BMW Concept Coupé Mille Miglia
by David Finlay (12 May 2006)
The BMW Concept Coupé Mille Miglia is made of modern stuff - the engine, transmission and suspension all come from the Z4 M Coupé - but it harks back more than half a century to the early days of BMW's successful motorsport history.
The story begins in 1936, when BMW introduced its 328 sports car. Its name had no connection with that of later 328s, and in particular you shouldn't assume that it had a 2.8-litre engine; under the bonnet there was in fact a 1971cc six-cylinder engine which, as we'll see, went on to develop its own reputation away from BMW.
Racing success came to the 328 immediately. It won first time out in a race at the Nürburgring, and continued to be a major force in motorsport throughout the late 1930s. One of the most incredible events of the time was the Mille Miglia, which was contested on public roads throughout Italy and whose name - which means "thousand miles" - gives an accurate idea of its scale.
A BMW 328 won its class in the 1938 Mille Miglia, but that's not the achievement celebrated by the concept car. Astonishingly, the race was run in 1940 - yes, during wartime - and this time 328 Mille Miglia Touring Coupés with special streamlined bodywork finished first, third, fifth and sixth overall.
The winning car was driven by Baron Huscke von Hanstein, with Walter Baumer in the passenger seat. Baumer's involvement was a late decision; von Hanstein was originally to have been partnered by Count Giovanni Lurani, but after a flat-out test session Lurani declared that von Hanstein was mad and refused to sit beside him during the race itself. Baumer, clearly made of sterner stuff, lasted almost the whole distance until von Hanstein stopped the car and sportingly insisted that they should swap seats so that Baumer should have the honour of driving across the finish line.
Despite this short hiatus, the pair averaged 104.2mph, the fastest winning speed achieved in all the original Mille Miglia races (many of them contested by much more powerful cars) between 1927 and 1957. BMW is keen to point this out, but it's being somewhat economical with the statistics. In 1940 it wasn't possible to use the original route, so the race - known that year as the Grand Prix of Brescia - was held on a shorter, faster 100km course which the competitors circled nine times.
In 1977, twenty years after the race was abandoned following an accident which claimed the lives of Alfonso de Portago, his co-driver and several spectators, the Mille Miglia was reinstated as a classic rally. And in 2002 a BMW 328 Mille Miglia Touring Coupé won that event too - the first time the feat had been repeated across that two-decade divide.
The modern Concept Coupé has clear visual references to the 1940 car, though it's right up-to-date mechanically. As mentioned before, the drivetrain and suspension come from the Z4 M Coupé; maximum power of 343bhp is the same as in that car, though BMW has modified the induction and exhaust systems to make it sound more sporty.
Structurally, the Concept Coupé is remarkable. An aluminium shell has been stretched over a lattice-frame chassis, and it's all clothed by carbonfibre-reinforced plastic body panels. The headlights are round, as in the 1940 car, but they're not integrated units - instead, they are flat elements using LED technology to provide visibility.
The two cars share a hinged roof structure which allows occupants to get in and out. This means there is no need for doors, and in particular no need for large door apertures which compromise the structural rigidity of the body. The Concept Coupé is therefore far stiffer than it might otherwise have been. Carbonfibre underbody fins and diffusers contribute to the aerodynamic efficiency in a way that nobody would have considered in 1940.
BMW has revealed the Concept Coupé during the scrutineering session for this year's Mille Miglia, though of course it isn't taking part, and is unlikely to be the basis for any production vehicle. If you appreciate motorsport history, though, you'll be glad it exists.
Speaking of motorsport history, let's take a final, brief look at what the original 328 led to. As part of war reparations, aeroplane manufacturer Bristol took on the 1971cc six-cylinder engine for the road cars it started building in the late 1940s. Bristol has long since moved on to using Chrysler V8s, but the engine it appropriated was used by manufacturers such as Cooper and Frazer-Nash for Formula 2 and sports racing cars, many of which can still be found competing in historic events.
And it's a not very well-known fact that, after fighting off his father's initial disapproval, a young man began his own motorsport career in a BMW 328 in 1947. He's now known as Sir Stirling Moss.
