This year, the dream sports car is celebrating its 75th birthday and BMW has created one of its special "hommage" concept models to celerbrate the event. To this day, the BMW 328 Touring Coupe still holds the record for the highest average speed on the Mille Miglia circuit and, in 2010, was again able to win the historic revival of the race.
The BMW 328 Hommage translates the principles and the character of the vehicle of that time into present times. It offers a possible interpretation of how the designers of that time, Fritz Fiedler and Rudolf Schleicher, might have built the car in the present day using current technology.
Like the original car the BMW 328 Hommage has no doors. Then as now, deep recesses allow ac-cess to the inside of the car. The original BMW 328 was notable for its use for the first time of lightweight materials, keeping the car's gross weight down to just 780kg. The Hommage replicates this design principle through the use of carbon fibre reinforced plastic.
Four wide leather straps run across the bonnet, which appear to dive under the side shoulder surfaces to be continued on the side. Combined with the high-gloss aluminium safety buckles, the leather straps provide a touch of class in contrast to the very technical-looking carbon fibre. The modern quick-release fasteners for securing the bonnet bring racing of the past into the present.
