Baurspotting: Small Baur/Lumma World: Todd K Spots A Cabrio in Plympton MA

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Small Baur/Lumma World: Todd K Spots A Cabrio in Plympton MA

Readers may recall that we did a post about a month ago on a 1502 Lumma Conversion Cabrio that we found listed for sale on a UK site, but located around Boston. We have known about this Lumma for several years, and had even attended BMW Day at Larz Anderson Museum in Brookline, MA with the owners. Here is a pic from that event:

Three Baurs and a Lumma 1502 Cabrio at Larz Anderson BMW Day August 2013

http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/2015/05/1502-lumma-cabrio-relisted-for-sale.html

I had posted this in 2002 bimmerforums at the time, and the other day ToddK posted the following in response:

Thats either the same one or very similar to one that was sitting outside at a body shop on rte 58 in Plympton mass last fall. Shop owner said he was going to do a full restoration on it for the owner. It was in a state somewhere between driver and needing full restoration, but sitting outside in the elements was making the car deteriate even faster. There was nothing about the car that made me want it. It looked like a total money pit. Fit and finish were terrible. Everything about the car was a contradiction. Had 2002 badges but had a 1600 engine. VIN and model year made it a square tail light car, but it had rounds. -----ToddK

Todd had not taken any pics, so it was hard to draw any firm conclusions without more info. Strange to think that there could be TWO such rarities in the same general locale, but his description did not sound like a car that would be advertised for $25,000!

So I responded:

That is interesting, Todd. If it was the fall of 2014, then it probably wasn't this Lumma, although the owners do live in that general area. This one is badged 1502, for one thing, and it has been restored to the condition shown for a couple of years already. The group pic above, for example, is from 2013.

Very curious that it would have the taillight conversion, like this one. But this restoration was done about two years earlier. Any info on the shop owner... name location, etc? Perhaps I could contact him to inquire. Curious minds want to know!

ToddK did a drive by later that day and reported back:

It was at competition auto body. The owner of the shop was a bit of a jerk. I went in to try and get an estimate to paint a car I have that was all prepped and ready to paint. It was getting too cold for me to squirt it in my garage, so I figured I'd ask. He gave me a ridiculous go the F away price after he made me wait for an hour for him to show up. Kept saying he was right around the corner, wait for me. He was not very forthcoming with info on the 2002. I got the feeling it was going to be a real cash cow for him. It was parked on the dirt next to the cranberry bog adjacent to the lot. It sat there for several months that I can remember. Not sure what happened to it once all the snow started falling. You can do the google earth thing, but it doesn't show up in the driveby pictures. At least you can get an idea of the place it was at. I have to head up that way and get some more food for my chickens. I'll drive by and see if its still there, but I'm not going back in that place,,, ever.

- - - Updated - - -

Wasn't there.

Using the info from Todd, I called the shop this afternoon.

Baurspotting:

Bingo, ToddK! Small Baur World strikes AGAIN! I called Competition Auto Body this afternoon. He said that yes he had the car until about a month ago. The customer took it home after waiting all winter for him to get around to fixing a 'few things', nothing major, he said. He said that he felt bad but he never got the time to do the work. Then he offered to get me the owner's info, since I told him about my blog, and that we were trying to track all the cabrios down. he thought that it was an aftermarket conversion, not a factory Cabrio. Hmmm, I thought.

I immediately recognized the name and number he gave me as the same guy who owns the 1502 Lumma that is the focus of this thread. It was the same car as you see in the pics above! Good eye, Hawkeye!

It is simply amazing how many times this has happened, and testimony to the rarity of the BMW cabrios and Targas: someone spots a car that initially seems to be a new find..... and it turns out that we already know the car here in Baurspotting! It is getting harder and harder to come up with "New Finds"---- although it does still happen---- but not with the frequency of the past couple of years. That also tells me that we are getting near a top: we have plucked most of the low-hanging fruit, and now our task is to find the Baurs that are hidden away in someone's barn, garage, etc.!

Thanks for posting this, Todd! Great find!