• Matching numbers chassis and engine • The desirable 80bhp, 2.0-litre, 6-cylinder BMW 328 engine variant • Only 170 kilometres since total restoration • Much-loved by the regularity rally fraternity • BMW Classic Certificate Introduced in 1938, the 327 sports-tourer used the shortened, boxed, ladder-type chassis of the 326 saloon.

The gearbox was a Hurth four-speed manual unit with freewheel between 1st and 2nd gears, enabling clutch-less gear changes at low speeds, while there were hydraulic brakes all round.

BMW's pushrod six had by now been enlarged to 1,971cc and developed around 55bhp in the 327, which could also be ordered with the 328 sports car's 80bhp engine at extra cost.

The 328's engine featured an ingenious new cylinder head, designed by Rudolf Schleicher, which incorporated hemispherical combustion chambers and inclined valves without recourse to overhead, or twin, camshafts.

Instead, the engine's single, block-mounted camshaft and pushrod valve actuation were retain...