German v8: 1962 BMW 3200 CS by Bertone

The current market for classic BMWs significantly rewards the E9 series, which often fetches six-figure prices: it’s undoubtedly a very beautiful car, but it had a mother.

The mother, built by Bertone and designed by none other than Giorgetto Giugiaro, is even better equipped under the hood, at least on paper: it’s powered by the noble-origin V8 BMW engine, also used in the legendary (and very expensive) 507. The aluminum-alloy 8-cylinder 90° V engine with a displacement of 3168 cc, featuring overhead valves and a central camshaft, produced a maximum power of 160 HP.

Of course, given its exceptional build quality, the price was very high, and for this reason, just over 600 units were produced, of which the majority have disappeared. The seller mentions that currently around 50 are registered as roadworthy, but we are unable to confirm or refute this data. One thing is certain: it’s a prestigious and rare car, absolutely a bargain at this price. Find it for sale at €53,000 (today $62,500) here in Feldkirchen, Austria.

One thought on “German v8: 1962 BMW 3200 CS by Bertone”

While living in central Germany in the mid 1970s, I met a German man who had collected several of these V8 coupes, and I fell in love with them. Sadly I didn’t have the money to buy a good one. He told me these cars [like many Bertone bodies] were not well protected against the dreaded tin worm, and the bodies rusted very fast. I can remember looking at one of his coupe parts cars and the entire bottom of the floor pan and welded chassis sheet metal was basically gone. Most of the welded body seams had rusted from the back side, even the hood and trunk lids had rusted badly in the corners.

He said the welding repairs, for what were basically used cars at that time, typically exceeded the car’s value, especially if it had already failed the TUV inspection. I suspect the rust problem is a major reason why so few examples exist today.

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Bill McCoskey

August 25, 2023 at 11:58 pm

While living in central Germany in the mid 1970s, I met a German man who had collected several of these V8 coupes, and I fell in love with them. Sadly I didn’t have the money to buy a good one. He told me these cars [like many Bertone bodies] were not well protected against the dreaded tin worm, and the bodies rusted very fast. I can remember looking at one of his coupe parts cars and the entire bottom of the floor pan and welded chassis sheet metal was basically gone. Most of the welded body seams had rusted from the back side, even the hood and trunk lids had rusted badly in the corners.

He said the welding repairs, for what were basically used cars at that time, typically exceeded the car’s value, especially if it had already failed the TUV inspection. I suspect the rust problem is a major reason why so few examples exist today.

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