BMW 3200 CS

The 3200 CS was introduced at the 1961 Frankfurt Motor Show^[2] alongside the BMW 1500.^[7] While the 1500 represented a completely new direction for BMW,^[7] the 3200 CS was based on the chassis of a car introduced at the Frankfurt show ten years earlier.^[2][8]

The 3200 CS was built from January 1962 to September 1965.^[9] Sources differ concerning numbers produced.^[10]

One 3200 CS convertible was built by BMW for their major shareholder, Herbert Quandt.^[11][12]

The 3200 CS was the end of an era. It was the last of BMW's early postwar luxury cars.^[2][13] As such, it was the last BMW automobile to have pushrod-operated engine valves, a perimeter frame, or a solid rear axle.^{[citation needed]}

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,^[2][13] including the 2000 C and CS coupes based on the New Class sedans,^[14] and the E9 "New Six" coupes.^[15] Both BMW cars introduced at the 1961 Frankfurt show, the 3200 CS and the 1500, featured what became known as the Hofmeister kink,^[1] 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.^{[citation needed]}

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