BMW328

BMW 328 Roadster

The 328 as most of its buyers had it: BMW's two-seat roadster, built at Eisenach from the spring of 1937 with doors, a folding vee windscreen and the spare wheel let into its tail. In Britain the same car was sold as the Frazer Nash-BMW 328.

A black BMW 328 roadster seen square-on in a museum, its two tall narrow chrome grilles between round headlamps faired into the wings, a red vintage car cut by the left edge and enlarged period photographs on the white wall behind.
A black 328 roadster head-on in the Louwman Museum, The Hague, on 4 January 2017: the twin narrow kidneys, the headlamps set into the wings and the folding vee windscreen of the production car.Alf van Beem, Public domain (PD-self)

The 328 that customers began to collect in late April 1937, by BMW's account, was not quite the car that had been winning races for 10 months. Ernst Henne had won the two-litre sports-car class of the Eifelrennen at the Nürburgring on 14 June 1936 in the first one, chassis 85001, a car with no doors. The production roadster had doors, a proper windscreen (windshield) and somewhere to put the spare wheel, and it is the car most people mean by a BMW 328.⁠1​2​3

The production car

A green BMW 328 roadster on grass by a river, showing its tall twin-kidney grille, headlamps faired into the wings, two leather bonnet straps and a vee windscreen.
A standard 328 roadster on the lawn of the Greenwich Concours d'Elegance, Connecticut, on 1 June 2025, its bonnet held by two leather straps.Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 4.0

The 328 was BMW's two-seat sports car of 1936–40: a six-cylinder engine in a light tubular frame, developed from the 319/1 sports car by Fritz Fiedler's team (at Eisenach, by BMW's account), with the cylinder block of the 326 saloon (sedan) under Rudolf Schleicher's new aluminium head. The history tells how it came about. BMW's archive record has the type racing from the middle of 1936 and in series production from the spring of 1937.

Most cars left the works with one body. BMW Classic's data sheet sets its count of standard roadster bodies against BMW's total for the type, and by those two figures almost nine in ten 328s had it; the other chassis took racing bodies or a coachbuilder's. The works racers have pages of their own, the Mille Miglia cars and the Touring coupé, and the coachbuilt road cars are below.

It was sold as a road car. BMW's advertising sold it as a car for every day, for touring and for sport, and Denis Jenkinson, writing the car's history for Motor Sport in 1986, stressed that its body was complete: wings (fenders), hood (soft top), windscreen and sidescreens were made for daily use, at a time when, he wrote, most racing sports cars kept to the bodywork rules in spirit only.⁠4​1​2​5

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From prototype to production

Three cars were built first. 85001 and 85002 had left-hand drive; 85003, finished by the end of June 1936, was the first with right-hand steering and went to AFN, the importer in Britain (Frazer Nash-BMW 328). BMW says the three had no doors, no recess for the spare wheel and a low windscreen in one piece, and that they took turns at winning until customers had cars of their own. A fourth chassis showed what those customers would get.

In Germany the 328 model was about to go into full production on the Eisenach assembly lines, and 85.004 was prepared for the Berlin Motor Show to production specification. The design was now settled in detail and this car had two doors, a vee-windscreen which could be folded flat, the spare wheel let into the curved tail, a rear-mounted petrol tank, full instrumentation, a glove-compartment on the instrument panel and very luxurious seats.

Denis Jenkinson, Motor Sport, June 1986

Series production began in the spring of 1937, by BMW's archive record, and BMW dates the first deliveries to customers to late April that year.⁠2​1​4

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Frame and running gear

Jenkinson describes two teams at work at once: Schleicher's men on the new head, and the chassis department improving the 319's brakes, dampers, gearbox (transmission) and rear axle to make use of the extra power. BMW also traces the 328 to the 319/1, though it says the new car was very different from it, both in its looks and in its engineering.

The frame was Fiedler's, and BMW patented it: two longitudinal tubes of round section that converged in an "A" from the rear wheels to the nose, wide enough to take the engine, joined by box-section cross-members, the tubes slimmer towards the back, where the bending loads were lower. At the front the wheels were sprung independently, by a transverse leaf spring above and wishbones below, the lower links carrying the hydraulic lever dampers; at the back a live axle sat on semi-elliptic leaf springs. Steering was by rack and pinion. The brakes were hydraulic drums on all four wheels, and the wheels were Kronprinz steel discs held by a central lock. The gearbox had four speeds and a central lever, with synchromesh on third and top, and came from ZF or from Hurth, a change told under Changes during production, below.⁠2​1​4​6

The dashboard of a silver BMW 328 with its three-spoke wheel, two large dials, small gauges and a later trip meter, raindrops on the panel.
The steering wheel, instruments and gear lever of a silver 328 at the Nürburgring Oldtimer Festival on 16 June 2007; the trip meter below the dashboard is a later rally fitting.Lothar Spurzem, CC BY-SA 2.0 de

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The body

BMW's archive record describes a body that kept the 319/1's tail but had a much longer bonnet (hood), held down by two leather straps, and headlamps set into the wings. At the front it had the two tall, narrow openings in the grille that Jenkinson saw become a BMW mark, and under it smooth undershields that, he wrote, added to its speed. The doors had no handles outside.

The production lines were drawn by Wilhelm Kaiser, a body specialist who joined Fiedler's team at Eisenach on 1 October 1936, as BMW tells it.

Using the hand-built prototypes as a basis, he designed a shape which borrowed the smooth, flowing stylistic features of the new 326 and could be assembled with relatively simple tools from pre-pressed parts.

BMW, "The BMW 328 turns 75", 11 May 2011

The tail took the spare wheel in a recess, and the petrol (gas) tank sat at the back, as on 85004.⁠4​1​2

A black BMW 328 roadster with green leather seats in a white museum hall, seen low from the front right.
A black roadster in the Louwman Museum, The Hague, on 4 January 2017: the long bonnet under its two straps and the headlamps faired into the wings.Alf van Beem, Public domain (PD-self)
A white BMW 328 roadster seen from behind and above, its spare wheel in the tail, the cockpit and the vee windscreen beyond.
The tail of a white roadster at Techno-Classica, Essen, on 13 April 2023, with the spare wheel let into it and the cockpit and vee windscreen beyond.Thomas Vogt, CC BY 2.0

Contents

The engine, in brief

The engine was the 326 saloon's six, its cast-iron block under Schleicher's aluminium head; against the 319's engine, Jenkinson notes, the bore was a little larger and the stroke the same. Its valves stood in a vee and were worked by pushrods from the one camshaft low in the block, the exhaust valves through a second, short pushrod across the head, and three downdraught Solex carburettors fed it. The specification below gives its output. The engine speed at which it gave it is not settled: BMW's archive record gives one figure, and AFN's catalogue entry agrees with BMW's data, while Cecil Clutton in Motor Sport in 1940 and Jonathan Wood in 2009 gave a higher one. The engine page follows Schleicher's design into the Bristol sixes it became.⁠2​1​4​6​7​8

A green BMW 328 roadster with the side of its bonnet raised, showing the six-cylinder engine, its carburettors and the exhaust manifold.
A 328's engine under the raised bonnet side of BMW's green roadster at the BMW Museum, Munich, on 13 November 2014: the aluminium head and its three downdraught carburettors.Nathanael Burton, CC BY-SA 2.0

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Equipment and colours

BMW's own description of the cockpit, written for the car's 75th anniversary in 2011, begins with "a pair of pleasantly clear dials", a rev counter and a speedometer of the same size, and three smaller gauges for fuel, oil pressure and water temperature. Switches worked the starter, lights, choke and direction indicators. There was a glove box with a lid, pockets in the doors and a tool box, and a black three-spoke steering wheel whose button sounded two Bosch horns behind the grille.

Outside, a hole below the grille took a starting handle. The windscreen was made in two halves set in a vee, each folding down on its own and each with its own wiper, and the bonnet was held by two light-brown cowhide straps with clip locks. The tank's capacity is in the specification.

No source read gives the factory's range of colours. Henne's debut car was white, BMW says, and AFN's 85003 raced in green in 1936 and was painted white for the London motor show that October (Jenkinson).⁠1​2

The cockpit of a BMW 328 from above: a black three-spoke steering wheel on the left, two large dials, three small gauges and a lidded glove box.
The cockpit of a pale-blue 328 in the Eisenach museum on 22 January 2017, seen from above: the three-spoke wheel, the speedometer reading to 180 km/h beside the rev counter, the small gauges and the lidded glove box.Stefan Oemisch, CC BY-SA 4.0
The cockpit of a green BMW 328 under its hood, with a three-spoke wheel, dials, tan leather seats and a rally trip computer.
BMW Classic's green roadster with its hood up at the Gaisberg hill-climb revival near Salzburg on 2 June 2011; the trip computer on the dashboard is a modern rally fitting.Matthias Kabel, CC BY-SA 3.0

Contents

Price and production

The specification below gives the price in Germany from BMW's archive record. In Britain AFN showed the white 85003 at the London show of October 1936 at an all-in price, with delivery promised early in 1937, and Motor Sport's buyers' guides printed the same price in 1937 and 1938; Frazer Nash-BMW 328 gives it.

How long production lasted, the sources tell two ways. Jenkinson has the 328 built at Eisenach through 1937 and 1938 until August 1939, when the war turned BMW to other work; BMW's archive record and its later histories have cars built up to 1940. In the spring of 1938, BMW says, the 200th car was delivered to its owner.

The production readings below set BMW's count of standard bodies against its total for every 328. Other totals are in print, and none of their sources says what it counts: chassis numbers issued, cars finished or cars delivered, or whether the works racers are among them. The chassis numbers themselves are no count either.

In all over 450 cars were built, the last chassis number being 85.464, some being missed out and some duplicated.

Denis Jenkinson, Motor Sport, June 1986⁠4​2​6​9​10​1​5
A green BMW 328 roadster in profile on a dark museum floor, with leather bonnet straps, louvres and tan seats.
BMW's own green roadster in profile at the BMW Museum, Munich, on 13 November 2014; the 1936 on its plinth is the model's year, not the car's.Nathanael Burton, CC BY-SA 2.0

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Changes during production

BMW says that what its works team learned on the track reached the series cars as a stronger gearbox and stronger rear axles. BMW's archive record lists two gearboxes, by ZF and by Hurth, each with its own ratios and its own final drive. The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum, whose car has the ZF box, says the cars after chassis 85281 had a Hurth gearbox and a heavier rear axle; Jonathan Wood dates the change to 1938. Motor Sport's British listings agree with both: top gear was 3.9 to 1 in October 1937 and 3.7 to 1 a year later, the two final drives BMW gives for the two boxes.

When BMW Group Classic had the Hurth gearbox made again in 2013, it said the original had been modified more than once, so that several versions and drawings had to be compared, and that its new box matched "the later production period".⁠1​4​11​8​6​9​12

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Coachbuilt bodies

BMW's archive record names, among others, the coachbuilders who built sports cabriolets on the 328, more luxurious than the series cars: Drauz, Weinberger, Gläser, the Vereinigte Werkstätten and Wendler, Wendler's also with a hardtop. At Reutlingen, the record goes on, Wendler built two more 328s with closed, streamlined bodies, and the archive's photographs of them credit the design to Koenig-Fachsenfeld. How many coachbuilt road cars there were, no source read says: BMW Classic's data sheet counts the chassis that "were given race-trim and customer-spec bodies" only together.

In Britain AFN showed "a very fine, two-colour Bertelli coupe" on a 328 chassis at the London motor show of October 1936, in Motor Sport's words. BMW's own racing bodies were made in Munich, and two of the 1940 roadsters were finished by Touring in Milan: they are on the Mille Miglia page. BMW 328 Versions gathers the closed cars, the post-war ones included.⁠4​5​13​1

A Weinberger-bodied 328 cabriolet from the Autostadt's collection in Wolfsburg, driven for Deutsche Welle's drive it!, 2011.Video: Vintage: BMW 328 | drive it, DW News, 2011
An ivory open streamlined sports car on a museum plinth, a yellow Shell petrol pump behind it.
An open streamlined 328 body in the Blackhawk Museum, Danville, California, on 17 July 2022; the museum's card calls it a 1938 streamliner prototype, which no source read confirms.Breckenedge, CC BY-SA 4.0
A bare-aluminium closed coupé body on a BMW 328 base in a museum, with BMW kidney grilles and leather bonnet straps.
A bare-aluminium coupé on a 328 base in the Hellenic Motor Museum, Athens, a body that the museum attributes to Carrozzeria Motto of Turin.Joyofmuseums, CC BY-SA 4.0

Contents

Survivors

How many 328s survive, BMW has answered two ways. In 2011 it wrote that "only around 200 have survived, some 120 of which are in Germany"; two years later BMW Group Classic wrote that "It is not known how many of these models have survived", adding that their appearances at classic events suggested a good number. In Britain the Frazer Nash Archives count all but two of the cars AFN imported as still in existence.

Some are kept as they were found. The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia shows its 1937 roadster unrestored, in its original ivory paint, by the museum's own account.⁠1​12​14​11

An ivory BMW 328 roadster with worn, crazed paint and red seats in a museum diorama, a mural of a 1930s race grid behind it.
The Simeone museum's unrestored 1937 roadster in Philadelphia on 23 July 2020; the crazing in its ivory paint is the car's own patina.Al R, CC BY-SA 2.0

Contents

Before and after

BMW's first sports roadsters were the 315/1, shown at the Berlin show in May 1934 and on sale that summer, and the 319/1, which followed late in 1934 with a larger engine and three carburettors. BMW counts 230 of the first, built by mid-1935, and 178 of the second. The 328 was developed on the 319/1, keeping its tubular frame and its suspension layout and improving both (Jenkinson; BMW).

Production ended with the war, and no 328 followed it. BMW's own history of its roadsters, written in 2009, names the 507 as the sports two-seater that came next. The history tells both stories, and the engine page follows the 328's six into the cars that carried it on.⁠10​2​1

A cream-and-black BMW 315/1 roadster with race number 74 in a racing paddock, two BMW 328s beside it.
A BMW 315/1, one of the 328's forerunners, in the paddock of the Nürburgring Oldtimer Festival on 16 June 2007, with two 328s beside it.Lothar Spurzem, CC BY-SA 2.0 de
A white BMW 507 roadster in a museum, seen from the front right.
A BMW 507 in the BMW Museum, Munich, on 29 June 2017: the next two-seater sports car BMW made after the 328.Arnaud 25, CC BY-SA 4.0

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Rivals

In Britain, where it was sold as the Frazer Nash-BMW, Motor Sport's buyers' guides placed the 328 among the fastest cars on sale. The SS 100 2½-litre cost £395 in its guide of October 1937 and the Aston Martin Speed Model £775 a year later, with the 328 between them. On the track its two-litre rivals were the Aston Martin, Adler's streamlined saloons and, in Italy, Alfa Romeo's 6C 2300 and then the 6C 2500 SS, which finished second, behind the winning BMW, in 1940. The history sets the road cars side by side and the racing history the races.⁠6​9​3​15​16

A silver BMW 328 roadster and a red Alfa Romeo sports car side by side in a pit lane, their drivers in white helmets.
A BMW 328 beside a replica of an Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS Corsa in the pit lane at Monterey, California, on 16 August 2008.Simon Davison, CC BY 2.0

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Other markets

In Britain the 328 had a name, a badge and a price of its own: AFN Ltd of Isleworth imported it from 1937 to 1939 with right-hand steering and sold it as the Frazer Nash-BMW. Frazer Nash-BMW 328 tells how the British cars differed. Elsewhere the record holds single cars. The Simeone museum's roadster was delivered to the Dutch BMW importer in Rotterdam on 13 February 1938, according to BMW's factory records as the museum cites them, and privately owned 328s raced in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Romania, Finland and Belgium before the war.⁠14​2​11​17

A light-blue BMW 328 roadster in a small museum with a card reading 'Frazer Nash BMW 328' before it and a dressed mannequin beside it.
A right-hand-drive 328 that the Moray Motor Museum, Elgin, shows as a Frazer Nash BMW 328, photographed on 13 September 2026.Steve Knight, CC BY 4.0

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What the press said

At the debut in June 1936 the German reports were about Henne's drive, BMW says, and none of them named the car; the history quotes them. The British magazines met it as the Frazer Nash-BMW, and Motor Sport praised its steering: in February 1938 the Frazer-Nash-B.M.W. "remains the finest modern steering we have tried". Frazer Nash-BMW 328 gathers the British verdicts.⁠1​18

Contents

Specification: Roadster

Engine

Sources for Engine, Roadster

Capacity
Good sources agree.BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4; Motor Sport, "A Guide to 1938 High Performance Cars", Oct 1937, p. 19⁠6
Cylinders
Good sources agree.BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4; Motor Sport, "A Guide to 1938 High Performance Cars", Oct 1937, p. 19⁠6
Capacity1,971 cc
Cylinders6

Body and chassis

Sources for Body and chassis, Roadster

Body
One good source.The standard body. BMW Classic (BMW Group PressClub Global), "BMW 328" (data sheet), 11 May 2011⁠5
BodyRoadster

Contents

Specification: Roadster

Production

Sources for Production, Roadster

Price new
One good source.Germany. BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4; BMW Classic (BMW Group PressClub Global), "BMW 328" (data sheet), 11 May 2011⁠5
Built
Good sources disagree.BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4; Denis Jenkinson ("D.S.J."), "BMW type 328: fifty years ago", Motor Sport, Jun 1986, p. 40⁠2
Designers
One good source.Kaiser drew the production body from the prototypes, from 1 October 1936 (BMW's account). BMW AG (BMW Group PressClub Global), "The BMW 328 turns 75" (press kit), 11 May 2011⁠1
Built at
One good source.Denis Jenkinson ("D.S.J."), "BMW type 328: fifty years ago", Motor Sport, Jun 1986, p. 40⁠2
Price new7,400 RM
Built1937–1940

Built, Roadster

Good sources disagree.

  • 1937–1940Disputed: BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1), series production from spring 1937; the type 'up to 1940'⁠4
  • 1937–1939Disputed: Denis Jenkinson ("D.S.J."), "BMW type 328: fifty years ago", Motor Sport, Jun 1986, p. 40, built at Eisenach 'in 1937, 1938 and up to August 1939'⁠2
DesignersFritz Fiedler (chassis); Rudolf Schleicher (engine); Wilhelm Kaiser (body)
Built atEisenach

Engine

Sources for Engine, Roadster

Engine maker
One good source.BMW AG (BMW Group PressClub Global), "The BMW 328 turns 75" (press kit), 11 May 2011⁠1
Capacity
Good sources agree.BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4; Motor Sport, "A Guide to 1938 High Performance Cars", Oct 1937, p. 19⁠6
Engine position
One good source.Motor Sport, "A Guide to 1938 High Performance Cars", Oct 1937, p. 19⁠6
Block
Good sources agree.The 326's block. BMW AG (BMW Group PressClub Global), "The BMW 328 turns 75" (press kit), 11 May 2011⁠1; Denis Jenkinson ("D.S.J."), "BMW type 328: fifty years ago", Motor Sport, Jun 1986, p. 40⁠2
Cylinder head
Good sources agree.Schleicher's new head. BMW AG (BMW Group PressClub Global), "The BMW 328 turns 75" (press kit), 11 May 2011⁠1; Denis Jenkinson ("D.S.J."), "BMW type 328: fifty years ago", Motor Sport, Jun 1986, p. 40⁠2
Valve gear
Good sources agree.Pushrods from one side camshaft; the exhaust valves through cross-pushrods. BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4; Motor Sport, "A Guide to 1938 High Performance Cars", Oct 1937, p. 19⁠6
Bore × stroke
Good sources agree.BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4; Denis Jenkinson ("D.S.J."), "BMW type 328: fifty years ago", Motor Sport, Jun 1986, p. 40⁠2
Compression ratio
One good source.BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4; BMW Historic Motor Club, "Specifications: BMW 328"⁠19
Fuel system
Good sources agree.Three Solex downdraught carburettors. BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4; Motor Sport, "A Guide to 1938 High Performance Cars", Oct 1937, p. 19⁠6
Carburettors
Good sources agree.Three 30 JF downdraught. BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4; Motor Sport, "A Guide to 1938 High Performance Cars", Oct 1937, p. 19⁠6
Cooling
One good source.BMW AG (BMW Group PressClub Global), "The BMW 328 turns 75" (press kit), 11 May 2011⁠1
Cylinder layout
Good sources agree.Six-cylinder in-line. BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4; Denis Jenkinson ("D.S.J."), "BMW type 328: fifty years ago", Motor Sport, Jun 1986, p. 40⁠2
Cylinders
Good sources agree.BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4; Motor Sport, "A Guide to 1938 High Performance Cars", Oct 1937, p. 19⁠6
Aspiration
One good source.BMW AG (BMW Group PressClub Global), "The BMW 328 turns 75" (press kit), 11 May 2011⁠1
Fuel
One good source.BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4
Engine makerBMW
Capacity1,971 cc
Engine positionFront
BlockCast iron
Cylinder headAluminium
Valve gearOHV
Bore × stroke66 x 96 mm
Compression ratio7.5:1
Fuel systemCarburetor
CarburettorsSolex
CoolingWater-cooled
Cylinder layoutInline
Cylinders6
AspirationNaturally Aspirated
FuelPetrol

Performance

Sources for Performance, Roadster

Power
Several figures in print.BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4; BMW Classic (BMW Group PressClub Global), "BMW 328" (data sheet), 11 May 2011⁠5; Motor Sport, "A Guide to 1938 High Performance Cars", Oct 1937, p. 19⁠6; Cecil Clutton, "The vintage-modern Axis", Motor Sport, Aug 1940, p. 13⁠7; Jonathan Wood, "Bristol 400", Bristol Owners Heritage Trust, 10 Jun 2020⁠8
Top speed
Several figures in print.BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4; BMW Classic (BMW Group PressClub Global), "BMW 328" (data sheet), 11 May 2011⁠5; BMW AG (BMW Group PressClub Global), "75 years of the BMW Roadster. The BMW 315/1 and its Successors" (press release), 28 May 2009⁠10; BMW Group (BMW Group PressClub Belgium–Luxembourg), "The BMW Concept Coupé Mille Miglia 2006" (press kit), 11 May 2006⁠20; Denis Jenkinson ("D.S.J."), "BMW type 328: fifty years ago", Motor Sport, Jun 1986, p. 40⁠2
0–60 mph
One good source.Cecil Clutton's figure, 1940, not a road test. Cecil Clutton, "The vintage-modern Axis", Motor Sport, Aug 1940, p. 13⁠7
Power80 PS

Power, Roadster

Several figures in print.

  • 80 PSOne good source: BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1), at 4,500 rpm⁠4
  • 80 hpOne good source: BMW Classic (BMW Group PressClub Global), "BMW 328" (data sheet), 11 May 2011, at 4,500 rpm⁠5; Motor Sport, "A Guide to 1938 High Performance Cars", Oct 1937, p. 19, at 4,500 rpm; AFN's 1937 listing⁠6; Cecil Clutton, "The vintage-modern Axis", Motor Sport, Aug 1940, p. 13, at 5,000 rpm⁠7; Jonathan Wood, "Bristol 400", Bristol Owners Heritage Trust, 10 Jun 2020, at 5,000 rpm⁠8
Top speed155 km/h

Top speed, Roadster

Several figures in print.

  • 155 km/hOne good source: BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4; BMW Classic (BMW Group PressClub Global), "BMW 328" (data sheet), 11 May 2011⁠5; BMW AG (BMW Group PressClub Global), "75 years of the BMW Roadster. The BMW 315/1 and its Successors" (press release), 28 May 2009⁠10
  • 150 km/hNot yet confirmed: BMW Group (BMW Group PressClub Belgium–Luxembourg), "The BMW Concept Coupé Mille Miglia 2006" (press kit), 11 May 2006⁠20
  • 95 mphOne good source: Denis Jenkinson ("D.S.J."), "BMW type 328: fifty years ago", Motor Sport, Jun 1986, p. 40, 'an honest 95 mph', in retrospect⁠2
0–60 mph9.5 s

Running gear

Sources for Running gear, Roadster

Steering
Good sources agree.Motor Sport, "A Guide to 1938 High Performance Cars", Oct 1937, p. 19⁠6; BMW Historic Motor Club, "Specifications: BMW 328"⁠19
Gearbox
Good sources agree.Four speeds, central change; third and top synchronised. BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4; Motor Sport, "A Guide to 1938 High Performance Cars", Oct 1937, p. 19⁠6
Gears
Good sources agree.BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4; Motor Sport, "A Guide to 1938 High Performance Cars", Oct 1937, p. 19⁠6
Layout
One good source.BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4
Front brakes
One good source.BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4
Rear brakes
One good source.BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4
Front suspension
Good sources agree.BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4; Denis Jenkinson ("D.S.J."), "BMW type 328: fifty years ago", Motor Sport, Jun 1986, p. 40⁠2
Rear suspension
Good sources agree.BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4; Denis Jenkinson ("D.S.J."), "BMW type 328: fifty years ago", Motor Sport, Jun 1986, p. 40⁠2
Tyres
Good sources agree.5.50 x 16 also listed. BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4; Motor Sport, "A Guide to 1938 High Performance Cars", Oct 1937, p. 19⁠6
Wheels
Good sources agree.Kronprinz. BMW AG (BMW Group PressClub Global), "The BMW 328 turns 75" (press kit), 11 May 2011⁠1; Motor Sport, "A Guide to 1939 High Performance Cars", Oct 1938, p. 23⁠9
Final drive
One good source.Tubular propeller shaft. Motor Sport, "A Guide to 1938 High Performance Cars", Oct 1937, p. 19⁠6
Clutch
Good sources agree.Fichtel & Sachs K 12, 200 mm. BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4; Motor Sport, "A Guide to 1938 High Performance Cars", Oct 1937, p. 19⁠6
SteeringRack and pinion
GearboxManual
Gears4
LayoutRWD
Front brakesHydraulic drum, 280 mm
Rear brakesHydraulic drum, 280 mm
Front suspensionIndependent, upper transverse leaf spring, lower wishbones, hydraulic lever dampers
Rear suspensionLive axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs, hydraulic lever dampers
Tyres5.25 x 16
Wheels16 in centre-lock steel disc
Final driveShaft
ClutchDry single plate

Body and chassis

Sources for Body and chassis, Roadster

Body
One good source.The standard body. BMW Classic (BMW Group PressClub Global), "BMW 328" (data sheet), 11 May 2011⁠5
Doors
One good source.Denis Jenkinson ("D.S.J."), "BMW type 328: fifty years ago", Motor Sport, Jun 1986, p. 40⁠2
Seats
One good source.Sports two-seater. Motor Sport, "The New 2-Litre Frazer-Nash-B.M.W.", Apr 1937, p. 4⁠21
Chassis
One good source.Two longitudinal tubes and three rectangular cross-members. BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4; BMW Historic Motor Club, "Specifications: BMW 328"⁠19
BodyRoadster
Doors2
Seats2
ChassisLadder frame

Dimensions and weight

Sources for Dimensions and weight, Roadster

Length
Good sources agree.BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4; Motor Sport, "A Guide to 1938 High Performance Cars", Oct 1937, p. 19⁠6
Width
Good sources agree.BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4; Motor Sport, "A Guide to 1938 High Performance Cars", Oct 1937, p. 19⁠6
Height
One good source.BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4
Kerb weight
Good sources disagree.BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4; BMW Classic (BMW Group PressClub Global), "BMW 328" (data sheet), 11 May 2011⁠5; BMW AG (BMW Group PressClub Global), "75 years of the BMW Roadster. The BMW 315/1 and its Successors" (press release), 28 May 2009⁠10; BMW Group (BMW Group PressClub Belgium–Luxembourg), "The BMW Concept Coupé Mille Miglia 2006" (press kit), 11 May 2006⁠20; Cecil Clutton, "The vintage-modern Axis", Motor Sport, Aug 1940, p. 13⁠7
Wheelbase
Good sources agree.BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4; Motor Sport, "A Guide to 1938 High Performance Cars", Oct 1937, p. 19⁠6
Ground clearance
One good source.Motor Sport, "A Guide to 1938 High Performance Cars", Oct 1937, p. 19⁠6
Fuel tank
Good sources agree.Rear-mounted. BMW Historic Motor Club, "Specifications: BMW 328"⁠19; Motor Sport, "A Guide to 1938 High Performance Cars", Oct 1937, p. 19⁠6
Length3,900 mm
Width1,550 mm
Height1,400 mm
Kerb weight780 kg

Kerb weight, Roadster

Good sources disagree.

  • 780 kgDisputed: BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4; BMW Classic (BMW Group PressClub Global), "BMW 328" (data sheet), 11 May 2011⁠5
  • 830 kgDisputed: BMW AG (BMW Group PressClub Global), "75 years of the BMW Roadster. The BMW 315/1 and its Successors" (press release), 28 May 2009⁠10; BMW Group (BMW Group PressClub Belgium–Luxembourg), "The BMW Concept Coupé Mille Miglia 2006" (press kit), 11 May 2006⁠20
  • 14.5 cwtOne good source: Cecil Clutton, "The vintage-modern Axis", Motor Sport, Aug 1940, p. 13, Cecil Clutton, 1940; the basis is not stated⁠7
Wheelbase2,400 mm
Ground clearance8 in
Fuel tank50 L

Contents

Specification: Wendler

Production

Sources for Production, Wendler

Coachbuilders
One good source.Sports cabriolets, also with a hardtop. BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4
Built at
One good source.BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1)⁠4
CoachbuildersWendler (body)
Built atReutlingen (body)

Contents

Specification: Mille Miglia Roadster

Production

Sources for Production, Mille Miglia Roadster

Built
Several figures in print.BMW AG (BMW Group PressClub Global), "The BMW 328 turns 75" (press kit), 11 May 2011⁠1; BMW Classic (BMW Group PressClub Global), "BMW 328 Mille Miglia Roadster" (data sheet), 11 May 2011⁠22
Designers
One good source.BMW's styling department, Munich. BMW AG (BMW Group PressClub Global), "The BMW 328 turns 75" (press kit), 11 May 2011⁠1
Coachbuilders
One good source.Two of the three: framed in Munich, skinned by Touring to BMW's design. BMW Classic (BMW Group PressClub Global), "BMW 328 Mille Miglia Roadster" (data sheet), 11 May 2011⁠22; BMW AG (BMW Group PressClub Global), "The BMW 328 turns 75" (press kit), 11 May 2011⁠1
Built at
One good source.Milan for two of the three. BMW AG (BMW Group PressClub Global), "The BMW 328 turns 75" (press kit), 11 May 2011⁠1
Built1939–1940

Built, Mille Miglia Roadster

Several figures in print.

  • 1939–1940One good source: BMW AG (BMW Group PressClub Global), "The BMW 328 turns 75" (press kit), 11 May 2011, the first body built in autumn 1939⁠1
  • 1,940One good source: BMW Classic (BMW Group PressClub Global), "BMW 328 Mille Miglia Roadster" (data sheet), 11 May 2011, the Briem and Richter car⁠22
DesignersWilhelm Meyerhuber (body)
CoachbuildersCarrozzeria Touring (body)
Built atMunich (body); Milan (body skins)

Engine

Sources for Engine, Mille Miglia Roadster

Engine maker
One good source.BMW AG (BMW Group PressClub Global), "The BMW 328 turns 75" (press kit), 11 May 2011⁠1
Engine position
One good source.BMW AG (BMW Group PressClub Global), "The BMW 328 turns 75" (press kit), 11 May 2011⁠1
Engine makerBMW
Engine positionFront

Performance

Sources for Performance, Mille Miglia Roadster

Power
Good sources disagree.BMW Classic (BMW Group PressClub Global), "BMW 328 Mille Miglia Roadster" (data sheet), 11 May 2011⁠22; BMW AG (BMW Group PressClub Global), "The BMW 328 turns 75" (press kit), 11 May 2011⁠1
Top speed
One good source.BMW Classic (BMW Group PressClub Global), "BMW 328 Mille Miglia Roadster" (data sheet), 11 May 2011⁠22
Power136 hp

Power, Mille Miglia Roadster

Good sources disagree.

  • 136 hpDisputed: BMW Classic (BMW Group PressClub Global), "BMW 328 Mille Miglia Roadster" (data sheet), 11 May 2011, at 5,750 rpm; the Briem and Richter car⁠22
  • 130 hpDisputed: BMW AG (BMW Group PressClub Global), "The BMW 328 turns 75" (press kit), 11 May 2011, '95 kW (130 hp)' for the roadsters⁠1
Top speed200 km/h

Running gear

Sources for Running gear, Mille Miglia Roadster

Gearbox
One good source.Four speeds. BMW Classic (BMW Group PressClub Global), "BMW 328 Mille Miglia Roadster" (data sheet), 11 May 2011⁠22
Gears
One good source.BMW Classic (BMW Group PressClub Global), "BMW 328 Mille Miglia Roadster" (data sheet), 11 May 2011⁠22
Layout
One good source.BMW AG (BMW Group PressClub Global), "The BMW 328 turns 75" (press kit), 11 May 2011⁠1
Front brakes
One good source.Ventilated magnesium anchor plates. BMW Classic (BMW Group PressClub Global), "BMW 328 Mille Miglia Roadster" (data sheet), 11 May 2011⁠22
Rear brakes
One good source.Ventilated magnesium anchor plates. BMW Classic (BMW Group PressClub Global), "BMW 328 Mille Miglia Roadster" (data sheet), 11 May 2011⁠22
GearboxManual
Gears4
LayoutRWD
Front brakesAlfin drum
Rear brakesAlfin drum

Body and chassis

Sources for Body and chassis, Mille Miglia Roadster

Body
One good source.BMW Classic (BMW Group PressClub Global), "BMW 328 Mille Miglia Roadster" (data sheet), 11 May 2011⁠22
Panels
One good source.A thin skin over a tube frame. BMW AG (BMW Group PressClub Global), "The BMW 328 turns 75" (press kit), 11 May 2011⁠1
Chassis
One good source.A space frame mounted on the 328 chassis. BMW AG (BMW Group PressClub Global), "The BMW 328 turns 75" (press kit), 11 May 2011⁠1; BMW Classic (BMW Group PressClub Global), "BMW 328 Mille Miglia Roadster" (data sheet), 11 May 2011⁠22
BodyRoadster
PanelsAluminium
ChassisSpace frame

Dimensions and weight

Sources for Dimensions and weight, Mille Miglia Roadster

Kerb weight
Good sources disagree.BMW Classic (BMW Group PressClub Global), "BMW 328 Mille Miglia Roadster" (data sheet), 11 May 2011⁠22; Motor Sport, "The Brescia Grand Prix", Jun 1940, p. 18⁠23
Kerb weight700 kg

Kerb weight, Mille Miglia Roadster

Good sources disagree.

  • 700 kgDisputed: BMW Classic (BMW Group PressClub Global), "BMW 328 Mille Miglia Roadster" (data sheet), 11 May 2011⁠22
  • 11.8 cwtDisputed: Motor Sport, "The Brescia Grand Prix", Jun 1940, p. 18, 'The open B.M.W.'⁠23

Contents

Production

Production: how far the sources agree

403, Roadster, standard roadster bodies, of BMW's 464
One good source.
3, Mille Miglia Roadster, the 1940 race roadsters
One good source.

  1. 403Roadster, standard roadster bodies, of BMW's 464

    BMW Classic (BMW Group PressClub Global), "BMW 328" (data sheet), 11 May 2011⁠5

  2. 3Mille Miglia Roadster, the 1940 race roadsters

    BMW AG (BMW Group PressClub Global), "The BMW 328 turns 75" (press kit), 11 May 2011⁠1; racingsportscars.com, "BMW 328 – All Results"⁠17

Contents

Sources

Every source the site cites is on the sources page.

  • Primarymade at the time, by the maker or by people who were there
  • Referenceserious later work: clubs, specialists, magazines, books
  • Databaseresults and listings, entry by entry
  1. BMW AG (BMW Group PressClub Global), "The BMW 328 turns 75" (press kit), 11 May 2011, "Sustained success": the first deliveries, late April 1937; the 319/1 as the basis; the 326 engine; BMW's advertising; "Equipment": the three prototypes; "Series production begins" and "Sustained success": the dates; "The body – lightweight design": the frame; "Equipment": wheels and brakes; "Series production begins": Wilhelm Kaiser; "Equipment": the doors; the drivetrain: the 326's engine and Schleicher's head; "Equipment": the cockpit, the screen and the bonnet straps; the debut car's colour; "Series production begins": the 200th car; "Sustained success": the strengthened gearbox and rear axles; the Kamm coupé and the 1940 roadsters: their bodies; "The BMW 328 today": the survivors; the 319/1 as the basis; "An impressive debut": the German reports; development section; engine section; the cockpit; the debut; equipment section; the 1940 Mille Miglia. press.bmwgroup.com/global/article/detail/T0107839EN Primary
  2. Denis Jenkinson ("D.S.J."), "BMW type 328: fifty years ago", Motor Sport, Jun 1986, p. 40, p. 40, the prototypes and the debut; p. 40, the engine, the frame and the body; p. 40, 85001 to 85004; p. 40, the chassis from the 319; p. 40, the grille and the undershields; p. 40, the 326 block and the new head; p. 40, 85004's equipment; 85003's colours in 1936; p. 40, the London show of 1936; production to August 1939 and the chassis numbers; p. 40, the 319 as the basis; production to August 1939; p. 40, right-hand steering for Britain; p. 40, penultimate paragraph; p. 40, paragraphs 12 and 15; p. 40, paragraph 8; p. 40, paragraph 13; p. 40, paragraph 7; p. 40, paragraph on 85004. motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/june-1986/40/bmw-type-328-fifty-years-ago Reference
  3. racingsportscars.com, Race results pages with BMW 328 entries, 1936–48 (group), Eifelrennen, Nürburgring, 14 June 1936; Le Mans, 20 June 1937; Spa 24 Hours, 10 July 1938; Tourist Trophy, 3 September 1938. racingsportscars.com Database
  4. BMW Group Archive (BMW Group Classic), Type record "Baumuster BMW 328" (AD-122-1), type record, description: racing from mid-1936, series production from spring 1937; type record, description: series production from spring 1937; type record, technical data: frame, suspension, brakes, gearbox; type record, description: the body against the 319/1's; type record, technical data: output and engine speed; type record, technical data: "Preis"; "Bauzeit"; type record, technical data: the ZF and Hurth gearboxes and their axles; type record, "Sondermodelle"; the photograph titles of the Wendler cars; technical data: "Hubraum"; technical data; technical data: "Preis"; technical data: "Beschreibung", "Bauzeit"; technical data: "Bohrung", "Hub"; technical data: "Verdichtung"; technical data: "Gemischaufbereitung"; technical data: "Gemischaufbereitung"; electrics; technical data: "Leistung"; technical data: "Höchstgeschwindigkeit"; technical data: "Bremsen"; technical data: "Bereifung"; technical data: "Länge"; technical data: "Breite"; technical data: "Höhe"; technical data: "Leergewicht"; technical data: "Radstand"; "Sondermodelle" paragraph. bmw-grouparchiv.de/research/detail/index.xhtml?id=3837210 Primary
  5. BMW Classic (BMW Group PressClub Global), "BMW 328" (data sheet), 11 May 2011, "History": the standard roadster bodies and the rest; "Production run" and "History"; "History": race-trim and customer-spec bodies; "History"; "Price new"; "Engine"; "Top speed"; "Weight". press.bmwgroup.com/global/article/detail/T0107839EN Primary
  6. Motor Sport, "A Guide to 1938 High Performance Cars", Oct 1937, p. 19, p. 19, the Type 328 entry: rack and pinion steering; p. 19, the Type 328 entry (AFN's figures); p. 19, the Type 328 entry; p. 19, the Type 328 entry: the gear ratios; p. 19, the SS 100 and Frazer-Nash-B.M.W. entries; p. 19, Type 328 entry. motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/october-1937/19/a-guide-to-1938-high-performance-cars Primary
  7. Cecil Clutton, "The vintage-modern Axis", Motor Sport, Aug 1940, p. 13, p. 13, the BMW paragraph. motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/august-1940/13/vintage-modern-axis Primary
  8. Jonathan Wood, "Bristol 400", Bristol Owners Heritage Trust, 10 Jun 2020, the 328's engine; the Hurth gearbox from 1938; the engine paragraph. bristolownersht.com/2020/06/10/bristol-400-by-jonathan-wood Reference
  9. Motor Sport, "A Guide to 1939 High Performance Cars", Oct 1938, p. 23, p. 23, the Type 328 entry; p. 23, the Type 328 entry: top gear; p. 23, the Aston Martin and Frazer-Nash-B.M.W. entries; p. 23, Type 328 entry. motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/october-1938/23/a-guide-to-1939-high-performance-cars-2 Primary
  10. BMW AG (BMW Group PressClub Global), "75 years of the BMW Roadster. The BMW 315/1 and its Successors" (press release), 28 May 2009, the 328 paragraph: built up to 1940; the 315/1, the 319/1 and the 507; the 328 section. press.bmwgroup.com/global/article/detail/T0022475EN Primary
  11. Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum, "1937 BMW 328" (collection page), the gearbox after chassis 85281; the car's state and paint; the delivery to the Dutch importer, citing BMW's factory archives. simeonemuseum.org/collection/1937-bmw-328 Reference
  12. BMW Group, "Back in stock after decades: BMW Group Classic offers faithful replica of the BMW 328 gearbox" (press release), 17 Apr 2013, PressClub USA T0140155EN_US, the remanufactured gearbox and its variants; how many survive. press.bmwgroup.com/usa/article/detail/T0140155EN_US Primary
  13. Motor Sport, "On the Earl's Court Show", Nov 1936, p. 23, p. 23, the Bertelli coupé. motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/november-1936/23/on-the-earls-court-show-2 Primary
  14. The Frazer Nash Archives, "Frazer Nash-BMW", the 328 Sports: the British survivors; the 328 Sports: imported 1937–39 and sold as Frazer Nash-BMWs. frazernasharchives.co.uk/index.php?idPage=35 Reference
  15. racingsportscars.com, Mille Miglia 1938, results, the two-litre and larger classes. racingsportscars.com/results/Mille_Miglia-1938-04-03.html Database
  16. racingsportscars.com, Mille Miglia 1940, results, the Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS in second place. racingsportscars.com/results/Mille_Miglia-1940-04-28.html Database
  17. racingsportscars.com, "BMW 328 – All Results", privately entered cars, 1937–39; index, page 2 (1940). racingsportscars.com/type/results/BMW/328.html Database
  18. Motor Sport, "The Trend of Design", Feb 1938, p. 27, p. 27, the steering. motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/february-1938/27/the-trend-of-design-5 Primary
  19. BMW Historic Motor Club, "Specifications: BMW 328", factsheet. bmwhistoricmotorclub.co.uk/cars/bmw-328 Reference
  20. BMW Group (BMW Group PressClub Belgium–Luxembourg), "The BMW Concept Coupé Mille Miglia 2006" (press kit), 11 May 2006, history section. press.bmwgroup.com/belux/article/detail/T0027420FR Primary
  21. Motor Sport, "The New 2-Litre Frazer-Nash-B.M.W.", Apr 1937, p. 4, p. 4. motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/april-1937/4/the-new-2-litre-frazer-nash-bmw Primary
  22. BMW Classic (BMW Group PressClub Global), "BMW 328 Mille Miglia Roadster" (data sheet), 11 May 2011, data sheet. press.bmwgroup.com/global/article/detail/T0107839EN Primary
  23. Motor Sport, "The Brescia Grand Prix", Jun 1940, p. 18, p. 18, the report. motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/june-1940/18/brescia-grand-prix Primary

Contents