BMW 2000 GL

The BMW 2000 GL and 2000 SA, with the weaker engined 1800 GL and 1800 SA, were middle class saloons built from 1968 to 1973 by Praetor Monteerders, the South African BMW importer. After the Glas 1700 was dropped, the body tooling went to the importer, who wanted its own production but would have been overstretched by the New Class cars that Munich built on partly automated welding lines, so the simpler Glas body was a better fit. The new models were shown in April 1968 with the engines of the German BMW 1800 and 2000, inline fours of 1,760 cubic centimetres with 66 kilowatts and of 1,990 cubic centimetres with 74 kilowatts, and a four speed gearbox with a central lever. The four door saloon matched the Frua designed Glas 1700 apart from the boot lid, with BMW badges. Frua redesigned the front in 1971 and from 1973 the cars sold as the 1804 and 2004. In Rhodesia they were sold as the Cheetah, and Praetor later became BMW South Africa.