The 3200 CS was the last BMW with a separate chassis suitable for coachbuilding like this pillarless Coupe by Bertone. It was Giorgietto Giugiaro who did most of the styling when employed by Bertone.
BMW 3200 CS was the first BMW car with Hofmeisters's kink (>see Wilhelm Hofmeister); the car's design also incorporated some other characteristics of the BMW ethos, repeated later in other cars as small, almost symbolic, central grille kidneys, a BMW emblem on C-pillar, unusually simple for its time treatment of the car's body void of any horizontal chrome lines.
Based on the underpinnings of the 502 sedan model, the 3200 CS was designed as a transition model and made use of the same 3168 cc V8 engine. The 3200 CS was first launched at the 1961 Frankfurt Motorshow. Production started in the following year and lasted until 1965, with 583 (some sources say 603) examples produced. Bertone built one 3200 CS Convertible as a gift for BMW principal Herbert Quandt.
Source: www.coachbuild.com; www.bmwism.com
Images: Bertone
