- Note: This article describes the pre-war BMW 328. There have also been cars called BMW 328i and 328Ci made since the 1990s as models of the BMW 3 Series
The BMW 328 was a sports car made by BMW between 1936 and 1940, designed by Fritz Fiedler. It was much praised at the time for its performance, and the car won many races including the prestigious Mille Miglia — a class win in 1938 and the outright winner (with a streamlined body) in 1940.
After WW2, one of the Mille Miglia 328s (disguised as a Frazer Nash ) and BMW's technical plans for the car were taken from the bombed BMW factory by English representatives from the Bristol Aeroplane Company and Frazer Nash companies. Fiedler, the BMW engineer, was persuaded to come too. Bristol Cars was set up to build complete cars, called Bristols, and would also supply engines to Frazer Nash for all thier post-war cars. The first Bristol car, the 400 , was heavily based on the BMW plans.
It is widely acknowledged that the BMW 328 was a strong influence on the Jaguar XK 120 of 1948.
External links
References
- BMW 328: From roadster to legend by Rainer Simons, 328pp, Bentley Publications 2004, ISBN 0-8376-1231-4
