BMW Apprentices Restored the Only Remaining 1600 GT Convertible

In the 1960s, BMW acquired Hans Glas GmbH, makers of the popular Glas GT sports coupe. BMW then reworked the Glas GT to accommodate their engine, suspension, and a grill more befitting of the BMW name before releasing over a thousand as the 1600 GT. BMW decided a convertible version was in order, so they commissioned two prototypes from Italian bodywork designer Pietro Frua. One prototype was crashed during a test drive. The other is the vehicle you see here, the recently restored and only remaining example of the BMW 1600 GT Convertible. As if that story wasn’t already interesting enough, it gets better. The years long restoration project was conducted at the BMW plant in Dingolfing–another part of the BMW acquisition of Glas back in the day–by a team of apprentices and their instructors. We don’t know if we would have made the same decision if we were the ones responsible for this piece of automotive history, but the team did a damn fine job because the car is pristine. And after more than five decades of private ownership, it will finally see the light of day again as it is not part of the permanent collection of BMW Group Classic.