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Villa Erba welcomes one-off BMW-Glas V8 by Frua

What ingredients are required to create a special or collectable classic? Rarity is one, provenance is another and good aesthetics help, too. The BMW-Glas due to cross the block at the RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba sale this weekend might just have what it takes…

Coachwork by Frua

Pietro Frua was one of Italy’s and therefore the world’s leading Italian coachbuilders of the 1950s and 1960s, penning highly regarded masterpieces such as the Maserati A6G series and AC 428 Coupé and Convertible.

We'd give a kidney for one of those...

In the early 1960s, Frua cemented his connection with Maserati, designing the Quattroporte, later followed by the Mistral. Many design cues from Maserati’s Mistral, a two-seat grand tourer, can be found in Frua’s handsome BMW-Glas 3000 V8 due to be auctioned at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on 23 May, as part of the RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba sale.

Produced soon after BMW acquired Glas in 1966 – then one of Germany’s smallest carmakers  this 1967 example is the only 3000 V8 in existence fitted with custom Italian coachwork by Frua, representing a truly unique and highly stylish opportunity.

Photos: RM Sotheby's

View all lots of the RM Sotheby's Villa Erba sale, taking place on 23 May as part of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, in the Classic Driver Market.