| BMW 3200 CS | |
|---|---|
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| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | BMW |
| Production | January 1962 – September 1965 603 built[1] |
| Designer | Giorgetto Giugiaro atBertone |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Grand tourer |
| Body style | 2-door coupé |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Related | BMW 502 |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | BMW OHV V8 |
| Transmission | 4 speedmanual |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,840 mm (111.8 in) |
| Length | 4,850 mm (190.9 in) |
| Width | 1,760 mm (69.3 in) |
| Height | 1,470 mm (57.9 in) |
| Curb weight | 1,500 kg (3,306.9 lb) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | BMW 503 |
| Successor | BMW New Class coupé |
TheBMW 3200 CS was a sports touring car manufactured byBMW between January 1962 and September 1965. It was designed byBertone and was introduced at the1961 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 the501 introduced in 1951. The styling of the 3200 CS influenced the 2000 CS coupe version of theNew Class and the laterNew Six coupes.
It was the first BMW to feature theHofmeister kink (which would become one of the company's trademark design elements).
In 1960, Helmut Werner Bonsch, BMW's marketing manager, discovered that the Pininfarina body for theLancia Flaminia 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 the503, which had been discontinued in 1959.[2]
After deliberation, the management rejected Bonsch's proposal and instead ordered chief engineerFritz Fiedler to commission Bertone to design and manufacture a coupe body for the 3200S.[2] This used aperimeter frame,[3] a 3,168 cc (193.3 cu in), twin-carburetor version of theBMW OHV V8 engine, delivering 160 horsepower (120 kW),[2][4][5] a four speed manual gear box,[2][5] a live rear axle,[5][6] disc brakes on the front wheels,[4][5] and torsion bar springs at all four wheels.[3][5][6]
The 3200 CS was introduced at the1961 Frankfurt Motor Show[2] alongside theBMW 1500.[7] While the 1500 represented a completely new direction for BMW,[7] the 3200 CS was based on the chassis of a car introduced at the Frankfurt show ten years earlier.[2][8]
The 3200 CS was built from January 1962 to September 1965.[9] Sources differ concerning numbers produced.[10]
One 3200 CS convertible was built by BMW for their major shareholder,Herbert Quandt.[11][12]
The 3200 CS was the end of an era. It was the last of BMW's early postwar luxury cars.[2][13] As such, it was the last BMW automobile to have pushrod-operated engine valves, a perimeter frame, or a solid rear axle.[citation needed]
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,[2][13] including the 2000 C and CS coupes based on theNew Class sedans,[14] and theE9 "New Six" coupes.[15] Both BMW cars introduced at the 1961 Frankfurt show, the 3200 CS and the 1500, featured what became known as theHofmeister kink,[1] 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.[citation needed]
