BMW 340
| BMW / EMW 340 | |
|---|---|
EMW 340 sedan
|
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Eisenacher Motorenwerk (EMW) |
| Production | 1949–1955 21,250 built |
| Assembly | Eisenach, East Germany |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | 4-door saloon 5-door estate |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Related |
BMW 326 BMW 327 |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 1971 cc OHV M78 straight-6 |
| Transmission | 4-speed manual |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,870 mm (113 in) |
| Length | 4,600 mm (180 in) |
| Width | 1,770 mm (70 in) |
| Height | 1,630 mm (64 in) |
| Curb weight | 1,200 kg (2,600 lb) (Measurements approximate) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | BMW 326, BMW/EMW 327 |
| Successor | Wartburg 311 |
The BMW 340, subsequently rebadged as the EMW 340, was a large six-cylinder four-door passenger saloon produced at Eisenach initially in the name of BMW. Five-door 340 station wagons were also manufactured. It was described in 1948 as the first new car model produced in Germany after the war: despite new body panels, under the skin it was a modified version of the BMW 326 with which it shared its engine and wheelbase, and which had originally been commercialised in 1936. The 326 had nevertheless been an innovative and well regarded product and the 340, which incorporated several improvements, was seen as a desirable car well into the 1950s. Early years were dogged by disputes centred on ownership of the plant where it was assembled and its manufacturers’ rights to use the BMW name. The cars later appeared badged as EMW 340s, and it was under this name that 340s continued to be sold until at least 1953.
A coupé version, originally launched in 1937 as the BMW 327, was also reintroduced after the war and produced in parallel with the 340 until approximately 1955, badged in its final years as the EMW 327.
BMW became a manufacturer of commercially viable automobiles when late in 1928 they acquired the business of Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach A.G. whose assets included a manufacturing facility at Eisenach then engaged in manufacturing under licence British-designed Austin 7s. During the 1930s BMW automobile production blossomed: the Eisenach plant was throughout this period BMW's volume automobile manufacturing facility.
In 1945 the town was occupied by American forces, but by then it had already been agreed between the allies that the whole of Thuringen would fall within the Soviet occupation zone: transfer of the region to the Soviets took place in July 1945. It seemed likely that BMW’s manufacturing facility would be crated up and taken by rail to the Soviet Union as part of the substantial post war reparations package. In the meantime, surviving workers returning from the war recommenced production, and a small number of the 326s were assembled following that car's prewar design. Albert Seidler, the man in charge of Eisenach motor bike production, demonstrated the smaller 321 model to Marshal Zhukov and secured from him an order for five new cars.
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Wikipedia