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Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Introducing: Baurspotting

The purpose of this blog is to provide a resource that may be helpful to BMW Baur owners anywhere, but especially those in the United States.  I hope to locate and identify all the Baurs that exist in the US, with your help (Team Baur, as Clio320i has dubbed us), and to provide a resource for information, camaraderie, chat, technical assistance, parts locating, etc.  My primary interest is in the BMW Baur TC1 (E21 1975-83), but, if there is time and interest, I may expand to include any other Baurs, including non-BMW Baurs in the US.

If you are not sure what a Baur is, check out the Link in the sidebar:  Karosserie Baur.   It is a Wikipedia link that will give you an overview.  Also check out The Motor Forum: Baur, A Potted History.  It has some great pictures depicting many great Baur examples.

The idea for this blog originated with a thread in Bimmerforums in December 2010 that was initiated by Jeroen Janssen of The Netherlands in response to my curiosity about how many Baurs exist in the US.  Jeroen is perhaps THE foremost Baur specialist on the planet, and has been a tremendous resource for this blog.  Thank you, Jeroen!
Please peruse the other Links in the sidebar, particularly the International Baur Registry (translation available at the top of the page).   Again, kudos to Jeroen for providing so much information.  There are also a number of Resources listed in the sidebar that may be of some value to BMW E21 and Baur owners.

This is what started it all:
From bimmerforums December 2010:
Jeroen started a thread titled "Baur TC1 in the US"
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1566814

I have a number of additional posts for this blog in various stages of preparation, and I plan to publish them as soon as they are ready, and as time allows.  Please be patient, as I do have other demands on my attention from time to time, such as full-time employment (necessary, unfortunately, but sooo inconvenient at times!)  :)  marriage and family obligations, and a small, but at times clamoring, fleet of BMWs.  I will do my level best to post here on a regular or, at least, a periodic basis.

Future posts will include pictures and associated information on the Baurs that we have been able to locate and identify;  interesting information on specific Baurs related to their provenance/ history, e.g, vehicles known to be connected to the Baur family, ASC/Baurs, Dietel Enterprises cars, reconstituted/salvaged projects, etc. etc.;  alerts related to reports of possible Baurs, requesting assistance from fellow Baurspotters out there to pin down this info; and other topics that may be of interest to BMW E21 enthusiasts in general, and Baur owners, in particular.  I would also like to add a Technical Tips/Help Forum and a Baur-specific Parts Wanted/For Sale feature (thanks, conkitchen).

I do ask for your indulgence:  this is my first attempt at a blog, and while I do find some of this 21st Century technology quite amazing, it can also be .... ummm ... rather challenging.  :)  I am an old school guy, and I am learning as I go along.  Please cut me a little slack. I love these cars, and that is my motivation for this blog.  I am certainly interested in your feedback, particularly any constructive feedback that can help me make this a worthwhile endeavor for all of us. 

So, damn the torpedoes, Team Baur, full steam ahead!

Here is the link to the Google Map of Baur TC1s in the US, showing what we have found to date;
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=212684510055146301929.000499ed9e00262f15966&z=3

I will update this map as we go along.

UPDATE: New Google map: 
BMW Baur Locations Around the World  (only one post so far.... want to add your Baur?  Email info to me.)

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