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This 1940 BMW 328 Is One of the Only Superleggera-Bodied Examples on Earth

Photos: DriverSource

BMW’s 328 is a story of what could have been. An immensely cutting-edge car that was well ahead of its time, the 328 helped to put BMW on the map of the global car community and would play an incredibly influential role in automotive design over the following decades. The car was built around an A-shaped tubular frame with independent front suspension and a live rear axle leaf spring that was designed by Rudolf Schleicher and Fritz Fiedler and cloaked in Touring of Milan Superleggera bodywork — a setup comprised of thin-gauge aluminum panels draped over a steel tube structure that was famously used on early Aston Martin and Ferrari specimens.

Sadly, the outbreak of WW2 resulted in an early end to the 328, by which time only half-a-dozen prototype examples were ever built with Touring of Milan bodywork — making surviving specimens some of the rarest, most valuable, and most sought-after BMWs in the world. Tipping the scales at only 1,830lbs in road trim or 1,720lbs in race-spec, the 328 is powered by a pushrod-actuated twin-cam 2.0L straight-six that was fed via a trio of Solex 30 JF downdraft carbs and good for roughly 80hp.

Believed to be one of the first special Touring bodied cars built for BMW and one of only seven equipped with a dry-sump engine, this particular example remains in largely original condition, though this wasn’t always the case. Having an immensely difficult time sourcing parts, in the 1950s, the owner of this BMW opted to place its bodywork atop a Simca chassis. In the 1990s, the car was reunited with its original frame, roughly a decade before undergoing an extensive ground-up restoration courtesy of Fran Roxas.

This stunning 1940 BMW 328 Roadster (VIN# 85133) is currently for sale through DriverSource in Houston, Texas, where its price has been set at $795,000. Send an inquiry through the DriverSource website to make it yours.

Purchase: $795,000

Photo: DriverSource
Photo: DriverSource
Photo: DriverSource