Beating out Pininfarina, BMW selected Bertone of Turin, Italy, to design the body of the 3200CS in the 1960's.

BMW put the Bertone body on the frame of the Baroque Angel  sedan, model 3200S. The result was one of  the most beautiful coupes BMW ever made, with its soft, flowing lines and distinctive C-pillar. While the BMW 3200CS was more successful than the BMW 503, the 3200CS was not popular inside BMW walls, and it was discontinued in 1965 after only 603 cars had been built. One car was a cabriolet, made especially for BMW's chairman, Herbert Quandt.

The Bertone look formed the basis of 60's and 70's BMW coupe design until the 6 Series arrived in 1976.