Glas 1004 / 1204 / 1304 History

Glas's engineers developed a four-cylinder OHC engine driven by a toothed rubber timing belt — a concept that would become universal in the industry — and first fitted it to the 1004 coupé, which debuted at Frankfurt in September 1961 with volume production beginning in May 1962. The original 992 cc unit produced 40 hp; a sedan and cabriolet followed in January 1963 alongside the 1,189 cc 1204 variant (53 hp). The 1,290 cc 1304 arrived in September 1965, sharing its engine with the GT coupé and producing up to 85 PS in the high-output TS tune with dual carburettors.

A Kombilimousine estate joined the range in September 1966, just as BMW completed its acquisition of Glas. The 04-series was sold alongside BMW-badged successors into 1968, and new cars were listed for sale through much of that year. The timing-belt patent proved highly valuable — BMW acquired Glas partly for access to this and other patents — and the rubber cam-belt subsequently became the default camshaft drive in millions of cars worldwide.