Why was that never put into production?!
Reminds me of an Alpha Romeo Montreal - I guess BMW we’re thinking they would be going after the same type of buyer (except a few years before the Alpha)
In response to dj_efk’s question, I think two factors led to the decision not to produce the V8 Frua.
First, prior to the mid-1960s, BMW struggled seeking to target an elite and very wealthy clientele. BMW produced several well engineered and beautiful V8 powered cars in the 1950s, but neither the V8 powered 502s sold in the mid-1950s, nor the 503/507s offered in the later 1950s sold well. Indeed, BMW was reported to have lost money on every 503/507 sold. Similarly, the gorgeous V8 powered BMW 3200 CS “Bertone,” which I view as the car that provided the design language BMW used to create our cars, did not sell well in the early 1960s and remained in production for only two years.
The other factor was the success of the Neu Klass models, which debuted with the Bertone at the Frankfurt Auto Show in 1961. Not only did these smaller and less luxurious cars sell well, they were profitable because their four cylinder engines were much less expensive to produce. These cars began the process whereby BMW carved out a place in the market as the seller of well engineered, sporty, practical cars.