Following the success of BMW’s 315, the Munich manufacturer turned its focus to motorsport.

With its eyes set on the 2.0-litre race classification, the 1.5-litre engine from the 315 was bored out to 1.9-litres.

Aptly named the BMW 319/1, it produced 55 PS, could reach 130 km/h, and had a two-seat roadster body.

With a price of 5,800 Reichsmark—considered expensive for a BMW roadster—only 178 examples were sold, making the 319/1 an extremely rare pre-war performance BMW.

Leaving the factory in the summer of 1936, chassis 56264 was finished in grey and delivered to its first owner, Andreas Gschwind, on 28 May.

Gschwind resided in Würzburg and owned a shop that sold bicycles and motorbikes, while also offering repair services.

The BMW reappeared several decades later when, in August 1984, this 319/1 was registered in Michigan, USA.

It was sold to its second American owner in 1988, who retained the car until his passing in 2012.

The car returned to its native Germany the following ...