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BMW Isetta, 507 and 328 Lined-Up for this Year’s Mille Miglia

A BMW feast is waiting for those of you passionate about retro vehicles, at this year’s Mille Miglia rally. That’s because the Classic division of the Germans is bringing out 3 legendary cars to the venue.
BMW 328 at Mille Miglia 1 photo
Photo: BMW
The Isetta is celebrating 60 years since it made its debut in the famous race back in 1954, throughout northern Italy. However, this time, it’s be joined by two BMW 507 models and four BMW 328 racers, all of them part of the BMW Classic display at the event.

Today, the 7 cars line-up in Brescia for the start of the 2014 rally and they will cover over 1,000 miles (1,600 km) over the next days, all the way to Bologna going through Padua, San Marino, Rome, Siena and Pisa.

Back in the 1950s, when seven Iso Isetta models raced in the Mille Miglia they weren’t exactly in it for the win, as their technical specs and body share wouldn’t allow them to but they did show impressive stamina over the course of the entire challenge. They were actually previewing the “Motocoupe” model that was built by BMW between 1955 and 1962.

The BMW 507 made its sole appearance in 1957, the last Mille Miglia to be staged as a race event. After that, in 1992, the 507 was back in the show, once the rally was once again organized but only as a relaxing trip rather than a full-on race.

However, the BMW 328 has the longest history with the event, being part of it since 1938, when the first Bavarian car line-up for the starting grid and actually managed to claim a victory in its class on the maiden run.

Fritz Huschke von Hanstein and Walter Bäumer in the BMW 328 Mille Miglia Touring Coupé managed an overall victory just two years later, forever setting in stone the 328 name in the history of the competition.

That exact car will, once again, roam the streets of Italy this year, on the same course as 74 years ago, this time as part of the BMW Classic group.

A total of 430 historic vehicles have registered for the 2014 Mille Miglia. This year, for the first time, the round trip will be carried out over four days rather than three, to make sure everyone enjoys it.

Starting today, from Brescia, the cars will be heading towards Padua on the first stage, while the second and longest stage finishes in Rome on Friday evening. The following day the route leads to Siena and then along a new section via Volterra, Lucca and Pisa to Bologna. From there, on Sunday, 18 May 2014, competitors will cover the final stretch towards Brescia.
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