The BMW 3200 CS was a sports touring car manufactured by BMW between January 1962 and September 1965. It was designed by

Bertone Bertone is an Italian surname meaning "descendant of Roberto". Notable people with the surname include: * Alicia Bertone, American academic, researcher, and veterinary surgeon * Catherine Bertone (born 1972), Turkish-born female Italian marathon r ...

and was introduced at the 1961 Frankfurt Motor Show. More than five hundred were built. The 3200 CS was the final variation on BMW's early postwar luxury platform that began with the

501 __NOTOC__ Year 501 ( DI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Avienus and Pompeius (or, less frequently, year 1254 '' Ab u ...

introduced in 1951. The styling of the 3200 CS influenced the 2000 CS coupe version of the

New Class New class is used as a polemic term by critics of countries that followed the Soviet-type Communism to describe the privileged ruling class of bureaucrats and Communist party functionaries which arose in these states. Generally, the group known in ...

and the later New Six coupes. It was the first BMW to feature the

Hofmeister kink The Hofmeister kink (German: Hofmeister-Knick) is an automotive design feature consisting of a rearward/forward angle near the base of the rearmost pillar. It is named for Wilhelm Hofmeister, who was BMW's design chief from 1955 to 1970, though ...

(which would become one of the company's trademark design elements).

Concept and design

In 1960, Helmut Werner Bonsch, BMW's marketing manager, discovered that the Pininfarina body for the

Lancia Flaminia The Lancia Flaminia (Tipo 813/823/824/826) is a luxury car produced by Italian automaker Lancia from 1957 until 1970. It was Lancia's flagship model at that time, replacing the Aurelia. It was available throughout its lifetime as saloon, coupé an ...

coupe would fit on the chassis of the BMW 3200L sedan without major modification. He proposed to BMW's management to commission Pininfarina to build Flaminia coupe bodies with BMW grilles in order to create a successor to the 503, which had been discontinued in 1959. ''BMW - Bavaria's Driving Machines'', Norbye, p.131 After deliberation, the management rejected Bonsch's proposal and instead ordered chief engineer

Fritz Fiedler Fritz Fiedler (born Potsdam 9 January 1899: died Schliersee 8 July 1972), was an automotive engineer. His projects included the BMW 328 sports car, the ex-BMW Bristol straight-six engine, and the BMW New Class sedan. Career to 1945 Fiedler began h ...

to commission Bertone to design and manufacture a coupe body for the 3200S. This used a

perimeter frame A vehicle frame, also historically known as its '' chassis'', is the main supporting structure of a motor vehicle to which all other components are attached, comparable to the skeleton of an organism. Until the 1930s, virtually every car ha ...

, ''BMW - Bavaria's Driving Machines'', Norbye, p.87 a , twin-carburetor version of the

BMW OHV V8 engine The BMW OHV V8 is an overhead valve V8 petrol engine produced from 1954 to 1965. It is BMW's first V8 engine, and BMW did not produce another V8 automobile engine until the BMW M60 in 1992. The engine does not have an official model code, therefo ...

, delivering , ''BMW - Bavaria's Driving Machines'', Norbye, p.93 ''The Ultimate History of BMW'', Noakes, p.65 a four speed manual gear box, a live rear axle, ''BMW - Bavaria's Driving Machines'', Norbye, p.88 disc brakes on the front wheels, and torsion bar springs at all four wheels.

Reception

The 3200 CS was introduced at the 1961 Frankfurt Motor Show alongside the

BMW 1500 Year 1500 ( MD) was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The year 1500 was not a leap year in the Proleptic Gregorian calendar. The year was seen as being especially important by many Christians in Europe, who thought it ...

. ''BMW - Bavaria's Driving Machines'', Norbye, p.136 While the 1500 represented a completely new direction for BMW, the 3200 CS was based on the chassis of a car introduced at the Frankfurt show ten years earlier. ''BMW - Bavaria's Driving Machines'', Norbye, p.89 The 3200 CS was built from January 1962 to September 1965. ''BMW - Bavaria's Driving Machines'', Norbye, p.132 Sources differ concerning numbers produced,Examples of differing sources: *603 according to ''BMW - Bavaria's Driving Machines'', Norbye, p.132 and Ultimatecarpage.com - BMW 3200 CS Cabriolet, W. Melissen, *596 according to Conceptcars.com - 1965 BMW 3200CS, *538 according to ''The Ultimate History of BMW'', Noakes, p.63 One 3200 CS convertible was built by BMW for their major shareholder,

Herbert Quandt Herbert Werner Quandt (22 June 1910 – 2 June 1982) was a German industrialist credited with having saved BMW when it was at the point of bankruptcy and made a huge profit in doing so. Quandt also oversaw the use at his family's factories ...

. ''The Ultimate History of BMW'', Noakes, p.64 "BMW 3200 CS Cabriolet", Melissen, ''Ultimatecarpage.com''

Legacy

The 3200 CS was the end of an era. It was the last of BMW's early postwar luxury cars. ''The Ultimate History of BMW'', Noakes, p.63 As such, it was the last BMW automobile to have pushrod-operated engine valves, a perimeter frame, or a solid rear axle. Stylistically, however, the 3200 CS gave a view of what was to come. The low beltline, tall greenhouse and thin pillars of the 3200 CS became a template for BMW's later coupes, including the 2000 C and CS coupes based on the

sedans, ''BMW - Bavaria's Driving Machines'', Norbye, p.141 and the E9 " New Six" coupes. "From Bavaria with Love: The BMW E9 Coupes", Severson Both BMW cars introduced at the 1961 Frankfurt show, the 3200 CS and the 1500, featured what became known as the

, "Nachtschicht im Schloss: A report on a concours d'elegance at Schloss Bensberg", Ostmann, Bernd; ''Auto, Motor und Sport'', Heft 25 2010 but sales started only in 1962 and it was the 3200 CS, sold from February 1962, which was the first BMW offered for sale incorporating this styling cue.

References

;Citations ;Sources * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bmw 3200 Cs Bertone vehicles 3200 CS Coupés Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Cars introduced in 1961