The 1940 Mille Miglia was run on a 102.5-mile closed road circuit around Brescia and was dominated by the two Touring-bodied 328 Coupes driven by von Hanstein / Baumer.
Built around a lightweight space frame chassis and clothed in aluminium, each car weighed less than 650kgs. Developing 135bhp at 5,500rpm from their two-litre engines, the cars were capable of speeds in excess of 130mph.
On the 923-mile road race, the 328 Coupe managed an average speed of over 103mph, with a fastest average lap speed of more than 108mph.
A further 58 years elapsed before the next incarnation of a roadster-based coupe was introduced.
BMW Z3 Coupe - the 'bread van'
The BMW Z3 roadster was launched in 1995 and was one of the first cars to be built at BMW's new North American factory in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Initially powered by a 1.9-litre four-cylinder engine, six-cylinder 2.2-litre, 2.8-litre, 3.0-litre and 3.2-litre 'M' versions followed before production ceased in 2002. With nearly 280,000 cars produced, the open-topped Z3 was the most successful roadster in BMW's history.
The Z3 Roadster morphed into a coupe in 1998. Launched in the UK with BMW M's 321hp powerplant (2.8-litre, 3.0-litre and M Coupe in mainland Europe), the car combined an engine delivering over 100hp per litre with a very rigid yet compliant chassis, direct steering and powerful brakes to offer a driving experience referred to at the time as "the world's first go-kart for two." At its launch, BMW's legendary works driver, Hans Stuck, described the Z3 Coupe as "the purest rendition of driving you can imagine."
The Z3 Coupe shared BMWs trademark roadster DNA - long bonnet, short overhangs, front engine with rear wheel drive, 50 / 50 weight distribution and the driver sitting over the rear axle. The addition of a hardtop and hatch-style boot lid gave the car an even more purposeful stance.
Recognising the Z3 Coupe as a niche vehicle without universal appeal, BMWs then Board Member responsible for Market and Products, Dr Wolfgang Reitzle said: "The car is not built to be everybody's darling, but it is a genuine BMW through and through - powerful, fast, dynamic." Even with its narrow, hard-core appeal, 17,815 cars were built before it ceased production in 2002.
The future becomes the present
At the launch of the new Z4 in 2003, many rued the apparent demise of the driver focussed, roadster-based coupe. However, designers had already completed their homework on the new Coupe and engineers were secretly planning the next car. With even more power, an even stiffer body structure but the same driver focus, the new Z4 Coupe promises to take over where its predecessor left off.
BMW Concept Coupe Mille Miglia
The BMW Concept Coupe Mille Miglia recalls the success of the 1940 328 Mille Miglia Coupe with the new Z4 Coupe and was unveiled prior to the 2006 Mille Miglia. With design hints from both cars, the BMW Concept Coupe Mille Miglia took pride of place in Brescia, Italy on May 10 2006, as the entrants were scrutineered ahead of the event.
The Mille Miglia was resurrected in 1977 as an annual rally to celebrate one of the world's great motor races. All models that competed in the original races between 1927 and 1957 are allowed to enter. Highlighting the 22 BMWs that entered the 2006 event, the BMW's Concept Coupe Mille Miglia looked back to these great racing cars, in particular the BMW 328 Mille Miglia Coupe.
