Rare 1940 BMW 328 Superleggera on sale

Schenelle Dsouza

Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera is an Italian automobile coachbuilder that has been designing bespoke prototypes for luxury automobiles like Aston Martin, Ferrari and Lamborghini for almost a century. A rare 1940 BMW 328 Superleggera that has just been listed for sale on DriverSource is among their many masterpieces. 

Houston-based car collector DriverSource is known for its unique concept of classic and collector car sales tailor-made for the enthusiast automotive lifestyle. Their latest offering, the 1940 BMW 328 Superleggera comes with an extravagant price tag of USD 795,000.

A classic roadster model built in 1940, the car was designed by auto engineer Fritz Fielder and his former assistant Rudolf Schleicher.  Ironically, it was the 1940 roadster that officially put BMW on the map of luxury automobiles.

Staying true to the Superleggera legacy, the car was built along the iconic A-frame chassis composed of thin-gauge aluminium panels laid over a steel tube structure. It has an independent front suspension and a live rear axle leaf-spring. The 1940 roadster is said to be one of the first special Touring body cars built for BMW and just one of the seven ever-produced with a dry-sump engine. 

The iconic journey 

While the model remains unchanged today, it did go through a few updates over the years. In the 1950s the owner struggled to procure parts for the car and so placed it with a Simca chassis. Fortunately, the car was placed with its original frame in 1990, receiving a ground-up restoration by Fran Roxas.

The roadster is powered by a pushrod-actuated, twin-cam 2.0-litre straight-six, delivers 80hp and 93 ft-lbs of torque. Despite its 1,720lb weight, the car can go from 0-60mph in 10.5 seconds with a top speed of 93mph. A new upgrade includes a trio of Solex 30 JF downdraft carburettors that provide an added dose of fuel for higher speeds.

At the time it was built, only six prototypes were designed with Touring Superleggera bodywork. The outbreak of World War II brought an early end to the BMW 328 series. Carrozzeria Touring the company that designed the original model closed down in 1966. Although it reopened in Milan in 2006, the 1940 roadster models were no longer being made, making the 328 a true rarity.

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