1964 BMW 3200CS

Sold for $30,800 at 2013 RM Auctions - St John's.
For 1964, the BMW 3200CS Coupe was powered by an overhead valve V-8 engine displacing 3168cc and offering 160 horsepower. There were disc brakes in the front and drums in the rear. The styling was crisp with wide windows and a spacious interior. During its four-year lifespan, many of the styling cues found on the 3200CS would appear on later BMW coupes.

This example is finished in German silver. It has bucket seats upholstered in the correct combination of vinyl and fabric. The original engine was removed some time ago, and was replaced with an earlier 2.6-liter V8 from a BMW 50 of the mid-1950s. A correct BMW four-speed transmission was fitted to match, and it was converted to the 3200CS's standard floor-mounted shift lever. The car has a modified eight-inch Ford rear axle along with the original Bertone drums and wheels.

By Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2013

Sold for $48,400 at 2014 Gooding & Company - Amelia Island Sale.
BMW's 3200 CS models were the successor to the 503 and 507 of the late 1950s. They combined the chassis and mechanicals of the outgoing 503 with steel bodies style and built by Italy's Bertone, who's chief stylist was Giorgetto Giugiaro. Several of the design elements would later find its way onto other BMW models, such as the thing-section roof and notched C-pillars of the 3200CS gracing the 2000 CS coupe that replaced the 3200 CS for 1964. The 125 mph top speed was achieved with the help of the uprated 3.2-liter V8 engine. BMW was the first model to be introduced with front-disc rakes as standard equipment.

The 3200CS was introduced at the 1961 Frankfurt Motor Show and was available by February 1962 and continued through 1964. Just 603 examples were built, including one cabriolet as a gift for BMW majority shareholder Herbert Quandt. It is believed that just 50 examples have survived today.

This particular 3200 CS was sold new by BMW AG, Munchen to a German industrialist, and it remained in Germany until the 1970s before being sold to the United States. In 1986, it was listed for sale by Barry Schiff of Maryland. A Colorado-based collector became the cars next owner. The new owner was able to secure factory-original parts and soon embarked upon a restoration in the late 1980s.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2014

By the close of the 1950s Bavarian Motor Works (BMW) found itself in financial distress. With the help of some creative and brilliant creations, BMW would weather these difficult times. One of their attempts to boost sales and their image the talents of Turin, Italy-based Giuseppe 'Nuccio' Bertone was requested. Bertone was tasked with restyling the BMW 502 Salon which resulted in the 3200CS. With the aid of his chief stylist, Giorgetto Giugiaro, Bertone create a beautifully proportioned two-door, four-seater, high-performance vehicle on the 502 chassis. Prototypes were shown at the 1961 IAA Frankfurt Show and construction started in February of 1962.

Under the bonnet was a very powerful 3.2-liter V8 engine that displaced 3169cc, had an aluminum block, twin Zenith double-barrel carburetors, and an available 160 horsepower. The interior was elegant, comfortable, and luxurious. Production would last until 1965 with a total of 596 units created.

By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2007

Debuting at the 1961 Frankfurt Motor Show alongside the BMW 1500, one of the most prestigious coupes of all time, the 3200 CS was produced from January 1962 until September 1965. The sporty touring 3200 CS would be the last of the big V8 engine BMWs . The 3200 CS was incredibly innovative for its time and featured numerous design elements that would be used in future BMW models including the renowned Hofmeister kink. The Bertone designed 3200 CS, the last of BMW's early postwar luxury cars, featured beautiful classic Italian lines that hinted at future coupe designs to come.

BMW's marketing manager Helmut Werner Bonsch made the discovery that the Pininfarina body for the Lancia Flaminia coupe would easily fit on the BMW 3200L sedan chassis without any extra work. He next went to BMW's management to commission Pininfarina to construct Flaminia coupe bodies with BMW grilles. This design would be the replacement for the 503, which had been discontinued in 1959. Unfortunately for Bonsch, BMW management chose instead to instruct chief engineer Fritz Fiedler to commission Giuseppe 'Nuccio' Bertone to both design and manufacture a coupe body for the 3200S. He restyled the BMW 502 Salon with the assistance of his chief stylist, Giogetto Giugiaro, resulting in the two-door, four-seater, high-performance 3200 CS on the 502 chassis.

The 3200 CS used a perimeter frame, a four-speed manual gearbox, a 3,168 cc, twin-carburetor version of the BMW OHV V8 engine, a live rear axle, disc brakes on the front wheels and torsion bar springs at all four wheels. It was the last BMW that would have pushrod-operated engine valves, a solid rear axle and a perimeter frame. The 3200 CS had an available 160 horsepower.

596 examples of the landmark BMW designed 3200 CS were built during its production run. The elegant model offered high performance, high style, and exceptional comfort all wrapped up in a classically styled package. The 3200 CS featured a roomy interior with wide windows. A 1964 3200 CS Coupe recently sold for $30,800 at RM Auctions.

Sources:
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/bmw-history-3200-cs-bertone-video-1-50754.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_3200_CS

By Jessica Donaldson