The 328, however, really put BMW on the international motorsport map. In August 1936, driver Alex von Falkenhausen contested this new model - weighing just 830kg and powered by an 80bhp version of the engine - and it quickly established itself as second only to the supercharged Mercedes of the time. With the introduction of special racing fuels, the engine's power could be raised to 136bhp, and lightweight racing bodywork fitted to the tubular spaceframe chassis cut a further 50kg, making it good for up to 137mph: the 328 went on to win the 1938 Mille Miglia, Le Mans in 1939, the Eifel race at the Nurburgring, the Brescia 1000 miles, the 1940 Mille Miglia and over 120 other top events between 1936 and 1940.
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| 328 Coupe took laurels at other races up to 1946 |
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Just 464 328s were built, but their influence was immense. During World War II, von Falkenhausen founded his own company, AFM, and built rebodied versions of the 328 whilst BMW had ceased production - these competed in Grand Prix events up to the early 1950s. In England, Frazer Nash had been importing the entire pre-war BMW range and carrying out right-hand drive conversions. BMW designer Fritz Fiedler joined the company after the war, bringing his Mille Miglia prototype, and new Le Mans Replica, Mille Miglia, Targa Florio and Sebring Frazer-Nash models were developed from this. Frazer-Nash turned to aircraft manufacturer Bristol to modify the 328's engine; racing driver and Frazer-Nash owner HJ Aldington had become a director of Bristol in the early 1940s and wanted the firm to diversify. The resulting engine, dubbed the FNS, was then put into a chassis derived from the BMW 326 with bodywork from the 327. This car was to be called the Frazer-Nash Bristol 400 though it ended up known simply as a Bristol, the first car to bear that name. Versions of the 328 engine ended up in cars from AC, Cooper, Lister, Lotus and Tojeiro, as well as in numerous 'specials' and racing vehicles, and in Bristol's models right up till the 406 of 1961.
Just prior to the outbreak of World War II, BMW founded its first dedicated design department, and established training centres for constructors and bodywork developers. The last new car to be launched pre-war was the 335 saloon (1938), a larger, longer version of the 326 chassis with a new 3.5-litre straight-six engine, a side camshaft driven by spur gears rather than a chain, and an output of 90bhp. Good for 90mph, it had rear torsion spring suspension and a four-speed, fully-synchronised gearbox.
