Ultra-Rare BMW-Glas V8 Is A Forgotten Piece Of History

BMW has been around for over a century, and in that time has produced some of the world’s most beloved classic cars, such as the E30 M3 and legendary mid-engined M1. Its modern-day offerings such as the BMW M5 CS keep blowing minds, and the company is also forging ahead with a range of electric vehicles, but there are some models that slip through the cracks and are often completely forgotten: enter the 1968 BMW-Glas 3000 V8, a distant forefather to the BMW 6 Series and modern-day 8 Series. This car is currently listed on Bring a Trailer and has people asking whether or not it actually is a real BMW. These ultra-rare Bimmers were built between 1967 and 1968, and only 389 of them were ever built, but without kidney grilles, most would never know.

These stunning two-door coupes came to life after BMW’s acquisition of Hans Glas GmbH in the mid-sixties, and this example is said to have spent most of its time in a German museum, after which it was imported to the US by its previous owner. The BMW-Glas V8 made its debut at the 1965 Frankfurt Motor Show and sported a slinky design by Italian designer Pietro Frua. This example features a red paint job and two-tone corduroy seats. The exterior boasts fender-mounted mirrors and rear fog lamps, along with a dual-exit exhaust system and 14-inch wheels with chrome hubcaps and 185-width Michelin XVS tires. Behind the wheels sit four-wheel disk brakes and a de Dion tube axle at the rear. Under the hood, you’ll find a 3.0-liter V8 with a triple-barrel downdraft carburetor and Glas-branded valve covers mated to a four-speed manual transmission.