BMW 1600 GT (1967-68)

Glas is a pretty obscure name, even among car folks, but the company was actually pretty important. They started out making farm machinery of all things and may be best remembered for the comical and hilariously named Goggomobil microcar, but they actually patented the technique of using a belt to drive a camshaft. BMW bought Glas in 1966 to get their hands on some of that technology, and BMW GT cars of the mid to late-1960s are actually just rebadged Glas designs. (infrequentautomobile.com)

The BMW 1600 GT started life as the Glas 1300 GT (see photos below), a sports car built by Hans Glas GmbH, a Dingolfing-based carmaker. BMW acquired Glas in 1966 and inherited its line of cars, including the GT, which was designed by Italian company Frua.

BMW replaced the original 75PS 1.3 L engine with its 1.6 L unit from the 1600 series producing 105 PS and thus made it faster. It also added a new transmission and a more modern rear axle. Design-wise, BMW added round taillights, as well as the kidney grille and roundel logo to integrate it into the family. However, the truth is the 1600 GT looked very different than BMW’s lineup at the time.

Only 1,255 1600 GT coupes were built, which makes the car a rare classic. (carscoops.com)

BMW 1600 GT Cabriolet

Glas 1300 GT (1964-67)

Above (L) Glas 1300 GT                             (R) BMW 1600 GT

Above (L) BMW 1600 GT                             (R) Glas 1300 GT

Glas 1300 GT Cabriolet

(Photos from lrm-collection.fr, ultimatecarpage.com, flickr.com,

oldiesfan67.canalblog.com, conceptcarz.com, atxcarpics.com, mpower.by

it.wikipedia.org, storm.oldcarmanualproject.com, theautoblonde.com & infrequentautomobile.com)