In case you missed it, BMW Classic has commissioned the remanufacture of gear-wheel kits for the original Hurth gearbox installed in the BMW 328. This reaffirms BMW's objective that original parts should be used in BMW classics. Current practice is to install a full synchromesh box, but first and second gears in the original Hurth gearbox from the 1930s were not synchronised while the third and fourth gears were.
BMW Classic has commissioned automotive supplier ZF Friedrichshafen AG to solve this tricky task. Specialists from the archive and the restoration workshop of BMW Classic as well as external specialists have joined forces with the gearbox development engineers from Friedrichshafen to work on getting closer to the original design. The biggest challenge was establishing the actual status of the original because after more than 70 years, all the existing gearboxes have been subject to modifications. ZF Friedrichshafen AG has given the project a similar status to that of a prototype construction.
The first prototypes have already been installed in the works vehicles of BMW Group Classic and are undergoing endurance testing at a variety of driving events. Customers can expect deliveries at the end of this year or the beginning of next year.
Group Classic is ramping up its supply side and since 1 February 2012 customers have been able to search for and order parts for classic BMW models online at http://shop,bmw-classic.de. Stocking around 40,000 car and motorcycle parts, the online shop represents “the logical next step in providing customer satisfaction and customer-oriented service,” explained Ralf Vierlein, Head of Sales and Aftersales at BMW Group Classic. The online service was initially only available to customers in Germany, but should be available across the European market as a whole since 1 April 2012. Parts service representatives will be on hand in Stuttgart to demonstrate how the shop works, as well as providing advice and assistance with ordering parts.––Paul Duchene
