BMW Northwest 2020 Magazine - Flipbook - Page 21
Behind the Wheels
The oldest car in the BMW Northwest collection is a 327/28 from 1939. It’s one of just
86 Grand Touring coupes built with BMW’s
race-bred 2.0-liter engine, creating BMW’s
first premium performance model.
Introduced in October, 1938, the 327
coupe and cabriolet featured a body
designed in cooperation with Autenrieth, the Darmstadt coachbuilder who
pioneered the integration of the headlights into the front fenders. The body was
installed atop BMW’s most modern boxsection chassis, the low-slung box-frame
design that debuted on the 326 in 1936. The
327 used the short-wheelbase (108.3-inch)
version of that chassis, which reduced the
distance between axles by 5 inches for
exceptional agility. With independent
front suspension and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes, the 327 offered superlative
handling and braking as well as exemplary
comfort on long drives.
Standard 327s were powered by a 55-hp
2.0-liter six-cylinder engine, but a select
few (485 cabriolets and 86 coupes) were
upgraded with the 80-hp engine borrowed from BMW’s race-winning 328
roadster. The 327 weighed in at 2,425 lbs.,
about 400 more than its roadster counterpart, but it could nonetheless hit a top
speed of 87 mph, not far off the 328’s 93
mph but with protection from the rain
and a roomier cockpit.
When new, this 327/28 carried a retail
price of RM 8,100 in 1939, equivalent to
$3,253. Expensive for its time, the 327/28
was advertised by BMW as “an ideal touring car for the discerning driver looking to
enjoy the thrill of speed and the pleasure
of sporty driving.” In that sense, it’s a lot
like today’s M6 coupe, marrying a sophisticated Grand Touring chassis to a racebred engine.
BMW Northwest acquired this car in 2014,
11 years after the car was restored in Germany. “It’s not a recent restoration,” says
owner and president and CEO Manfred
Scharmach, “but it was a nice one.” —J.J.
BMW Northwest Life 2020
19
PHO TOS: R A NDY WELLS
1939 327/28 Coupe #74509