BMW 327/28 Classic Cars for Sale

Historic racing - the beginnings of the BMW 327/28

In the 1930s, BMW was already well known for producing quality motorcycles and had just begun developing prestigious motor cars. Aimed at selective customers and above the mass market, the BMW 328 made its first appearance in 1936 at the Eifelrennen race in Germany. Boasting an 80 brake horsepower engine and with Ernst Henne at the wheel, the car won in the two-litre class and went on to gain over a hundred prizes (including an RAC trophy) during the following year. These racing successes fired public interest in the model; in 1937 the manufacturer responded with the introduction of the BMW 327, a two-seater sports convertible.

BMW 327/28 cabriolet and coupe

The soft top 327 became the basis for a fixed-top touring coupe, introduced one year later and featuring a shorter wheelbase. With a sporty lower suspension, production ran from 1936 to 1940. Specifications included a straight six OHV engine with a four-speed transmission, an aluminium body and top speed of 93 miles per hour. Its narrow radiator grille complemented a design that was sleek and streamlined, innovative for its time and which typified the thirties. The production model had a top speed of 78 miles per hour and featured hydraulic brake control, with the same axle as the 328 but a gearbox and clutch shared from the 326.

BMW 327/28 post-war production

Production of BMW 327/28 models continued at the Bavarian plant until the war effort halted civilian car manufacturing in 1941. By this time, almost 1,400 base engine models had been manufactured. Subsequently, after the end of Word War II in 1945 and the occupation by US forces, production resumed at the same Eisenach factory. In post-war treaties, Eisenach found itself in the newly defined Russian Zone; the company changed its name to EMW (Eisenacher Motoren Werker) and adopted a new identity with a rounded red and white logo and radiator badge. A further five hundred finished BMW 327/28s were rolled out under this guise and in 1948, Frank Pratt raced a highly tuned example to victory in the 1948 Australian GP.

BMW 327/28 surviving examples

Revered by collectors, BMW 327/28 convertibles and coupes produced between 1938 and 1940 are now seen as the most desirable. However, BMW 327/28 production models were not considered by many critics to produce exceptional power for their size. Many of the surviving BMW 327/28 examples seen to this day were produced during the post-war years; the Eisenach facility continued under state direction until German reunification in 1989.