The first 'true' BMW, however, came in 1932. The 3/20, developed in-house and assembled in Eisenach, featured independent front suspension, a new double-tube frame and a swing axle, plus a new overhead-valve 782cc 20hp engine built in Munich. It was available as a two-door, an open tourer and a four-seater convertible, and BMW sold over 7000 examples. With rival firms pursuing Hitler's stated goal of mass transportation and the production of cars costing just 1000 marks, BMW aimed to make fewer, but more profitable, upmarket models. Sales dropped, but the firm's next launch, the 303 (1933), showcased the firm's new direction and several key features which endure in BMWs to this day: a smooth straight-six engine and the so-called 'kidney' grille. Initially offered with a 30hp output from a 1.2-litre unit, the 303 was capable of 56mph; not quite fast enough to be competitive, so engine capacity was increased to 1.5 litres and then 1.9 litres (45bhp).
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| 326: first to incorporate wings |
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BMW's next launch was more revolutionary: the 326. The first BMW with a streamlined bodyshell with incorporated wings, - influenced by new research into aerodynamics - a hydraulic braking system and concealed spare wheel, this modern mid-sized car, unveiled in Berlin in February 1936, had a new box-type chassis with a low-torsion rear axle and a low-mounted front axle with transverse leaf spring suspension. Available as a saloon, a two-door or four-door convertible, it had a 50bhp 2.0-litre straight-six engine with twin carburettors, four-speed part-synchronised transmission with a freewheel and a top speed of 71mph. It wasn't cheap, at 6,650 Reichsmarks (by comparison, the target price for the upcoming Volkswagen people's car under development, to become the Beetle, was 1000 marks) but nearly 16,000 sold in the run-up to World War II, and it became the best-selling BMW. Also successful were the 1.5-litre 315/1 and 1.9-litre 319/1 roadsters, which showcased BMW's increasingly advanced engine technology with their high-revving, powerful six-cylinder engines. The 319/1, with three large carburettors and 55bhp, proved popular amongst motorsport enthusiasts, notching up victories in 1936 in the Alpine Rally, the Bussaco mountain rally in Portugal and international events in Bohemia and Chile.
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| 327 could almost hit 100mph |
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BMW was influenced by the growing trend in America for the so-called 'airflow' designs, and for powerful two-door fixed-head touring coupes. The 327 (1937) followed this theme, and was developed for long-distance high-speed work on the new motorways that were being built across Europe. Aerodynamics were key: it had a one-piece bonnet, a covered spare wheel and fully-integrated wings, bonnet and headlamps, with partly-covered wheel arches at the rear. It was, however, also offered as a convertible. BMW made bodies for these models itself in Eisenach. Its 1971cc engine produced a top speed of nearly 100mph, and the 327 was acclaimed for its handling.
