And today I had my first look at the BMW factory in Lerchenauer Strasse, and I was very impressed. With the design and development activities going on, and from what I have seen and heard, BMW is bringing new strength to racing in the 2-liter class. Most interesting is work being done to create faster, more stable cars for competition. Professor Wunibald Kamm has drawn designs from aerodynamic testing while using a wind tunnel.
Wednesday, June 22, 1938
Packed and ready for time-off in England, I had bid auf wiedersehen to Munich until next year when I found myself peculiarly drawn to 45 Brienner Strasse, the Munich offices for Hitler, Himmler, Göring, Hess and others.
Was I afraid that I might not see Munich again before war breaks, if and when? The edifice’s grim façade of Paul Troost’s architecture, this Nazi “Brown House,” as it’s called, gave me a sudden chill. If there’s war in Europe, will Britain be pulled in? And America?
Saturday, June 10, 1939
Back in France again for this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans a week from today. The evening news here is that King George and Queen Elizabeth toured the New York World’s Fair this morning, taking in the Merrie England exhibit at the Perisphere and a show of 25 girl bagpipers in kilts. More seriously, Parliament is deeply concerned over the recent Pact of Steel signed by Germany and Italy that unifies the two powers in their plan to “reorganize” Europe. Motor-racing, though, is more tangible for those devout professionals who live by it.
While Professor Kamm has continued to wrestle with stability problems on his closed car design, Herr Loof and staff have somewhat desperately enlisted Carrozzeria Touring to body a streamlined BMW coupe for Le Mans, rushing a 328 chassis in an Opel Blitz truck from Munich down to Milan. Touring has used the shape of a 1938 Le Mans Alfa coupe for the BMW profile, and the car has been finished just in time for Le Mans. How typical in racing!
