The BMW 3200 CS was a sports touring car manufactured by BMW between January 1962 and September 1965. It was designed by Bertone and was introduced at the 1961 Frankfurt Motor Show. More than five hundred were built.
The 3200 CS was the final variation on BMW's early postwar luxury platform that began with the 501 introduced in 1951. The styling of the 3200 CS influenced the 2000 CS coupe version of the New Class and the later New Six coupes.
It was the first BMW to feature the Hofmeister kink (which would become one of the company's trademark design elements).
Concept and design
In 1960, Helmut Werner Bonsch, BMW's marketing manager, discovered that the Pininfarina body for the Lancia Flaminia coupe would fit on the chassis of the BMW 3200L sedan without major modification. He proposed to BMW's management to commission Pininfarina to build Flaminia coupe bodies with BMW grilles in order to create a successor to the 503, which had been discontinued in 1959.BMW - Bavaria's Driving Machines, Norbye, p.131
After deliberation, the management rejected Bonsch's proposal and instead ordered chief engineer Fritz Fiedler to commission Bertone to design and manufacture a coupe body for the 3200S. This used a perimeter frame,BMW - Bavaria's Driving Machines, Norbye, p.87 a , twin-carburetor version of the BMW OHV V8 engine, delivering ,BMW - Bavaria's Driving Machines, Norbye, p.93The Ultimate History of BMW, Noakes, p.65 a four speed manual gear box, a live rear axle,BMW - Bavaria's Driving Machines, Norbye, p.88 disc brakes on the front wheels, and torsion bar springs at all four wheels.
Reception The 3200 CS was introduced at the 1961 Frankfurt Motor Show alongside the BMW 1500.BMW - Bavaria's Driving Machines, Norbye, p.136 While the 1500 represented a completely new direction for BMW, the 3200 CS was based on the chassis of a car introduced at the Frankfurt show ten years earlier.BMW - Bavaria's Driving Machines, Norbye, p.89
The 3200 CS was built from January 1962 to September 1965.BMW - Bavaria's Driving Machines, Norbye, p.132 Sources differ concerning numbers produced.Examples of differing sources: 603 according to BMW - Bavaria's Driving Machines, Norbye, p.132 and Ultimatecarpage.com - BMW 3200 CS Cabriolet, W. Melissen, 596 according to Conceptcars.com - 1965 BMW 3200CS, 538 according to The Ultimate History of BMW, Noakes, p.63
One 3200 CS convertible was built by BMW for their major shareholder, Herbert Quandt.The Ultimate History of BMW, Noakes, p.64"BMW 3200 CS Cabriolet", Melissen, Ultimatecarpage.com
Legacy
The 3200 CS was the end of an era. It was the last of BMW's early postwar luxury cars.The Ultimate History of BMW, Noakes, p.63 As such, it was the last BMW automobile to have pushrod-operated engine valves, a perimeter frame, or a solid rear axle.
Stylistically, however, the 3200 CS gave a view of what was to come. The low beltline, tall greenhouse and thin pillars of the 3200 CS became a template for BMW's later coupes, including the 2000 C and CS coupes based on the New Class sedans,BMW - Bavaria's Driving Machines, Norbye, p.141 and the E9 "New Six" coupes."From Bavaria with Love: The BMW E9 Coupes", Severson Both BMW cars introduced at the 1961 Frankfurt show, the 3200 CS and the 1500, featured what became known as the Hofmeister kink,"Nachtschicht im Schloss: A report on a concours d'elegance at Schloss Bensberg", Ostmann, Bernd; Auto, Motor und Sport, Heft 25 2010 but sales started only in 1962 and it was the 3200 CS, sold from February 1962, which was the first BMW offered for sale incorporating this styling cue.
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