Eric Minoff
Vice President, Head of Department - US
LOT 94
1940 BMW 327 Cabriolet Chassis no. 74150 Engine no. 4155 (see text)
Sold for US$100,800 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve
Lot 94
1940 BMW 327 Cabriolet
1940 BMW 327 Cabriolet
Chassis no. 74150
Engine no. 4155 (see text)
Chassis no. 74150
Engine no. 4155 (see text)
1,971cc DOHC Inline 6-Cylinder Engine
3 Solex Downdraft Carburetors (see text)
125bhp at 5,750rpm (see text)
4-Speed Manual Transmission
Front Leaf-Spring Axle – Semi-Elliptic Leaf Springs at the Rear
4-Wheel Drum Brakes
*Single family ownership since 1967
*Recent refurbishment by BMW specialists The Werk Shop
*Uprated with an AC Bristol motor
*Rare opportunity to acquire a BMW 327
THE BMW 327
Introduced for 1938, the 327 sports-tourer used the shortened, boxed, ladder-type chassis of the 326 Saloon, shared by the 320, but with semi-elliptic rear springing in place of torsion bars. The gearbox was a Hurth four-speed manual unit with freewheel between 1st and 2nd gears, enabling clutch-less gear changes at low speeds, while there were hydraulic brakes all around and centralized chassis lubrication. BMW's pushrod six had by now been enlarged to 1,971cc and developed around 55bhp in Type 55 form, as installed in the 327, which could also be ordered with the 328 sports car's 80bhp 'hemi-head' unit at extra cost. When fitted with the standard engine, the 327 was known as the 'Fast Tourer', and with the 328 unit installed, as the 'Sport Cabriolet'. A total of 1,124 BMW 327 convertibles had been built by the time production ceased in 1941.
However, that was not the end of the BMW 327's story. After WWII, BMW's factory at Eisenach ended up behind the Iron Curtain, but rather than stripping it bare - their usual treatment of valuable German assets - the occupying Russians chose to restart production of pre-war designs. Both cars and motorcycles were made bearing BMW's distinctive blue and white quartered emblem until a successful legal action in 1950 saw the Munich firm successfully reassert its rights to the trademark. As a result, the Eastern Bloc offshoot adopted the name 'EMW' (Eisenacher Motoren Werke) and changed the blue sections of its badge to red. As its name suggests, the EMW 327 was a continuation of the pre-war BMW 327 coupé and cabriolet and was virtually identical to its ancestor apart from having front-hinged doors. Production continued until 1956, when the company, now known as VEB Automobilwerk Eisenach, dropped its old BMW-based models and began manufacturing the new Wartburg.
THE CAR OFFERED
This stunning and rare BMW 327 Cabriolet is a unique and special machine that has had only two owners in the last six decades. According to BMW Classic, 74150 was completed on January 3rd, 1940 and finished in vibrant Enzianblau, a color it still carries today. Delivered to racing driver Ernst Henne's BMW dealership in Munich exactly a month later on February 3rd, while WWII was beginning to rage all around Europe, this stunning machine must have caused quite a stir when it motored through the Fatherland.
The earliest history of the BMW is unknown, but it had come to the United States not long after WWII and to the West Coast with William R. Nehlsen of Ventura, California by the early 1960s. In 1963, David L. Barnett of Phoenix, Arizona acquired the BMW. A bachelor at the time of purchase, Barnett drove the BMW home from California and disassembled it, storing the parts in two of his home's four bedrooms. David eventually got married and his wife was less enthused with his project, so the parts car was sold to the current owner, Carroll L. Dekle, a fellow Phoenix-based employee at General Electric, in 1967.
The project was no small task, and the deeper into it Carroll went, the more road blocks he encountered on account of cobbled together prior repairs and the general lack of available parts and information on such a rare machine. Slowly chipping away, the BMW that was a constant occupant of his two-car garage while other projects came and went in the bay next to it. Life and family eventually took precedence and three decades passed quickly by. In 2002, Mr. Dekle retired and decided to start working on his old BMW again. Having completed the metalwork himself, a local Arizona shop was entrusted with repainting the Cabriolet in its original Enzianblau. The original engine was found to be too much of a project to resuscitate, so a much more powerful twin-cam AC Bristol motor was sourced—effectively increasing the horsepower from 55 to 125.
In 2019, after accomplishing as much as Carroll felt he could, the 327 was sent to renowned BMW specialists The Werk Shop in Libertyville, Illinois. Once in the capable hands of the experts there, extensive work was completed to the mechanicals of the car—including service to the engine, brakes, suspension, differential, and perfecting the marriage of the English-made Bristol motor into its new German-made home, rewiring and updating the electrical system to 12 volts, restoration and replating of all brightwork, restoration and assemble of the top frame, a new top and leather interior, and more.
Unfortunately, Carroll would pass away shortly before he had a chance to drive the BMW he had labored over for over five decades. Offered publicly for the first time in 55 years, this beautifully presented machine would make an excellent touring machine. Reported to be capable of motoring in excess of 100mph and eligible for numerous events, it would be a unique and welcome machine at tours such as the Colorado Grand and California Mille, or for blitzing through France on the Tour Auto. And hopefully the next owner will get another 55 years of enjoyment out of it too—this time on the road!
3 Solex Downdraft Carburetors (see text)
125bhp at 5,750rpm (see text)
4-Speed Manual Transmission
Front Leaf-Spring Axle – Semi-Elliptic Leaf Springs at the Rear
4-Wheel Drum Brakes
*Single family ownership since 1967
*Recent refurbishment by BMW specialists The Werk Shop
*Uprated with an AC Bristol motor
*Rare opportunity to acquire a BMW 327
THE BMW 327
Introduced for 1938, the 327 sports-tourer used the shortened, boxed, ladder-type chassis of the 326 Saloon, shared by the 320, but with semi-elliptic rear springing in place of torsion bars. The gearbox was a Hurth four-speed manual unit with freewheel between 1st and 2nd gears, enabling clutch-less gear changes at low speeds, while there were hydraulic brakes all around and centralized chassis lubrication. BMW's pushrod six had by now been enlarged to 1,971cc and developed around 55bhp in Type 55 form, as installed in the 327, which could also be ordered with the 328 sports car's 80bhp 'hemi-head' unit at extra cost. When fitted with the standard engine, the 327 was known as the 'Fast Tourer', and with the 328 unit installed, as the 'Sport Cabriolet'. A total of 1,124 BMW 327 convertibles had been built by the time production ceased in 1941.
However, that was not the end of the BMW 327's story. After WWII, BMW's factory at Eisenach ended up behind the Iron Curtain, but rather than stripping it bare - their usual treatment of valuable German assets - the occupying Russians chose to restart production of pre-war designs. Both cars and motorcycles were made bearing BMW's distinctive blue and white quartered emblem until a successful legal action in 1950 saw the Munich firm successfully reassert its rights to the trademark. As a result, the Eastern Bloc offshoot adopted the name 'EMW' (Eisenacher Motoren Werke) and changed the blue sections of its badge to red. As its name suggests, the EMW 327 was a continuation of the pre-war BMW 327 coupé and cabriolet and was virtually identical to its ancestor apart from having front-hinged doors. Production continued until 1956, when the company, now known as VEB Automobilwerk Eisenach, dropped its old BMW-based models and began manufacturing the new Wartburg.
THE CAR OFFERED
This stunning and rare BMW 327 Cabriolet is a unique and special machine that has had only two owners in the last six decades. According to BMW Classic, 74150 was completed on January 3rd, 1940 and finished in vibrant Enzianblau, a color it still carries today. Delivered to racing driver Ernst Henne's BMW dealership in Munich exactly a month later on February 3rd, while WWII was beginning to rage all around Europe, this stunning machine must have caused quite a stir when it motored through the Fatherland.
The earliest history of the BMW is unknown, but it had come to the United States not long after WWII and to the West Coast with William R. Nehlsen of Ventura, California by the early 1960s. In 1963, David L. Barnett of Phoenix, Arizona acquired the BMW. A bachelor at the time of purchase, Barnett drove the BMW home from California and disassembled it, storing the parts in two of his home's four bedrooms. David eventually got married and his wife was less enthused with his project, so the parts car was sold to the current owner, Carroll L. Dekle, a fellow Phoenix-based employee at General Electric, in 1967.
The project was no small task, and the deeper into it Carroll went, the more road blocks he encountered on account of cobbled together prior repairs and the general lack of available parts and information on such a rare machine. Slowly chipping away, the BMW that was a constant occupant of his two-car garage while other projects came and went in the bay next to it. Life and family eventually took precedence and three decades passed quickly by. In 2002, Mr. Dekle retired and decided to start working on his old BMW again. Having completed the metalwork himself, a local Arizona shop was entrusted with repainting the Cabriolet in its original Enzianblau. The original engine was found to be too much of a project to resuscitate, so a much more powerful twin-cam AC Bristol motor was sourced—effectively increasing the horsepower from 55 to 125.
In 2019, after accomplishing as much as Carroll felt he could, the 327 was sent to renowned BMW specialists The Werk Shop in Libertyville, Illinois. Once in the capable hands of the experts there, extensive work was completed to the mechanicals of the car—including service to the engine, brakes, suspension, differential, and perfecting the marriage of the English-made Bristol motor into its new German-made home, rewiring and updating the electrical system to 12 volts, restoration and replating of all brightwork, restoration and assemble of the top frame, a new top and leather interior, and more.
Unfortunately, Carroll would pass away shortly before he had a chance to drive the BMW he had labored over for over five decades. Offered publicly for the first time in 55 years, this beautifully presented machine would make an excellent touring machine. Reported to be capable of motoring in excess of 100mph and eligible for numerous events, it would be a unique and welcome machine at tours such as the Colorado Grand and California Mille, or for blitzing through France on the Tour Auto. And hopefully the next owner will get another 55 years of enjoyment out of it too—this time on the road!
Additional information
Looking for a similar item?
Our Cars specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistSpecialist section
Auction Viewings
- 16 August 2023, 09:00 - 18:00 PDT
- 17 August 2023, 09:00 - 18:00 PDT
- 18 August 2023, 08:30 - 11:00 PDT
Bid now on these items
United Kingdom
1899 Phébus 2¼hp Motor Tricycle
£50,000 - £60,000
United Kingdom
1911 Delaunay-Belleville 26HP Tourer
£70,000 - £100,000
United Kingdom
1913 Hotchkiss Model AD 20/30 Tourer
£50,000 - £60,000
United Kingdom
1902 Beaufort 8hp Two-Seater Phaeton
£50,000 - £70,000
United KingdomOffered without reserve
c.1901 Gladiator Four-Seat Rear-Entrance Tonneau
£50,000 - £70,000
