This little known sportscar was a result of BMW’s take-over of the Glas factory in Dingolfing in 1967. Glas had stunned the world earlier with nothing less than the Goggomobil and went on from there to build sizeable cars, including the 1300 and 1700 GT. Engine technology was well developed and for the first time a belt driven OHC was used in a mass production model. (The very first application was made by Bill Devin for his famous Panhard-Devin Specials).
The 1300 GT was designed by Pietro Frua and the car was as fast as it looked, in spite of having only 1300 cc. The later 1700 version was a bit faster, but the additional engine capacity was created by introducing a much longer stroke to the same engine, making it less rev happy.
When BMW took over the GT model was thoroughly revised, in particular underneath the body. The rear life axle was replaced by BMW’s sophisticated independent rear wheel suspension, and the 100 BHP 1700 cc engine was replaced by the 1600 TI engine fitted with twin choke Solex carbs, giving 105 BHP.
Glas built almost 5400 of its coupes, while BMW continued production until 1968 and produced another 1259 cars.
Shown are an ultra rare cabrio version of the car (Essen 2003) and the regular coupe that was present at the Concours d'Elegance in Schwetzingen in 2003, when there was section dedicated to Pietro Frua's designs.