AutoArt 1:18 BMW 328 Streamline Coupe #70- Mille Miglia

This rare automobile is the pride and joy of BMW Mobile Tradition and its silhouette is etched on the doors of their new facility. 1936 marked the racing debut of the 328 in its original open roadster form and it excelled in hill climbs and short racing venues. But by 1938, the search for a more aerodynamic design was begun to increase top end speed in longer races.

As with all sports venues, the Nazi government had ultimate control of both the cars and the drivers. Sport racing was overseen by the ONS (Oberste Nationale Sportbehorde fur die Deutsche Kraftfahrt) and all drivers had to be members of the Nationalsozialistisches Kraftfaher Korps or NSKK. The NSKK planned to add an aerodynamic coupe to their Le Mans entries in 1939 and with little time to work with, they commissioned Carrozzeria Touring of Milan, famous for their Superleggera or "super light" body construction. Touring offered to adapt the coupe design that they made for Alfa Romeo to the 328 chassis. The NSKK shipped chassis #85368 including firewall, cowling and dash to Touring in Milan and the finished Superleggera coupé painted the traditional German Racing White was rushed to Le Mans where it finished first in class and fifth overall. The 1939 Mille Miglia was cancelled but was resurrrected by the Italian government for 1940. The NSKK planned to run 5 streamlined 328s: three spiders and two closed cars. For this race, the new German racing color, silver, was employed. The Touring Coupé was tough to handle at high speeds, being vulnerable to both crosswinds and front end lift, and the added rear wheel spats did little to help. Twenty-nine year old Fritz Huschke von Hanstein, a German nobleman chosen to drive the Touring Coupé in the Mille Miglia, put on an astounding performance. Aided by very light wind conditions, he took an early lead and continued to build on it so that just before the finish, he pulled the car over, got out and let his co-driver, Walter Bäumer, have the honor of crossing the finish line. What a guy! BMW's racing department was closed in early 1941, the plants destroyed by Allied bombing and the remains of the Munich plant dismantled. Miraculously, this car survived and was found in a basement of a private residence in 1945 to be used by American military officers. Wrecked and abandoned in a ditch near Freising, Bavaria, it was rescued and restored by a former BMW engineer, Claus von Rücker, who was working in an Occupation repair shop. Before emigrating to Canada, he entered this car in the first post-war German racing event...and it won.

The Touring Coupé was sold, raced in SCCA races, sold, hidden from creditors and lost over the years. It was found after an exhaustive search by collector Jim Profitt, who already owned a 328 spider. Once in his possession, he embarked on a 5 year restoration that reads like a novel in itself. The finished product had it's debut at the 1990 Mille Miglia Storica, the 50th anniversary of its triumphant win. Ater that, Profitt took this beauty to vintage races, many in Europe, including the prestigious Goodwood Festival. During this time, BMW established a museum, Mobile Tradition, with a strong desire to preserve the BMW story. After a few discussions that took place at various events, a deal was struck at the 2002 Le Mans Historic Race and the Touring Coupé was finally back home.

AutoArt has modeled this classic clad in the livery of the 2004 Mille Miglia where it ran as a true factory car again. It was the first car to cross the finish line in Brescia as overall winner driven by Giuliano Cané and his wife Lucia Galliani. As a sculptural piece, this model is nicely done. The lines appear true, the finish is excellent with the metallic silver reflecting seamlessly from panel to panel and the clearcoat devoid of any ripple. The shark gills on the fenders are stamped through and the articulated spats fall flush with the body curves. The grill and rear screen are beautifully rendered in metal and all the hardware is chromed. The microscopic "Superleggera" script with the Carrozzeria Touring crest is both foiled and tampoed. The BMW propeller emblems that appear on the nose and the front spinners are little jewels. All of the lights have perfectly scribed reflective patterns and chromed bezels. The only downside on the exterior is the leather retaining belts on the bonnet panels which are shiny vinyl with painted hardware that make me wish for those difficult but accurate CMC leather belts that would really set this model off so much better. The glazing is all there with the sliding side glass modeled open behind the wind deflectors.

The engine compartment has some nice features and the most noteworthy is the photoetched screening over the three carburetors. The linkage is silver plastic and appears overscale and a bit toy-like in combination with the unpainted silver plastic engine parts and black plastic radiator. The water hose is hard plastic and does not line up with the radiator, reminiscent of most $20 plastic model kits. The distributor has the 6 plug wires but, at least in my example, the coil wire is missing. I assume there should be one due to the presence of an locator pin on the distributor cap and a hole at the top of the coil. Considering I'm not going to be undoing the four belts on a regular basis, I'm leaving the bonnet closed. Following the drivetrain to the undercarriage, most all components are present, separately modeled, including the brake cables, but no operating features. The trumpeted exhaust system is modeled to the manifold in a burnt brass color that doesn't particularly look like any raceworn or rusted metal I can think of. I will probably rub it down with metallic powders to get a more realistic look. The doors open on hidden hinges and close to a minimal gap. The interior is a mixed bag. The gauges are decent, legible and have nice metal bezels, whereas, on the same dash, the knobs and levers are mere blobs. The seats are modeled to simulate a ribbed upholstery akin to corduroy and looks realistic.

My overall opinion of this model has to reflect a certain disappointment in the content and workmanship put into this true classic driving machine. Compared to other releases in this line like the XJ-13, also considering its $85 pricepoint, I did expect much more. Frankly, this model will look great on the shelf, and there are beautiful works of detailing, but they are juxtaposed with enough poor modeling features that you will probably not be poring over this model with your magnifier. I'll give it 3 1/2 stars for a half-hearted effort on a very desirable image.

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