In 1940, BMW entered five 328s in the Mille Miglia race, a high-speed endurance race on the open country roads of Italy. Of the five entered, there were four roadsters and one fastback coupe. The coupe’s chassis was developed in Munich and utilized the advance type of construction called “Superleggera” which involved an “ultra-light pipe lattice construction”. The 328 coupe went to set a record top speed of 139 mph (224 km/h) with an average speed of 103.4 mph (166 km/h), which was an astounding feat for a vehicle of that time. Horsepower was bumped up to 135 bhp for the overhead valve six-cylinder engine and the feather-weight streamlined body was made of aluminum and magnesium alloy. A total of nine laps around a 103-mile course dictated the historic Mille Miglia event, and the 328s represented the majority of top ten positions by securing the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 6th place.