Munich. The Mille Miglia was the toughest endurance
race in the world for three decades. Since 1988, it has been held as a
reliability and regularity race for historic automobiles. It is a
veritable feast for classic fans who line the 1000 mile route through
Northern Italy in large numbers. Around 450 historic sports cars will
take part in this year’s event.
This year, BMW Group Classic is sending six automobiles from its
collection to line up at the start in Brescia. Once again, the sporty
sextet from Munich reminds us of the historic link between the BMW 328
and the Mille Miglia. The first appearance of the roadster – which
debuted at the Eifel Race in 1936 – at the Mille Miglia ended in 1938
with a win in the class for vehicles with maximum capacity of 2.0
litres. Two years later, even the competitors powered by larger and
more powerful engines did not stand a chance. Fritz Huschke von
Hanstein and Walter Bäumer secured a win in the overall placings,
driving their BMW 328 Mille Miglia Touring Coupé with a lead of around
15 minutes ahead of the fastest follower in the field. Three other BMW
328 automobiles crossed the finishing line in third, fifth and sixth
place, so that the team award also went to the BMW works team.
This triumph was not achieved with superior engine power, but with
optimised weight, low drag, superb reliability and perfect road
holding. It enabled the BMW 328 to conquer a firm place in the history
of the Mille Miglia. This year’s contingent from BMW Group Classic
includes the BMW 328 Berlin-Rome Touring Roadster built in 1937 and a
BMW 328 Mille Miglia Roadster from 1939.
The following teams are lining up at the start of the Mille Miglia
2017, driving vehicles from BMW Group Classic:
136 Ian Robertson Jodie Kidd BMW
328 Berlin-Rom Roadster
139 Klaus Fröhlich Michael Schröder BMW 328
142 Wolfgang Obermaier Des Sellmeijer BMW 328
146 Sergio Solero Francesco Botré BMW 328
149 Philipp Koch Martin Huber BMW 328
153 Hendrik v. Kuenheim Carl Christian Jancke BMW 328 Mille
Miglia Roadster