EMW 340 History

The 340 began production in 1949 at the Eisenach plant, initially badged as a BMW. It was described at launch as the first new BMW model built in Germany after the war, though in reality it was a thoroughly modernised derivative of the pre-war BMW 326 — sharing that car's 1,971 cc straight-six engine (rated at 54 PS) and wheelbase but wearing restyled four-door bodywork. A five-door estate (station wagon) variant was also built.

Following a November 1950 West German court ruling that threatened the Eisenach plant's export revenues if it continued selling cars under the BMW name, the 340 was progressively rebranded. By mid-1952 the familiar blue-and-white Bavarian roundel was replaced by a virtually identical badge in red and white — the colours of Thuringia — and the car was sold as the EMW 340.

Production ran through 1955, by which point just over 21,250 units had been built across the entire BMW/EMW 340 run. The 340 was the commercial backbone of the Eisenach operation, outselling the more prestigious 327 by a wide margin.