Comtesse

[Bob Purton]

I didnt know that, do tell more.

[richard]

just returned from a few days away from this mayhem  for what its worth i regard it as rare by most standards.

arguing rare and unusual  particularly with microcars on this site one might be on sticky ground indeed . Messerschmitts and isettas certainly are NOT rare or unusual in the microcars world .  but often being discussed so lets live and let live eh 

[Big Al]

I didnt know that, do tell more.

One prototype project worked up at Dingolfing was a replacement Isar/Isard/Goggomobil 700. This featured a bodyshell that was virtually a Daffodil complete with rear fins. Glas decided not to proceed with it. I do not know quite how deep the link was but the the project at DAF produced a 700 flat twin car. Sounds familiar other than the adoption of variomatic drive.
The Japanese also copied the Daffodil.
Glas took the decision to link with BMW rather than attempt to be a stand alone car small car maker as the costs of R and D were spiraling. BMW were intersted in the expertise and production facility but not so much in small cars as they identified that the buying public were becoming more affluent and wanted what were mid range cars rather than economy cars. Members of the Glas family still sit on the board of BMW. So the dropping of a DAF/Goggo may have had something to do with this later decision. The amusing thing was that BMW struggled to get rid of the original Goggomobil 10 years after it was partly responsible for the failure of the BMW 600 over the end of the '50's as it  later become a niche market in Germany much as Reliant did in the UK. Several Glas cars were re-badged as BMW including the last of the Goggos and the best of the technology was included into the BMW car range from the link up to instant success. History suggest the move was correct for both companies as BMW are very much with us still as an independent manufacturer.