1937 BMW 328 Mille Miglia ‘Buegelfalte’ will auction at Monaco
One of the world’s most significant pre-war sports racing cars, 1937 BMW 328 Mille Miglia ‘Buegelfalte’ will go to auction in Monaco on May 1 at the Grimaldi Forum.
This car is the only special roadster ever built at the BMW factory in Munich, it has numerous race wins to its credit.
The car participated in the 1937 Le Mans with the well-known British driver of the period, A.F.P. Fane, as well as the 1937 Tourist Trophy in the hands of H.G. Dobbs.
The following year it participated in the 1938 Mille Miglia and won a notable victory in the 2.0-litre class, again with Fane driving and William James as co-driver.
This classic car subsequently won a Gold medal in the “German Alpenfahrt” with Fritz Roth and “Blasi” Huber, plus an overall win in the same event in 1939. In the autumn of 1939, it was then dismantled by the racing division and the car was significantly re-engineered as an all-new open streamliner destined for use as a factory entry in the 1940 Mille Miglia alongside the two factory fixed-head “streamliners”.
The nickname of the car is derived from the creases on the top of the fenders, referred to as ‘Büegelfalte’ meaning “trouser crease”. This absolutely genuine and iconic bodywork styling was to become the pattern for a whole generation of post-war sports cars, an influence seen very clearly in cars such as the Jaguar XK120 Roadster.
After the war in 1945, the car was part of the reparation payments and was given to the UDSSR and ultimately to Artiom Ivanovich Mikoyan, head of the Mikoyan i Gurevich Design Bureau, best known as the creator of Russian MiG warplanes. His son used the car and eventually traded it with Mr. Giudo Adamson of Riga for a brand new Lada in 1972. Mr. Adamson kept the car until 2001, when, after the collapse of the “Iron Curtain”, the car was driven from Riga to Munich and stored by BMW in its museum. The current owner bought this motor car in 2001.
A copy of the Büegelfalte was made and now resides in the BMW Museum. The Büegelfalte joins an already impressive lineup of cars consigned to RM’s inaugural Sporting Classics of Monaco event at the Grimaldi Forum on 1st May, 2010 – the same weekend as the 7th Grand Prix Historique de Monaco. The single-day event is set to present 80 of the world’s finest motor cars to an elite assemblage of automotive enthusiasts and collectors from around the world.
Thomas Munich - March 14, 2010
Stay away from Terry Bennett. He is Sketchy at best. His cars are heaps of metal that are covered in dust, although he’d like to believe they were plated in gold.
through-the-years - May 18, 2010
@Thomas Munich – I’ve bought 2 cars and 1 antique BMW bike from Bennett and they were exactly as he presented. Yes, they were dusty and I had to talk him down on price but he has an interesting and eclectic collection up there in a couple of huge barns in New Hampshire. He’s an interesting guy (MD) who’s bought and sold more collectibles than most people will in their lifetime. The secret to finding interesting and unique pieces are to keep an open mind and do extensive research. I only wish I could bid against close-minded guys like you all the time.