BMW Glas Classic Cars for Sale

Nicknamed the 'Glaserati,' the Glas 2600 V8 was a sporty coupe born in and developed by the Glas Marque in Germany from 1965-1966 and produced from 1966-1967. Subsequently taken over by BMW in 1966, the new 3000 model was known as the BMW Glas 3000 V8.

Development of the BMW Glas 2600

Glas already produced the popular Glas GT and it was decided, during a period of rollercoaster finances for the company, to develop a 6 cylinder GT coupe to build on this popularity. The intention was- in time- to add a sports saloon to the range too.

The precarious financial situation of Glas meant that the initial concept had to be scaled back. Frua were given the job of design but told where possible parts for the new car were to be borrowed from other vehicles already in production. As such instead of a V6 the engine became a 2580cc V8: Glas effectively bolted together two of their pre-existing 4 cylinder 1290cc engines rather than designing something new. In addition the BMW Glas used headlights from a Setra bus, window winders from Mercedes Benz and door locks from a Porsche 911. Given this mixed bag of parts, the results were surprisingly good. When the pre-production model of the BMW Glas was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1965 it caused a stir, and there received the nickname 'Glaserati' because of its similarity to the Maserati Quattroporte.

BMW Glas 2600

Launched in 1966, the BMW Glas 2600 was well received. A good-looking four seater that featured the first self-levelling suspension to the German Market, the glamorous styling from Frua made it highly desirable. It was comfortable and a great drive, however it had a top speed of 123mph; less than the 126mph promised. This was blamed on issues with the carburettors.

BMW Glas 3000

Glas had been developing a 3.0l model in order to hit the previously promised 126mph prior to their takeover by BMW. In order to do this they redeveloped the engine from the Glas GT with a three-way carburettor. BMW took this car, rebranded it as the BMW Glas 3000 and launched it to the market in late 1966. The BMW marks certainly helped the image of the car, but this was not enough to save it. A year after its launch the car was taken out production, replaced by the BMW 2800CS.

BMW Glas today

Relatively few of the BMW Glas were produced - estimates put the number at about 700 - and this allied with the car's good looks and attractive styling make it both rare and desirable today.