot a line of impressive cars drifting through the bends, a red BMW 328 convertible (AutoArt). The 328 is a small sports car that was built between 1936 and 1940, in thinking of the drivers comparable with the MG
that also was built and sold in England with the Frazer-Nash logo.
An existing BMW 1971cc straight-six engine was evolutionarily further developed by Rudolf Flemming with an ingenious aluminum alloy cylinder head that housed hemispherical combustion chambers and symmetrically inclined valves that were lifted by a single crankcase mounted camshaft, invented by the Italian engineer Walter Becchia in the early thirties when working for Talbot. Interesting to note is that after WWII Becchia became the head of the engine department at Citroën, where he designed the air cooled twin engine for the 2CV, and supervised the development of the new cylinder head with hemispherical combustion chambers for the four cylinder DS engine.
Nowadays little is known about the BMW Anglo-German connection. The AFN Company, named after the founder Archibald Frazer-Nash, became importers and assemblers of BMW cars in 1934 and sold them as Frazer-Nash-BMW.
Until the outbreak of war in 1939 46 out of the 48 right-hand drive cars made were supplied as Frazer-Nash-BMW's. The total production of the Type 328 - left-hand drive + right-hand drive cars - amounted to 464 cars.
The 328
won many races in its class. Behind the nifty but fast red charming 328 approached a throbbing BMW M1, fully painted with a detailed roadmap of the area around Le Mans (Minichamps), two silver BMW 328 'Büegelfalte' Mille Miglia types, the Coupé and the Roadster (AutoArt), and a silver Jaguar XK120 Coupé (Signature), all if you believe it, in the scale 1:18. The Jag looked so very similar to the Bimmer Roadster that at first sight Tommy might be mistaken for to be Gerry. But they were built with a wide gap in between.
The BMW M1 Carte de France LM 1980 Group 4. This fantastic looking M1 was entered in the 1980 LeMans 24hrs IMSA class by BMW France, and was driven by the trio of Didier Pironi, Dieter Quester and Marcel Mignot. They finished 14th overall in the race itself and 4th in the IMSA class, having completed 293 laps of the famous circuit, 45 laps behind the winning Rondeau.
The unusual paint job is literally a map of the Map of France, which has lots of BMW logos on it showing the location of French BMW dealers. One prominent difference this M1 has from the Procar race versions is the fuel fillers in both rear quarter windows. They were to allow rapid refueling during pitstops. Otherwise the car is very similar to the Procar M1s with a 3.5 litre straight six in a mid-engined configuration driving the rear wheels.
Minichamps, we're told, made this attractive model and it is one of several racing BMW M1s released to date. The paintwork and decal application are good on this car. The model has good engine detail, but a basic interior (as on the real car. Neither the pop up headlights or the front hood open, as is the case on all Minichamps M1s. The M1 is a very unusual looking car, and inspiring to thunder down French roads, stopping at roadside terraces, from one circuit to another.
The original MM's were built in 1937. A BMW 328 MM Touring Coupé won the Mille Miglia in 1940 might be the most interesting example of this very successful pre-war 327/328 series. The 328 was the dominant 2 liter car right before the war and is still very sought-after today. The original coupé car can still be seen in motion at events like today's Mille Miglia, like I once have seen and admired one parked in the big square of Brescia on an evening preceding the start.
BMW had been actively involved in sports racing activity in the pre-war years and had enjoyed significant successes with its technically advanced, high-performance 328 model. Chassis 85032 was manufactured in May 1937 as a standard-bodied car for Rudolf Schleicher´s Experimental Department at BMW. The car participated in the 1937 Le Mans with the well-known British driver of the period, A.F.P. Fane, as well as the 1937 Tourist Trophy in the hands of H.G. Dobbs. The following year it participated in the 1938 Mille Miglia and won a notable victory in the 2.0-litre class, again with Fane driving and William James as co-driver. Chassis 85032 subsequently won a Gold medal in the "German Alpenfahrt" with Fritz Roth and "Blasi" Huber, plus an overall win in the same event in 1939. In the autumn of 1939 85032 was then dismantled by the racing division and the car was significantly re-engineered as an all-new open streamliner destined for use as a factory entry in the 1940 Mille Miglia alongside the two factory fixed-head 'streamliners', built by coachbuilder, Touring of Milano.
The beautiful and entirely unique bodywork of '85032' was designed by Wilhelm Kaiser, a very experienced member of BMW`s new design department, 'Künstlerische Gestaltung', headed by Chef-Stylist Wilhelm Meyerhuber. The car was built at the factory racing department in Milbertshofen, Germany. The nickname of the car is derived from the creases on the top of the fenders, referred to as 'Büegelfalte' meaning 'trouser crease'. This absolutely genuine and iconic bodywork styling was to become the pattern for a whole generation of post-war sports cars, an influence seen very clearly in cars such as the Jaguar XK120.
Jaguar came with their beautiful copy just after the war. The XK120 was first presented as a roadster at the London Motor Show in 1948. Initially it was built as a test bed for the new six-cylinder engine destined for the big saloons. It was said that it wasn't even a prototype, but became such a sensation that Mr. Lyons decided to take it into production. Is this true? It's also been said that Lyons simply asked the more important dealers what they thought clients were craving for, and often the pre-war BMW Mille Miglia was mentioned. At first, the rear wheels of the Jag were hidden behind 'spats', but when the wheels were replaced by knock-off types, there wasn't room anymore for them.
BMW was actively involved in sports racing in the pre-war years. They enjoyed considerable successes with its advanced high performance 328. The 328's success in competition and in the public's perception established the company's reputation for lightweight, responsive high performance sporting automobiles. In fact, it made its debut not at an auto show but at the Nürburgring in the Eifelrennen, where in the hands of Ernst Henne it won on its first outing on 14th June 1936.
In autumn 1939, the car was dismantled at the BMW factory's racing division in Milbertshofen before being extensively re-engineered and used as the basis for even more streamlined bodywork in preparation for the 1940 season and the Mille Miglia in particular. To that end, BMW built both an aerodynamic coupé and this lightweight open roadster.
Extensive modifications to 85032 included lowering the engine and driveline in the chassis to reduce the body's frontal area and lower the centre of gravity to improve handling. Its design is credited to Wilhelm Kaiser, a very experienced member of BMW's new design department, headed by chief stylist Wilhelm Meyerhuber.
First a1:10 (quite a lot larger than 1:18) scale model was built. This was tested in the wind tunnel of pioneering aerodynamicist Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wunibald Kamm, with a long, tapered tail that took advantage of the lowered engine and profile.
Its body panels were formed over an armature of small diameter tubing, preceding the similar superleggera system patented by Carrozzeria Touring in Milan years later. Welded to the twin tube frame, the body structure lends substantial rigidity to the Bügelfalte's chassis while weighing just 103 kg. The wheel wells were made of the same lightweight aluminium-magnesium alloy, and the inside panels were partially made of pure magnesium. In fact, the seat frames were pure magnesium as well. This was the absolute cutting edge of racing technology and helped bring the car's curb weight down to just 725 kgs. An extraordinary achievement, then and now!
Magnesium was even used in the braking system, comprised of Alfin drum brakes with a Duplex system front and rear. The 17-inch steel disc wheels have riveted light metal rings, and Continental specially made the tires for the Mille Miglia, so the car could go the entire distance without changing. In true racing fashion, the rear leaf spring suspension was adjustable, controlled with additional stabilizing bars. Even the hubs were super-light special edition units, as were much of the hardware, aluminum nuts, screw heads and the like.
