THE BMW 328 AT THE MILLE MIGLIA 1940.

Art prints in book format: “When Motor Racing was Bloody Dangerous.”

The BMW 328 at the Mille Miglia 1940.Art prints in book format: “When Motor Racing was Bloody Dangerous.”

28. Nov 2017

Nostalgia in pictures: today we are still reminiscing about the motorsports heroes of the 20th century. Unfortunately their stories could not be saved for the posterity because technology was not as well developed as today. But belated, it is possible. The two Czechs Jan Rambousek and Petr Milerski created a picture book, that bunches all key scenes of the legendary races together: “When Motor Racing Was Bloody Dangerous”.

1,000 km through Italy.

It remains one of the most important victories for BMW and the legendary 328: the Mille Miglia in 1940. At the world’s toughest road race, the drivers Fritz “Huschke” von Hanstein and Walter Bäumer got off to a good start and were dominating the race. At the refuelling stop, team and corps leader Adolf Hühnlein prevented the mandatory driver change because, for political reasons, he wanted to set up Hanstein as the winner. The partners obliged – at first, but the lead over pursuer Nino Farina in an Alfa Romeo got smaller and smaller. Thirty kilometres from the finish, the BMW 328 came to halt suddenly. Technical problems? No, Huschke von Hanstein defied the order of Hühnlein and handed the controls over to his teammate. After 8:55 hours and an average speed of 168 km/h, the duo won the 1,000-kilometre race with a five-minute lead. Even today, the BMW 328 gives fans goose bumps, for example, at the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed, in which BMW M also participates every year.

” The victory at the Mille Miglia in 1940 is still today a milestone in BMW’s history. It attests to the exceptional technical competence and the passion with which BMW does everything. ”
Dr Klaus Draeger, Member of the Board BMW AG, Research, Development, and Purchasing

Time travel to motorsport history.

Amazing stories, incredible pictures: in addition to the unusual driver switch of von Hanstein and Bäumer, the agency Unique & Limited has captured many other legendary moments in international motorsports on 252 pages, including more than 300 pictures and visual graphics. The creators of the book, Jan Rambousek and Petr Milerski (text: Bart Lenaerts), take the readers down memory lane: eye candy for every petrol head.

These and more stories can be found in the book:

1928Elisabeth Junek in a Bugatti at the Targa Florio
1940Von Hanstein and Bäumer in the BMW 328 at the Mille Miglia
1964Lucien Bianchi in the Ferrari 250 GTO at the Tour de France
1970Hans Herrmann in the Porsche 917 in Le Mans
1976James Hunt in the McLaren M23

Behind the scenes.

First, Unique & Limited created a Limited Edition of high-quality art prints. From this arose the idea for a book that could better illustrate the stories and the “making of”. In Germany, the book is published by Delius Klasing Verlag.

To create the picture for the BMW chapter: “With the wrong driver behind the wheel”, Rambousek and Milerski had to overcome many challenges.

Italy has completely changed since the 1940s, and the majority of the race course is now an expressway. The reconstruction of the setting was based on five old photos.

“We had no other choice but to assemble the scenery based on five photos of the surrounding villages. It was a daunting job bringing those components together,” explained Milerski.

“Only the power masts and the BMW 328 are synthesised from a sketch in the resulting graphics.”

Gift idea for petrol heads.

“When Motor Racing Was Bloody Dangerous” brings the heroes of past racing days to life again – a piece of motorsport history. The book is available at automobilist.com and it is a good gift for petrol heads, classic car enthusiasts and collectors for every occasion.

Further information about the official fuel consumption and the official specific CO2 emissions for new passenger automobiles can be found in the 'New Passenger Vehicle Fuel Consumption and CO2 Emission Guidelines', which are available free of charge at all sales outlets, from Deutsche Automobil Treuhand GmbH (DAT), Hellmuth-Hirth-Str. 1, 73760 Ostfildern, Germany, or under http://www.dat.de/en/offers/publications/guideline-for-fuel-consumption.html. The figures are not based on an individual vehicle and do not constitute part of the product offer; they are provided solely for the purposes of comparison between different vehicle types. CO2 emissions caused by the production and provision of fuel or other energy sources are not taken into account in the determination of CO2 emissions pursuant to Directive 1999/94/EC.

All vehicles, equipment, combination possibilities and varieties shown here are examples and can differ in your country. In no way do they constitute a binding offer by the BMW M GmbH. Visit your local BMW website or see your authorised BMW M Retailer for accurate details on the offers in your country.

THE BMW 328 AT THE MILLE MIGLIA 1940.

Art prints in book format: “When Motor Racing was Bloody Dangerous.”

1,000 km through Italy.

Time travel to motorsport history.

These and more stories can be found in the book:

Behind the scenes.

Gift idea for petrol heads.

MORE HIGHLIGHTS:

The 2017 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Winter is coming.

Stars and cars.

The new BMW M4 GT4 is a success story.

BMW M3 in top position.

BMW M Sports Trophy Awards 2023.

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THE BMW 328 AT THE MILLE MIGLIA 1940.

Art prints in book format: “When Motor Racing was Bloody Dangerous.”

1,000 km through Italy.

Time travel to motorsport history.

These and more stories can be found in the book:

Behind the scenes.

Gift idea for petrol heads.

MORE HIGHLIGHTS:

The 2017 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Winter is coming.

Stars and cars.

The new BMW M4 GT4 is a success story.

BMW M3 in top position.

BMW M Sports Trophy Awards 2023.

Website currently not fully available