Return of a Legend: BMW Group Mobile Tradition acquires the BMW 328 Coupé Touring - Winner of the 1940 Mille Miglia

Munich. It marks the end of a 50-year odyssey: the BMW 328 Mille Miglia Coupé
with which Fritz Huschke von Hanstein and Walter Bäumer won the 1940 Mille
Miglia has found its way back to Munich. On the occasion of a press conference
which was followed by a road excursion, the model was handed over to BMW Group
Mobile Tradition by its former owner, American classic car enthusiast Jim
Proffit. Some 17 years ago it was discovered and restored by Californian car
collector Jim Proffit, since when it has taken part in numerous Concours
d?Elegances, historic car races and even in the Mille Miglia contests. Proffit
and the BMW Group have now negotiated the return of this exceptional
competition car, a true milestone in the history of BMW. ?There?s hardly
another prewar model that has defined the BMW brand to the same degree as this
coupé. That is why we are particularly delighted to welcome it back to Munich
after such a long absence,? said Holger Lapp, Head of the BMW Group Mobile
Tradition.
Recipe: six cylinders inline, tubular space frame plus aluminium body.
The unique 328 had received its bodywork from Touring of Milan in 1939. The
chassis bearing the number 85368 consisted of a filigree tubular space frame
while the outer skin was of aluminium. This ?supperleggera?, or
ultra-lightweight, body bearing the touring number 2312 enabled the race-ready
coupé tip the scales at a mere 780 kilograms. With a 130 bhp inline
six-cylinder engine under the bonnet, the two-seater achieved a top speed of
220 km/h.