1981 Hyper Rare Euro Bmw 323i Baur Targa E21 320i on 2040-cars
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States
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** NOTE - Click on the picture to see a gallery of 24 images ** This may really be the nicest E21 in the country. I’ve owned a dozen E21s over the years, and this car is the nicest I've ever seen. If you’re here, you probably know what you’re looking at, but this is a very rare car for three reasons: First, it is a Baur TC (Top Cabriolet). These cars were pulled form the BMW assembly line in Munich and taken to Stuttgart where coach builder Baur fitted them with a cabriolet top. The cars were then returned to BMW dealers in Europe and sold like any new BMW (but much more expensive). The top comes off in two sections: The roof panel pops out and slides into a dedicated storage rack in the trunk. Everything aft of the center section folds back like a convertible top. In Europe, Baurs were expensive, rare, and highly sought after. Here in the US where they were never sold, they're that much rarer. Secondly, this car is an E21 323i. In the US, E21s were only fitted with a relatively anemic 1.8L 4 cylinder engine. This car has the factory M20 inline, fuel injected 2.3L 6 cylinder. It is night/day in performance vs. any US spec E21 you’ve ever driven. Third, this car has incredibly low original mileage. 51k miles in 33 years. It’s been babied its whole life. Do you know how you see E21s all of the time that lived a tough life - lots of aftermarket parts, etc., a history of cobbled repairs, a stint as an urban aspirational vehicle? This isn’t one of them. Pros for this car: - Again, it’s a Baur Top Cabriolet. (Do some research on how desirable these cars are) - The top itself is really nice (I’ve owned a few Baurs, and this is the best). The fabric covering the fiberglass top panel is in excellent condition, and so is the rear part of the top. The rear plastic window is clean and nice. - The engine runs smooth, perfect, and it’s the 323 Fuel Injected engine - the largest one ever built for the E21, and never sold in the US. (The good news is that this engine was sold in the 5 and 7 series cars, so parts for the M20 motor are readily available). Given the wonders of the Internet, even the Baur-specific parts are easily ordered from European specialists (the only thing I've ever had to do was to replace one of the latches). - I’ve installed newly recovered Recaro seats (with factory adapters) built by aardvarc with german vinyl. This was over a $1500 custom job. - BBS wheels all around. They have the BMW logo inserts, but I have the BBS logo inserts also. - Factory 5 speed - NEW tires - New high end Kenwood Radio (built in color lcd). Unlike most of those cars, no one cut anything structural to put in big speakers. Speakers are tastefully put into the floor panels forward of the front doors and in the rear seat sides. External amplifier, MP3 capability. iPod jack in glove compartment. The head is just a year or so old. I replaced the former aftermarket head with the latest and greatest. - Momo steering wheel and shifter. - Mats/carpets are excellent. - Headers (see the one header pictured that says ‘Brandy’ on it from a previous owner. I’ve subsequently always called the car ‘Brandy’) - Full toolkit - Paint is good. Someone spent a fortune doing a high quality paint job a few years ago, and it shows. It’s a beautiful color - NO SIGNIFICANT RUST. Yes, there are couple of VERY SMALL cosmetic pieces, and they’ll be talked about in a second (and are highlighted in the last two pictures), but nothing that should worry you and better than 99.999% of E21s out there. - Comes with Baur factory tonneau cover which covers the top when folded down. I had one of the leather straps and snaps repaired. It’s in perfect shape. - Factory NON-AC car. This is a positive. If you know much about E21s, the cars with AC used a dealer installed nightmare of an AC unit which barely worked when new and never works now. Essentially, the AC unit just makes the center console clunkier, harder to keep together and is almost always disconnected. - Everything works This car could hold its own in a car show today. Due to its rarity, beauty, and speed, you’ll get it featured instantly at any BMW or European car show. To make it concours-ready, here’s what you’d need to do: - There is a small spot of rust (pictured) just below the taillight lens on the drivers side. This is really common for E21s. The taillight gaskets leak and they rust along the weld under here. It’s not a big job. - On the left front wheel arch, there is a small dent at the top of the arch, and there’s a tiny amount of surface rust near that dent. I have no idea how that happened. - There are two places where falling fruit from my trees put tiny dents in the hood. The Dent Wizard should take them out no problem. You'll see that they are slight enough to not be visible in the pictures. - There is a dash pad covering the dash that has warped a bit from the sun. I’ve never pulled it off (because it’s glued down) to inspect the condition of the dash underneath. I was told by the previous owner that it’s in good shape, but I can't verify. - The tools in the toolkit are a little rusty. I’d replace them. - The fabric on the door card on the driver’s side door is a bit worn where the door handle has been grabbed (you can see this if you zoom on the picture - it's slight). And really, that’s it. Here’s a hyper-rare, hyper-cool car in fantastic shape. It is already a mind-blowing daily driver, and I know this because I drive it today. With a little work, it could truly be concours quality. Comes with a maroon Griot’s Garage custom fit car cover ($400). I also have a 'front bumper tuck-in' kit which has never been installed. I have a clear US title and a valid PA inspection. Winning bidder to pay a $500 paypal deposit in 3 days, nonrefundable for any reason. Winning bidder to provide cash or cashier's check within 14 days. Car is located in the suburbs of Philadelphia. I'll pick you up at the airport or train and you can drive it anywhere. Alternatively, I'll help with whatever shipper you arrange to inspect and load the car. That said, I will not coordinate shipping for you, and you are paying for any shipping or transport. Why am I selling? I've had the BMW bug since I bought my first beater E21 in 1989. I've successively traded up in the E21 family over those years until ending up with this car. I've also had 2002s, E30s, E39s, and E46s along the way. While I love these cars, I've recently come to the realization that I've spent 25 years driving the same model of car. As a car guy, I just want more experiences, and someone else should get a chance to own this (which is a way to say that if you have a very cool trade, I'd consider it). Check my feedback. I've bought and sold over a dozen cars on eBay personally. Please respond with any questions. On Apr-18-14 at 14:01:38 PDT, seller added the following information: A few people have asked about the Baur build plate. A photo of it is below
On Apr-19-14 at 17:36:49 PDT, seller added the following information: Just so everyone knows, this is well on track to hit the modest reserve. The reserve is less than I paid for it, and far less than I have in it. On Apr-20-14 at 07:30:42 PDT, seller added the following information: So, I just went on a walk around the car to consider "If I bought this reading the description, is there anything that could possibly disappoint me?" I've bought a ton of cars on eBay sight unseen so I know this moment of truth pretty well. In general, the car will exceed expectations. It really is sold. It IS a 30 year old car. It's in fantastic shape for that age, but remember it is 30 years old. A couple of things I saw that I thought I should point out: - One of the 'falling fruit' dents described above is in the trunk lid, not the hood. - There is a small 'star' in the paint where it looks like someone tried to slam the hood shut with the fusebox cover not on properly. Looks like the corner of the fusebox poked up from below (This makes sense now, as one thing I replaced was the cracked fusebox cover) - Someone has installed a security system with automatic door locks. These surprisingly just work. Two transponders are included. I've never seen an E21 with power door locks, but someone did it. The only other evidence of the security system is an arming/learning button under the steering wheel and a small led just behind the shifter. - The rotors have a bit of surface rust at the moment from the car's long winters nap. - Someone put a mild tint on the windows. The previous owner said it came out of CA, which would add up. I'm not fond of the window tinting, but it's there. It could be removed. I removed the tint on the driver's side quarter window where it had started to wrinkle and it came off cleanly. And that's about it. Couple of things to emphasize. This car is sold AS-IS, WHERE-IS. It's in the suburbs of Philadelphia. If you want to come out and see it, please come. Good luck to everyone! On Apr-25-14 at 06:11:47 PDT, seller added the following information: I'm forwarding on the full Autocheck report below
On Apr-25-14 at 06:16:29 PDT, seller added the following information:
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Auto blog
X4 launch to spearhead BMW crossover onslaught at NY Auto Show
Mon, 30 Dec 2013It's no secret that crossovers are one of the key vehicle types driving today's auto industry profits, and nowhere is that more true than among the world's luxury brands. BMW became one of the first players in the luxury CUV segment when it launched its original X5 in 1999, and buoyed by that model's runaway success, it followed up with the X3 in 2003, the X6 in 2008 and the X1 in 2009 (though the latter didn't make it to the US until late 2012). It's replaced the X5 twice since then and the X3 once, but the Bavarian automaker isn't about to let matters rest there.
First off, a production version of a new X4 model is expected at the New York Auto Show in April. The model was previously rumored to be earmarked for reveal a month earlier, but a new report from Autocar suggests that the previously mooted reveal date and location were inaccurate. The X4 is expected to apply the same controversial slant-back formula to the X3 that transformed the X5 into the X6, which will in turn lead to an update for the X3 as well.
But that's not all. Autocar also reports that before 2014 is out, BMW will unveil a revised X6 at the Moscow Motor Show in August, which will in turn be followed by upgraded versions of both the X6 M and X5 M. These high-performance crossovers are tipped to pack the same 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 as the outgoing versions, albeit with higher outputs than the current models' 555 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque. All this, and they're still expected to simultaneously improve fuel consumption and emissions figures.
BMW Concept Active Tourer Outdoor enjoys a day in the sun
Wed, 10 Jul 2013This BMW Concept Active Tourer has evolved for the nature and cycling set and premiered at OutDoor Friedrichshafen, a trade fair in held this month in Germany. The sturdy wagon is tweaked with new materials, accessories and ConnectedDrive features for those who do a lot of their living under the sky as opposed to inside their cars.
Under the hood is the same plug-in hybrid drive system we've were introduced to in 2012, featuring a transversely-mounted, 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine paired with an electric motor and a battery pack under the rear compartment floor. Total output is 190 horsepower and 147 pound-feet of torque headed to the front wheels, a claimed time from zero to 62 of under eight seconds, a pure electric range of up to 19 miles, a top speed of 124 miles per hour and claimed fuel economy of around 95 US miles per gallon.
The space behind the rear seats is the showcase, with a transformable compartment that can stow two bikes on built-in, retractable carriers. Remove the front wheel and seat from the bikes, then the frames can be locked into place using two rails and brackets. The wheels can be stowed in a holder attached to the right rear seat, the saddles can go into a compartment in the load floor. If you need to make a quick adjustment or a fix, you can do so since the bikes are aligned across the load bay.
BMW says current M3 sold out, no new AWD M models planned
Mon, 06 May 2013Car and Driver asked the head of BMW M, Friedrich Nitschke, a few questions about what the go-fast division had in mind for the future, and was rewarded with some enlightening answers. The best news to purist ears is that Nitschke said customers don't want all-wheel drive on their M cars, so it's the rear wheels alone that will propel new product into the future. If you want both an M badge and four driven wheels, it's the X5 M, X6 M and M Performance models you're looking for in the catalog.
"Mixed bag" is the phrase you're looking for regarding the other answers. Nitschke said that future M engines "at the core of their architecture" would "be closer to BMW AG engines" that are optimized for M cars, instead of following in the line of unique marvels like the V10 and naturally aspirated V8. They will keep the high redlines, however, with Nitschke saying "there is room beyond" the 7,000 rpm mark in BMW's current V8 turbos.
Managing weight will keep the same priority for M that it is for every other brand, so electrically assisted power steering is coming, as is an "unconventional" materials mix. At the smaller end of the M scale, Nitschke described three-cylinder engines as "attractive," saying that the brand can produce more than 310 horsepower from a three-pot.