Glas
2192520
223546980
2008-07-04T15:35:50Z
193.196.64.2
/* Cars */
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'''Hans Glas [[GmbH]]''' is a former German automotive company, which was based in [[Dingolfing]].
==History==
[[Image:Glas 1700GT 1965 1.JPG|right|thumb|Glas 1700 GT Cabriolet, 1965]]
The [[mechanic]] Andreas Glas founded a repair company for agricultural machines at 1895 in [[Pilsting]]. He named the company ''Andreas Glas, Reparaturwerkstätte für landwirtschaftliche Maschinen mit Dampfbetrieb'' (in [[English language|English]]: Andreas Glas, repair-shop for steam-powered agricultural machines). During the summer periods about 16 people worked for him. In 1905 Andreas Glas' company built their first [[sowing machine]]s. He then had sufficient work to employ all his employees during the winters. The production of sowing machines rose from year to year:
:winter period 1905/06 - 10 sowing machines
:autumn 1906 - 20 pieces
:winter period 1906/07 - 40 machines
:1907 - 60 pieces
:winter period 1907/08 - 254 sowing machines.
Since 1905 Glas had a branch office in [[Dingolfing]]. He started to produce in Dingolfing in 1908 with 150 sowing machines per year. The production count rose each year.
After [[World War II]], the market for sowing machines was getting smaller and smaller. So the company had to decide what it would produce in the future. It decided to build little [[carrow]]s and later working machines for [[baker]]s next to the sowing machines.
==Products==
[[image:Glas-v8-2.jpg|right|thumb||A 1966 Glas 2600 with Glas logo, nicknamed ''Glaserati'']]
Glas were known for small cars like the [[Goggomobil]]. However in [[1964]] the company introduced the Glas 1300GT coupe and later the 1700GT. The body was designed by [[Pietro Frua]]. However competition, mostly from British cars, was tough and in [[1966]] released the 2600GT powered by a [[SOHC]] [[V8]] engine, with a volume just under 2.6 litres. However this didn't help and later the same year the company was sold to [[BMW]]. The Glas models were kept in production by BMW, but fitted with BMW engines. The Glas 1300 GT coupe was fitted with a 1.6 litre BMW engine and renamed BMW 1600 GT. BMW also fitted a 3 litre engine and named it 3000 GT. This model kept the Glas name, but had a BMW logo in the front and rear. In [[1968]] BMW created their own large coupe, the BMW 2500 CS, and this meant the end for Glas. 277 copies of 2600 GT was made and 389 of the 3000 GT.
===Scooters===
Andreas Glas made a trip to [[Verona, Italy]]. There he saw the [[Vespa]] [[Scooter (motorcycle)|scooter]] from Piaggio and asked himself whether his people could build a motorscooter. He was so enthused with this vehicle, that he also wanted to produce a motorscooter in his factory. Production started in July 1951
The scooter had 125 [[cubic centimetre|cc]] motor in the beginning. Then 150 cc and 200 cc in the end. Up until 1956 46,181 motor scooters were built. Then production of scooters stopped because of the [[Goggomobil]] cars. From 1953 on, load-carrying scooters were built as well. They had the 200 cc engine and 9.5 [[Horsepower#Brake horsepower (bhp)|bhp]]. They were able to carry 250 kg.
===Cars===
[[Image:1968bmwglas3000.jpg|right|thumb||A 1968 BMW Glas 3000GT. Notice the BMW logo in the front but that it otherwise doesn't look like a BMW.]]
GLAS built
*The Fatma-Kopftuch-Mobil (1953-1956), with a dynamo by 1955
*The Goggo Motorroller (1951 - 1956)
*The Goggomobil as sedan (1955 - 1969), coupé (1957 - 1969) and transporter (1957 - 1965)
*The Isar as T 600 and T 700 (1958 - 1965)
*The types S 1004 to S 1304 TS/CL (1962 - 1967)
*The GLAS 1300 GT and 1700 GT (1964 - 1967)
*The sedans 1700 and 1700 TS (1964 - 1967)
*The GLAS 2600 V8 ("Glaserati") (1966 - 1967)
At the end of 1966 Glas became a part of [[BMW]]. The 04-type, the GT and the 1700 sedan were given BMW badges in the last year of their production.
The GT was reengineered and so it was built with a BMW-engine and a -rearaxle and sold as BMW 1600 GT until 1968.
The V8 got a bigger engine constructed by Glas and was also sold until 1968 as BMW-GLAS 3000 V8.
The 1700 sedan was built and sold by a [[South Africa]]n importer with several changes as BMW 1800 SA until 1974.
===BMW and Glas===
In 1962 [[BMW]] released a new model: the [[BMW 1500]]. This car was very compact although it had four doors. This is only one reason why this car was so popular. A lot of customers decided to buy this car and the company could draw a lots of profit and became a very prosperous car manufacturer. Because of this success the production capacity in the plant in [[Munich]] was exhausted very soon and the management decided to buy the Glas GmbH in Dingolfing. Until this time the Glas GmbH produced here the Goggomobil and the new designed models Isar and V 8. In the late 60s BMW closed down Glas GmbH and built a complete new firm which should become a very important location. Nowadays Dingolfing is the largest factory of BMW worldwide: 22,000 workers produce 1,300 5-, 6- and 7-series cars as well as car bodies for [[Rolls-Royce Limited|Rolls-Royce]].
{{commonscat|Glas vehicles}}
== External links ==
*[http://www.goggo-glasfahrer-dgf.de/ Club of Goggomobil and drivers of Glas cars Dingolfing/Bavaria]
[[Category:Motorcycle manufacturers of Germany]]
[[Category:Motor vehicle manufacturers of Germany]]
[[Category:Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of Germany]]
[[Category:BMW]]
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