BMW 1600 GT Convertible
BMW 1600 GT convertible two-door, four-seater is only one of originally two prototypes that BMW commissioned from the Italian bodywork designer Pietro Frua. In autumn of 1967, both automobiles left the production buildings in Dingolfing for the first time. The test drives for one of the vehicles came to an end with an accident and the vehicle was then scrapped. The second car was granted a special honour. The BMW 1600 GT convertible was handed over to the major shareholder in BMW AG at the time, Herbert Quandt. It remained in the hands of the family for many years and was then passed on to other private owners. Only a single example of the Italian-Bavarian convertible was ever licensed for driving on public roads.
When the two-door car came into existence, the company had just taken over the Dingolfing vehicle manufacturer Glas in that same year. Since 1955, the company had successfully produced the Goggomobile. In 1964, Glas launched the sporty, elegant Glas 1300 GT styled by Frua in the marketplace and one year later the more powerful Glas 1700 GT. Glas was looking for a strong partner and the automaker initially agreed a joint-distribution operation with BMW but this ultimately led to a complete takeover by the Munich company. The compact sports car was then fitted with the rear axle, the seats and the 77 kW/105 hp engine from the BMW 1600 TI, a BMW kidney grille for the front end of the automobile and the round headlights from the BMW 02 Series.
The idea of placing the sporty coupé alongside a convertible came from the USA. A proposal was made by the importer Max Hoffmann to develop a new version of the coupé with a 2.0 litre engine and an open-top version. In October 1967, Frua delivered a convertible body mounted on a strengthened floor assembly. This was then painted in Dingolfing where all further assembly work took place. On 16 November, the BMW 1600 GT convertible was entered in the plant’s production book as being completed. However, the plans for series production and export to the USA never came to fruition.
BMW 1600 GT Coupe
After BMW took over the Hans Glas GmbH Isaria Maschinenfabrik in Dingolfing, the attractive Glas 1300 or 1700 Coupé was modified to form the BMW 1600 GT. Frua in Turin was responsible for the bodywork design and its production.
General Data
Model Year……………………………1967 – 1968
No. of Units…………………………..1,259
Price……………………………………DM 15,850
Technical Data
- Engine
Motortype……………………..4-cylinder in-line engine
Bore x Stroke (mm)…………..84 x 71
Capacity……………………….1573 ccm
Performance……………………77 kW/105 bhp at 6000 rpm
Top speed……………………..185 km / h (115 mph)
Compression……………………1 : 9.5
Valves………………………….V-shaped, overhead, hemispherical combustion chambers, ohc.
Carburetion system…………..2 Solex 40 PHH dual-barrel horizontal carburettors.
- Powermode
Clutch………………………….Single-plate dry clutch
Transmission…………………..Four-speed, central gearshift
Gearbox ratios…………………Four-speed: 3.835, 2.053, 1.345, 1.00; five-speed: 3.368, 2.160, 1.579, 1.241, 1.00
Reverse gear………………….4.18
Drive transmission…………….3.64
- Electric system
Generator………………………490 W
Battery…………………………12 V 44 Ah
Spark plugs…………………….Bosch W 200 T 30
- Suspension
Body/chassis…………………..Unitized all-steel body.
Front-wheel suspension………Double wishbone, coil springs, transverse anti-roll bar.
Rear-wheel suspension……….Semi-trailing links, coil springs.
Wheel rims……………………..4 1/2J x 14
Tyres…………………………..155 HR 14
Front brakes…………………..Disc brakes
Front brake diameter (mm)….268
Rear brakes…………………….Drum brakes
Rear brake diameter (mm)……230
- Measures and weight
Length/Width/Height (mm)….4050 x 1550 x 1280
Wheel base (mm)……………..2320
Front track (mm)……………..1260
Rear track (mm)………………1260
Empty weight (kg)…………….970
Permissible total weight (kg)..1330
Fuel consumption (l/100 km)..approx. 12.5
