In an amazing parallel to what happened 70 years ago, BMW has taken first and third places in the 2010 Mille Miglia. In 1940, the BMW 328 Mille Miglia Touring Coupé won the race for which the model was named for, as well as taking third place. Fast forward to 2010, history repeats itself as the same model achieves the same feat in this legendary Italian race.
The BMW 328 was leading sports car back in the late 1930s. It gained popularity by winning a lot of the races at the time. One of the biggest victories it had was in the Mille Miglia in 1940, a race of over 1,000 miles. It was piloted by Fritz Huschke von Hanstein and co-piloted by Walter Baumer. They took victory by averaging 100 miles per hour (160 kph) in the 328 Touring Coupé.
This year, the team of Giuliano Cané and Lucia Galliani took top honors in the same event, and they did not experience any mechanical or technical problems at all for the entire race. This is a remarkable feat given the weather conditions. The race course took them from the warm coast of the Adriatic to the freezing mountain air of the Monte Terminillo.
An even bigger testament to the superior engineering and durability of the car was the fact that it was not carried by race transporters, but driven from Munich over to Brescia in Italy for the start of the race. This was also done 70 years ago. Karl Baumer, Director of BMW Classic, called this pre-race journey a “… perfect dress rehearsal for the race.”
To better allow them to survive the elements and changing weather conditions, the drivers were clad in BMW Motorrad weatherproof motorcycle gear for the journey and the race itself.
Another team, composed of Enzo Ciravolo and Maria Leitner, also took third place this year in a series-production 328. This replicates the fantastic results of BMW in the 1940 Mille Miglia.
Because of the nature of the race, the diverse and inclement weather conditions were a cause for concern. However, all the participants, meaning the teams and the cars, were able to make it safely to the finish. This was the primary concern of Karl Baumer. “Our great result,” he said, “is the icing on the cake.”
Baumer also thanked the teams, the crews and the mechanics, citing the victory as a “marvelous example of teamwork.”
