Glas 1304: the last version of the 04 range

The Glas 1304 was the last and most powerful version of the small two-door range that Hans Glas built at Dingolfing. It arrived in September 1965 with the 1,290 cc engine from the Glas GT, and in 1304 TS form it reached 168 km/h. The family is remembered as the first production car in the world to use a toothed rubber belt to drive its camshaft.

Glas 1304 at a glance

The English and German Wikipedia articles cover the whole 1004/1204/1304 range; this page concentrates on the 1304.

History of the Glas 1304

A small car with a rubber belt

In 1960 Glas’s research workshop produced an engine with an unconventional camshaft drive. Leonhard Ischinger, who had joined Glas from BMW, designed a four-cylinder overhead-camshaft unit whose camshaft was turned by a toothed rubber belt — a novelty at the time. The 992 cc engine produced 42 PS. In 1961 Glas added a modern coupé body on the chassis of the Glas Isar, lengthened by 10 cm for the purpose, and showed the result as the Glas S 1004 at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1961. Volume production began in May 1962 and the first cars were delivered in August; press comment praised the car as the world’s first production car with a belt-driven camshaft, though it criticised the drum brakes, the heavy clutch and the pitching caused by the short 2,100 mm wheelbase.

1204 and the TS versions

The coupé was a 2+2, and buyers in this class wanted four proper seats. In January 1963 Glas added a two-door saloon and a cabriolet, and to cope with the extra weight the engine stroke grew from 61 to 73 mm, giving 1,189 cc and 53 PS in the new Glas 1204. In November 1963 twin-carburettor versions appeared: the 1004 TS with 63 PS and the 1204 TS with 70 PS at 5,750 rpm. The 1204 TS was quoted at 160 km/h and 11.9 seconds to 100 km/h, with front disc brakes now standard; it cost 6,980 DM in May 1964. In 1964 a 1204 TS driven by Gerhard Bodmer finished eighth overall and won its class in the 500 km race at the Nürburgring, and the Bodmer/Schmidt crew took a class win in the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.

The 1304 and the CL estate

In March 1965 the 1,290 cc engine from the Glas GT, with 75 PS, went into the saloon; in September its output rose to 85 PS and the 1304 TS became the range’s top model with a 168 km/h top speed. A single-carburettor 1304 with 60 PS appeared at the same time, offered as a saloon and, as the S 1304, as a coupé and cabriolet. In August 1966 Glas added two fastback estate cars, the 1004 CL and 1304 CL, with a top-hinged tailgate; this body style was the first of its kind from a German manufacturer, though the short wheelbase left little room in the back. While the other versions were discontinued by December 1967, the CL models were built until April 1968.

Design and features

• Toothed-belt camshaft: the first series-production car in the world to use a rubber timing belt.
• Monocoque body: steel shell with box-section reinforcement under the floor from the start.
• Front disc brakes: optional from August 1963 for 195 DM, standard on the TS versions.
• Unusual gear change: inherited from the Isar, with first and third nearest the driver.
• CL fastback: a German first, with a top-hinged tailgate on an estate body.

Glas 1304 versions

• 1004 (1962–1968): 992 cc, 42 PS, coupé, cabriolet and from 1965 saloon.
• 1204 (1963–1967): 1,189 cc, 53 PS, full four-seater saloon and two-door variants.
• 1004 TS / 1204 TS (1963–1967): twin carburettors, 63 and 70 PS.
• 1304 (1965–1967): single carburettor, 60 PS.
• 1304 TS (1965–1967): 85 PS and 168 km/h.
• 1004 CL / 1304 CL (1966–1968): fastback estates with 29 kW or 44 kW.

The 1304 range grew out of the Glas Isar chassis, and its 1,290 cc engine also powered the Glas GT. More cars from Dingolfing are in the Glas collection.

Video: Glas 1304 TS Speed

Video on YouTube.

Sources

• Glas 1004, English Wikipedia: origins, 1204, TS versions, 1304
• Glas 1004, German Wikipedia: technical details, prices, CL estate