Glas V8 History

Glas unveiled the V8 coupé at Frankfurt in September 1965 to immediate sensation. Pietro Frua's four-seat fastback body bore a striking resemblance to his concurrent Maserati Quattroporte design, earning the car its affectionate nickname 'Glaserati'. The engine was an unusual 2,580 cc SOHC V8 created by mating two Glas four-cylinder blocks on a common crankcase, producing 150 PS and capable of 198 km/h.

The Glas 2600 V8 entered production in August 1966, but the company's finances had already deteriorated to a crisis point. BMW completed its acquisition of Hans Glas GmbH in September 1966, motivated primarily by the desire to expand production capacity at Dingolfing and to secure Glas's timing-belt patents. Production of the 2600 V8 ended in August 1967 after 277 examples.

BMW continued the model in revised form as the BMW-Glas 3000 V8, fitting the enlarged 3.0-litre engine that Glas engineers had already developed; this version produced 175 PS. The 3000 V8 sold from September 1967 until May 1968, with 389 cars completed. The Dingolfing factory subsequently became BMW's largest production plant. Combined output of 666 V8 coupés across both variants makes the Glaserati one of the rarest and most collectible German cars of the 1960s.