BMW 328 (1938) at the Louwman Museum in The Hague (Holland)

Bayerische Motoren Werke, commonly referred to as BMW, is a German multinational corporate manufacturer of luxury vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. This BMW 328 weighs a mere 830 kilograms (about 1830 pounds). It was designed with motor racing in mind and indeed, all superfluous items, such as bumpers, have been left out. The cutaways under the headlights allowed cool air to flow over the engine and brakes – a practical solution which also saved on materials. The aerodynamic coachwork was constructed out of a special metal alloy formed around a tubular frame. The BMW 328 was developed as a prestige project for the 'Third Reich' and had to be ready before the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. The prototype for the 328 won the two-litre sports car class at the German 'Eifelrennen' in 1936. The BMW 328 ultimately notched up more than 140 race- and rally wins, including the Italian 'Mille Miglia' (Thousand Miles) in 1940. The BMW 328 is a true all-rounder: a sports car, circuit-racer and endurance-racer all in one. Therefore it is one of the most significant sports cars of all time. The Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW) originally built aircraft engines. The company later started building motorcycles and moved onto cars in 1928. Only 464 copies of the BMW 328 were produced between 1936 and 1940.

The Louwman Museum in The Hague, the Netherlands, features one of the most impressive private car collections in the world. Several hundred cars are on show to teach you all about car history. The Louwman Museum offers a wide collection that includes everything from antique and classic cars to Formula 1 racing cars and hybrids. Since 1934, two generations of the Louwman family have assembled a unique collection of cars. The present Louwman Museum was designed to display the collection to the public. It was festively opened in 2010. The collection leads you from horse and wagon to the first self-propelled vehicles. It also takes you past the luxury cars from the end of the 19th century, post-war "affordable cars" and the first racing cars. Some of the Louwman Museum's highlights include unique specimens such as the boat-car, the beach-car and the swan-car as well as famous cars such as James Bond's Aston Martin from the film Goldfinger and the customised Cadillac Fleetwood of Elvis Presley.