1939 BMW 327/328 Sport Cabriolet

• BMW 328-type 80bhp engine
• One of the most capable sporting cars of its day
• One of only 428 made
• Delivered new to Poland
• Registered in Scotland in December 1939
• Present ownership since 1990
• Professionally restored by TT Workshops

Introduced in 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 round.

BMW's pushrod six had by now been enlarged to 1,971cc and developed around 55bhp in the 327, which could also be ordered with the 328 sports car's engine at extra cost. The 328's engine featured an ingenious new cylinder head, designed by Rudolf Schleicher, which incorporated hemispherical combustion chambers and inclined valves without recourse to overhead, or twin, camshafts. Instead, the engine's single, block-mounted camshaft and pushrod valve actuation were retained, thus avoiding an expensive redesign. Two rocker shafts were employed, one situated above each bank of valves, giving the engine an external appearance almost indistinguishable from that of a twin-overhead-cam design. Downdraft inlet ports contributed to the motor's deep breathing, and its tune-ability made it a popular choice for British racing car constructors, most notably Cooper, during the 1950s. The 328 engine produced 80bhp, an exemplary output for a normally aspirated 2.0-litre unit at that time, with more available in race trim.

Deploying the 328's state-of-the-art engine in a more civilised and comfortable package, the 327/328 is relatively rare, with only 428 completed up to 1940 when production ceased. Autocar magazine had got its hands on a 328-engined Type 327 Sports Cabriolet in 1939, achieving the highly creditable maximum speed, for a 2.0-litre car, of 96.77mph (156km/h) while testing the BMW at Brooklands.

BMW Classic Archives' records show that this car was delivered on 16th March 1939 to Christian Reinhart of the Auto Reinhart in the Polish seaport of Stettin. On 31st December 1939, the BMW was registered in Scotland as 'CSU 666' (a Kincardineshire mark). As WW2 had broken out on 1st September 1939, shortly after Germany's invasion of Poland, how the car came to arrive in the UK must be an interesting story.

Having acquired the BMW in February 1990, its present owner commissioned John Giles of TT Workshops to carry out a comprehensive mechanical and cosmetic restoration of the car. Detailed invoices for the period 1990 to 2008 total £72,000. Works undertaken included an engine rebuild; a bare-metal respray; and installing a Volvo gearbox and overdrive. Further service works were carried out at a cost of £2,000, demonstrating that no expense has been spared in keeping the car in good order.

The vendor sums up the car's condition as 'good and sound', with very attractive original coachwork described as very presentable although not concours. The leather trim and seats are said to be good, while the hood presents well. The carpets, however, could benefit from improvement. The engine is said to sound good and gains revs at an impressive rate. The replaced gearbox and overdrive may not please the purists but according to our vendor they do make for significantly more relaxed high-speed cruising. According to our vendor: "The transmission, suspension and brakes are good so you soon gain the confidence to indulge in performance car motoring at a level which must have been quite a revelation in the late 1930s – in fact the only real problem I can find with this BMW is the difficulty I have persuading myself to stop driving and put it back in the garage!"