The unknown BMW of the 60s, a Glas 3000 V8, in a rare example, put up for sale in Germany

Probably even a good part of the fans of the BMW brand are looking puzzled at this model, trying to understand what model this is. Even the name Glas 3000 V8 seems atypical for BMW. The truth is that this model, and the Glas name in general, has a fascinating history, to which BMW owes a large part of what it has become today.

Glas was a small car manufacturer in Dingolfing, Germany. At one time, before producing cars, the company had manufactured agricultural machinery, but the transition to machines was very skillful and it managed to grow a team of talented engineers, who had invented several essential things in the automotive world, the most important of which was the patent for the overhead camshaft timing belt. Namely Glas, a small company, held the patent for this technology, and several manufacturers had understood how important the invention was for future engines.

In 1964, Glas launched a sedan, called the Glas 1700, a sedan that would later become very important for BMW. After the sedan, the people from Glas also wanted a GT coupe and contracted the Italians from Frua to design the model we are talking about today, built on the same technical platform.

When this model appeared in 1966, many said that it looked like Maserati, because the designers of this model and the newly launched Quattroporte were the same. Even more incredible is that this model uses two headlights from a Setra bus, the wiper mechanism from a Mercedes SL and the door locks from a Porsche 911. The body was built by hand and each car went through individual adjustments.

The folks at Glass knew they needed a bigger engine than the 1,700cc or 1,300cc they had on the other models, so they decided to create a V8 by combining two cylinder heads from the 1,300cc engine cubes. That's how they got a 2.6-liter V8, which delivered 150 hp. The car reached 123 mph (198 km/h), but engineers aimed for 200 km/h of 124,3 mph. So, in the desire to reach the aimed target, they increased the V8 engine to 3.0 liters, thus creating the Glas 3000 V8 model, which we are talking about today. This larger V8 delivered 160 hp.

It claimed it could reach 200 km/h (124.3 mph) on the highway, but a test drive in 1967 only managed 193.3 km/h (or 120.1 mph). In the meantime, however, BMW decided to buy the Glas company in 1966, and by 1967 the Bavarian company had started making changes to the range. When the Glas 3000 V8 appeared in September 1967, it received a BMW badge on the hood. The car was essentially the same, with an engineering that had nothing in common with BMW, only the emblem representing that Glas already belonged to BMW.

And the truth is that BMW bought Glas mainly for the patents and the team of engineers it had. The models with the Glas name were quickly retired, but their technical core, including the sedan above, was found in that new era of BMWs, such as the BMW 1800, BMW 2000, or 2002. All of BMW's move towards sportiness is largely due to this crucial 1966 acquisition of Glas. Even the Glas factory in Dingolging operated for a while, after which a new one was built on the same territory, with modern buildings, and today this factory is the largest of the BMW Group, where the 5 Series, 7 Series and even the bodies for the Rolls-Royce models are manufactured!

Therefore, the name Glas is one that determined the history of BMW from there on, and 3000 V8 is the first model to receive the BMW emblem during that period of acquisitions. Only 277 units of 2600 V8s and 389 units of 3000 V8s were produced, so the car is exceptionally rare. And the example we are talking about today, from Germany, is one whose engine has been completely restored, with partial body work as well.

It is a valuable copy, therefore, one of the very few left. So it's no wonder that 95.000 USD are being asked for it. Few will recognize it on the street, few will understand it, but the historical connotation of this model is huge and very little known, so the owner will always have stories to tell about his car.