BMW’s history of road-related race cars is littered with highlights. One in particular is the 328 from the 1930s. To commemorate 75 years of this model, BMW has developed the 328 Hommage concept car.
According to the German automaker, the original 328 introduced a concerted effort to keep mass as low as possible; it weighed only 780 kg. It proved its racing chops in the demanding Mille Miglia endurance race in Italy, staged between 1927 and 1957. At one of these events, the 328 Touring Coupé recorded the highest average speed, a record that remained unbroken.
Apart from several celebrations this year, the main will be the 328 Hommage. Using the same principles of lightweight construction, BMW’s current designers approached the project as they believed the original designers, Fritz Fiedler and Rudolf Schleicher, would have if today’s technologies were available to them.
The result is the extensive use of carbon-fibre-reinforced plastics. most notably for some of the body panels and parts of the interior.
Although this is a purely a show model, we wouldn’t be too surprised if, like the original, some of the design elements and engineering knowledge gained from developing the Hommage filters through to upcoming BMWs.
