BMW 327

BMW/EMW 327

Manufacturer	Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW)
Production	1937 – 1941 1,396 built 1946 – 1955 505 built
Assembly	Eisenach, Germany Eisenach, East Germany
Successor	EMW 327 BMW 503
Body style(s)	2 door coupé, 2 door cabriolet
Layout	FR layout
Engine(s)	1971 cc OHV Straight 6
Transmission(s)	4 speed manual[1]
Wheelbase	2750 mm (108.3 in)
Length	4500 mm (177.2 in)
Width	1600 mm (63 in)
Height	1430 mm (56.3 in)
Curb weight	1100 kg (2425 lb) (measurements approximate)
Related	BMW 326 BMW 328 Bristol 400

The BMW 327 is a medium sized touring coupé produced by the Bavarian firm between 1937 and 1941, and again produced after 1945. It sat on a shortened version of the BMW 326 chassis.

Launch

The first 327, launched in 1937, was a cabriolet. In 1938, this was joined by a fixed head coupé version. The car was shorter and lower than its sedan counterpart, but shared the famous BMW grill and a streamlined form representative of the more progressive designs of the 1930s.

Technical

Mechanically, the car utilised the hydraulic brake control, gear box, clutch and suspension system first seen on the 326. Also shared was the 1971 cc straight 6 power plant, although the 327 boasted a modest power increase to 55 bhp. The advertised top speed of 125 km/h (78 mph) constituted a useful performance advantage for the shorter car.

Commercial

Among some enthusiasts, the 327 has subsequently been overshadowed by its more uncompromising sibling, the 80 bhp BMW 328 which appeared in April 1938. In its day, however, the 327 was the bigger seller, with 1,396 built between 1937 and 1941, and significant further production after 1945.

Afterlife

The Eisenach coupe derivative, latterly branded as the EMW 327, appears to have been produced till 1955. The first post war versions were badged as BMWs. The red-white roundel badge on this example indicates that it was one of the later examples.

During the 1930s, Eisenach was the centre of BMW’s automobile manufacturing. In 1945, Eisenach was liberated from German control by United States forces. However, the wartime allies had already agreed that Thuringia would fall within the Soviet occupation zone. The plant that BMW had originally acquired in 1929 was not fully destroyed, and assembly of the 327 resumed. Clear production figures are hard to obtain, but many of the 327s surviving with collectors into the twenty-first century were post-war products. After the war, it became clear that the Soviets were disinclined to return the Eisenach facility to BMW, giving rise to the irony whereby BMW automobiles produced between 1946 and 1951 were produced outside the control of BMW in Munich. There followed a period of protracted disputation concerning title to the BMW brand and other assets, but in 1952 it was determined that Eisenach produced models such as the 327s should be badged as EMWs rather than as BMWs. (The E in EMW stood for Eisenacher: The B in BMW stood for Bayerische/Bavarian.) An obvious visual point of difference is the EMW’s red-white roundel badge which replaced the BMW blue-white roundel on the earlier cars. It is not clear how many of the post war 327s were branded as BMWs and how many as EMWs, but probably more than 500 were produced with one or other of the badges.