Germany · Competition debut 14 June 1936 · customer-series production began spring 1937 · built through 1940

BMW 328 Roadster

A light, un-supercharged roadster beat more powerful rivals by making its engine, shape, weight and chassis work as one system.

Sports cars

BMW 328 roadster from the documented 1936–1940 model range; individual build year and debut-prototype identity are not established

Exterior · Photo shows BMW 328 roadster from the documented 1936–1940 model range; individual build year and debut-prototype identity are not established. representative-or-limited
BMW_328_(1936-40)_(26412737135).jpg · Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England · CC BY 2.0

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A place in vehicle history

More than a set of wheels.

BMW revealed the 328 in the hardest possible way: Ernst Jakob Henne drove the new roadster in the Eifelrennen at the Nürburgring on 14 June 1936 and won its class in rain and fog. The 1936 cars were works competition machines; the customer-series road car did not begin production until spring 1937. Its 1,971 cc six-cylinder engine, low weight and carefully tuned chassis helped make the 328 a dominant two-litre sports car, while its everyday usability let private customers drive essentially the same idea on public roads.

Look a little closer.

The doors had no outside handles; a driver reached inside the open roadster to release them.

Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.

A launch staged as a race

BMW did not unveil the 328 on a quiet motor-show stand. The public first saw it competing at the Nürburgring on 14 June 1936. Henne's victory made the engineering argument immediately: the new car could use balance and efficiency to overcome stronger supercharged rivals.

Source: BMW Group PressClub · The BMW 328 turns 75 ↗

Power was only one part of speed

The 328's aluminium-alloy cylinder head used an ingenious pushrod-and-rocker layout to operate its valves from a side camshaft. BMW's own history stresses that the roadster's success came from combining that engine with light construction, aerodynamic lines, weight distribution and a carefully tuned chassis—not from chasing the largest engine.

Source: BMW Group Classic · BMW 328 engineering ↗

Where these facts come from

Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed 2026-10-01.

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