BMW

Unveiled at the 1961 Frankfurt Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung, the BMW 3200 CS marked both an ending and a beginning for the brand. It was the final evolution of BMW’s early postwar luxury platform, a lineage that had started a decade earlier with the 501. Styled by Bertone, the elegant coupé introduced design themes that would shape BMW’s future, most notably the Hofmeister kink, which appeared here for the first time on a production BMW. Production of the 3200 CS ran from January 1962 to September 1965, with total output limited to around 600 cars. Technically, it remained rooted in tradition: it was BMW’s last model to use a pushrod V8, a perimeter frame, and a solid rear axle. In that sense, the 3200 CS closed the chapter on BMW’s early postwar luxury cars. Stylistically, it looked decisively forward. Its low beltline, slim pillars, and airy greenhouse set the template for later BMW coupés, including the 2000 C and CS based on the New Class sedans, and the E9 “New Six” models.