1935 BMW

This 1935 BMW 319/1 roadster is one of 178 examples manufactured during 17 months of production and was built in April 1935 before being delivered new to dealer Philipp Kraft in Mainz, Germany. Chassis 55008 is said to have been sold new to the Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse, whose death in a 1937 plane crash left the car to his brother, the Prince of Hesse and by Rhine. By the late 1970s, the car had been relocated to the UK, where it was reportedly prepared for competition with updates including a Bristol camshaft, hydraulic brake actuation, a Type 328 rear axle, a stainless-steel exhaust system, and a central lubrication system. After a refurbishment in the mid-2000s, the car was imported to the US, where it spent time in the Blackhawk Collection and The Auto Collections in Las Vegas before being purchased by its current owner in 2010. Finished in metallic blue, the car is powered by a 1,911cc OHV inline-six that breathes through triple SU carburetors and is mated to a four-speed manual transmission. Additional features include four-wheel drum brakes, independent front suspension, 16” disc wheels, fog lights, a convertible soft top, and blue leather upholstery. This 319/1 is now offered on dealer consignment as part of the Mohr Imports UpShift Collection with historical documentation and a clean California title. The 319/1 was introduced in late 1934 as a higher-powered counterpart to the 315/1, which had debuted in prototype form at the Berlin Motor Show earlier in the year as BMW’s first designated sports roadster model. The 319/1 shared much of its styling with the 315/1, including inclined twin grilles, a raked windshield, low-cut rear-hinged doors absent of windows, streamlined fenders, and a tapered rear profile. Originally finished in gray, this example was repainted in its current shade of metallic blue during a refurbishment performed in the UK between 2005 and 2006, which also included repairs to the ash body framework and steel body panels. Features include mesh hood vents, Lucas headlights, front fog lamps, dual rectangular side mirrors, polished rear fender guards, a Monza-style fuel filler, and a black convertible top stowed under a black tonneau cover. Tears in the convertible top are shown up close in the photo gallery below. UK number plates at front and rear carry the car’s previous registration number. Silver-painted disc wheels are secured by two-eared knock-offs and are wrapped in 5.00/5.25-16 Avon H.M. Tourist tires. A spare compartment is recessed into the rear bodywork under a circular door, although a spare is not present. Stopping is handled by four-wheel drum brakes that are said to have been modified in the 1970s with hydraulic actuation in lieu of the original mechanical linkage. The cabin is trimmed in blue leather over bucket seats for two with matching upholstery over the door and kick panels. Additional features include color-matched carpeting, door pockets, and a glovebox. Corrosion is visible on areas of the door handles, shifter, and handbrake lever. The banjo-spoke steering wheel exhibits wear on its white rim and sits ahead of a painted dash housing a Veigel 100-mph speedometer, a 5k-rpm tachometer, and gauges monitoring fuel level, coolant temperature, and oil pressure. The five-digit odometer shows 58k miles, approximately 2,500 of which have been added under current ownership. The 1,911cc inline-six features overhead valves actuated by a duplex-chain-driven in-block camshaft, the latter of which was reportedly replaced with a Bristol competition unit in the 1970s. Induction is through triple SU carburetors fed by an electric fuel pump. The cylinder head was overhauled during the mid-2000s refurbishment. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual transmission with synchromesh on the top two gears along with a solid rear axle that was reportedly sourced from a BMW 328. Additional modifications include central chassis lubrication and a stainless-steel exhaust system with dual outlets. The chassis plate is stamped with chassis number 55008 and engine number 55739, although the numbers are located in the incorrect fields. Engine number 55739 can also be seen stamped on the block in the gallery below. Correspondence from the BMW historical archive notes the original color and delivery information. Invoices and photos from the mid-2000s refurbishment can be viewed in the gallery below. The selling dealer states that the car is not currently registered for road use. The car’s engine number is listed as the identification number on its title.