BMW storms Mille Miglia

The car that established BMW's name for sports and performance cars was the 328 of the late 1930s.

And the event that provided the springboard for that was the 1940 Mille Miglia. In 2017, the event, named for the Italian translation of '1000 miles', is no longer a no-holds-barred road race; it's more a "reliability and regularity race for historic automobiles".

Many of today's prestige brands send small factory-backed fleets of cars to take part in the event, and BMW is no exception, but leaving it to its in-house restoration arm to fly the flag.

BMW Group Classic, the division of BMW catering for owners of very special older models, is sending six examples of the 328 to Northern Italy to compete in this year's event, along with around 450 other cars and crews.

The 328 won its class – under two litres – in the 1938 event, but finished first outright just two years later. Behind the wheel was Fritz Huschke von Hanstein, ably abetted by his co-driver, Walter Bäumer. Their time was 15 minutes faster than the second-placed car, and three other BMWs placed third, fifth and sixth in the event, handing BMW the team award also.

In 2017 the BMWs competing will be led by the company's sales and marketing chief, Ian Robertson, who will share the car (#136) with the very telegenic Jodie Kidd. Their car is a 328 Berlin-Rome Touring Roadster from 1937.

Late last month motoring.com.au paid a visit to BMW Group Classic's headquarters in Munich and snapped a few pictures of the cars on display in the museum that's an annex of the workshop. We were warned not to photograph a few of the cars there, being customers' cars on loan.

But the museum – not the actual BMW Museum – is an intimate little venue housed in a former factory on the site of BMW's first aero engine plant. The facility has been renovated but retains all the hallmarks of industrial chic.

In addition to the space that houses cars boasting any sort of BMW association – such as the McLaren F1, for instance, or BMC Minis – there's a small room adjacent the restaurant filled with irreplaceable memorabilia.

For BMW fans, it's another must-see during any visit to Munich.