BMW Classic Center Ad Featuring a Baur!

This ad appeared in a recent eBay auction for a TC2 Baur in Mission Viejo, CA.  It is an ad for the BMW Classic Center featuring a Classic BMW:  an E30 TC2 Baur! (Click on the 'Baurs for Sale' page in the tabs above to visit the original eBay auction.)

I have added a new page to this blog that will feature BMW advertisements like this one, and, of course, like the April Fool's Joke Ad that has appeared in the sidebar for the past couple of months.

If you have an ad that you would like to see posted here (with proper attribution to you, the contributor, of course), just shoot me an email:  tom82baur@gmail.com

Baurquest III: Lawrence Charlemagne's Beautiful Baur in NY

Lawrence Charlemagne arriving at the appointed meeting place, off of I-84, near 

Wappinger's Falls, New York. Wednesday afternoon, August 10, 2011.  Happy Birthday, Lawrence!

http://www.youtube.com/user/tom82baur#p/a/u/1/I_PKyTXrbF0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlmo9rEr8Dw&feature=related

Two Baurs cruising Wappinger's Falls enroute to Lawrence's house.

http://www.youtube.com/user/tom82baur#p/a/u/0/366KWljr2Gc

Two Baurs: Lawrence Charlemagne (foreground), Baurspotting Baur (background). 

Lawrence's car is a 1979 323i, now with an E30 M20 in it.  Gorgeous, power windows (installed by Lawrence), and much more, including those beautiful wheels!

Here is his Baur Number Plate:

Baur # 0872

  

UPDATE:   Lawrence has done a beautiful job on this car, which he has owned for about 20 years, or so.  Although I tend to be a purist when it comes to restorations, this car is just stunning to behold.  Lawrence has a shop and has done all of his own work, I believe.  He has given this car a number of updates over the years:  E30 M20 engine, bigger radiator, power steering, electric windows, new top and new paint.  As with all of his cars (you may have seen pics of his gorgeous 2002, which I will be posting some pics of here soon), the entire car is absolutely spotless.  As I said once before, and I reaffirm now, after seeing his cars 'up close and personal",  I have eaten off restaurant tables that were nowhere near as clean as his engine compartments!!  Amazing. 

My son, Brian, and I were Lawrence's guests at his home for about an hour that day on our way back to Connecticut, checking out his Baur, his '02, and the E30 convertible that he has just finished.  We could not have asked for a more gracious and welcoming host, and it was his Birthday!   It was a most refreshing break in our long (350 miles) drive home, and for this we remain in his debt.  Kudos and Happy Birthday again, Lawrence!

Traveling under a hot summer sun can be brutal in a convertible. The Baur has a perfect solution: hard top on, cabriolet open! Great windblown cruising in the shade!

Brian and I discovered this feature after several days baking in the hot, humid Washington, DC weather: 100 degree temperatures, humidity nearly matching that!  However, with the hardtop on and the rear cabriolet open, the 350 mile trip home was..... a BREEZE!!!  Lawrence mentioned that he too usually chooses ths option when driving the Baur in the summer.

The Roaming Baur: More Pics From the Bullenstall Museum, Mechanicsburg, PA

The Roaming Baur arrives at the Bullenstall Museum, Mechanicsburg, PA August 10, 2011.  Here are a few pics of cars from the collection.

2002 cabriolet

Jon Voight's car:  Inside joke for Seinfeld fans.

Ed Ullom's former race car.

.... and its turbo engine.

his name on the door "Ed Ullom"

...and his rear badging:  CVM = Cumberland Valley Motors, which he owns, and the "M" badge.

2000 Touring

Rear of the 2000 Touring, a very rare car.

3,0CSi

rear view of the 3.0CSi

turbo '02

The Roaming Baur at Bobby Rahal Lexus

This pic was taken across the street from Cumberland Valley Motors, Mechanicsburg, Pa, owned by Ed Ullom, and his famous Bullenstall Museum. Bobby Rahal, of course, is the famous NASCAR driver.  The Bullenstall Museum has been discussed in E21 bimmerforums 'Baur TC1 in the US' thread. And the Roaming Baur was there!

Baurquest II: The Bullenstall Museum Baur

The Roaming Baur arrives at the Bullenstall Museum

Bullenstall Baur plate:  # 1282.

These are pics taken on the morning of August 10, 2011 at the Bullenstall Museum in Mechanicsburg, PA.  Thanks to info from Scott and Michael Behman, we contacted Hugh Freet  (at 1(717)697-9448 ) of Cumberland Valley Motors  (owned by Ed Ullom, who also owns the Bullenstall Museum), who holds the "Keys to the Kingdom", so to speak. 

Once again, as we have seen so frequently in our travels this week, Hugh was a gracious and accomodating host.  He opened the doors to the Museum to us, and encouraged us to take as long as we wished to peruse the inventory.  And what an inventory!!!  The Z1 and the Z8 were away from the museum appearing at shows, so we did not get to see them... but everything else was there!  Wow!  The main target of our search is pictured above, but there were many more that we were able to just drool over. 

So if you happen to be in that Carlisle/Mechanicsburg area for any reason, give them a call.  They welcome visitors, which according to Hugh, they get all the time.  Do not hesitate to pop in on them, you won't regret it!  I called Hugh enroute to the Museum at 9:06am, and he was waiting for us when we arrived about 15 or so minutes later.  Real nice guy.  We were outta there and back on the road home by about 10am, although we could certainly have lingered longer.  I will be posting other pics from the Bullenstall Museum down the road, so stay tuned.  Huge thank you to Hugh Freet, and to Ed Ullom!

The Roaming Baur: Gettysburg National Military Battlefield

Baurs and Segways at Little Round Top, Gettysburg National Military Battlefield

Atop Little Round Top, something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.

The Roaming Baur on Little Round Top.

Hardtop on, cabriolet open: a great way to drive in the summer sun!

Statue of General Gouverneur K. Warren gazing toward Devil's Den and the Valley of Death on the left, below. In the distance you can see The Peach Orchard, where General Sickles committed his infamous blunder. Brian is on the left in the black t-shirt.

Position of 20th Maine on Little Round Top

Extreme Left Flank position, 20th Maine Little Round Top.

  This was the very end of the Union line along Cemetery Ridge.  if this postion fell, the entire Union line could have collapsed, with perhaps a different outcome to the battle, and the entire war.  The movie "Gettysburg", starring Jeff Daniels as Col. Joshua L. Chamberlain, 20th Maine, features this part of the battle.  It is worth seeing.

Looking down on the Baur from the top of the Longstreet Tower, Gettysburg Battlefield.

The Virginia Monument, one of the starting points of Pickett's Charge on July 3, 1863 at Gettysburg, PA.  their target:  the 'copse of trees' just to the right of center in the photo.

This photo depicts a part of the route of Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg. The famous "Copse of Trees' (ultimate target of the Charge) can be seen on the right edge of the photo. 'The Angle' at Gettysburg is directly ahead of us, and continues toward the right of the pic. Brian and I have just crossed the Emmittsburg Road on this 1000 yard walk across an open field. This is the second time I have walked this route, and it is no less moving than it was the first time.

The ground before us was a killing field on July 3, 1863.   The Confederate assault was awe-inspiring in its martial splendor---12,000+ men advancing in a line that stretched over a mile wide, marching across an open expanse  for about 1000 yards toward an almost certain death.  Rifled muskets of the time were accurate at over 500 yards.  Artillery fire blew gaping holes in the line, taking out dozens with a single blast.  Horrific carnage, incredible valor and courage on both sides. An uphill charge into sheets of flying lead and steel. Yet, against all odds, the Confederates reached their target, crossed the stone wall at The Angle, and nearly succeeded in carrying the Union line, until Union reinforcements forced them back.  The last cannon shot was a double load of 'canister' (grapeshot shrapnel ) by a Rhode Island battery at a range of ten yards. Unimaginable destruction to bone and flesh at point blank range. The outcome of the war, in the opinion of many historians, hung in the balance.  Ultimately, the Charge failed, and the Confederate forces returned to their lines, losing about half of the men who started. 

The Roaming Baur at The High Water Mark of the Confederacy

The Angle and the Copse of Trees: the designated target of Pickett's Charge. Gettysburg, PA.

August 9, 2011. By this time we had discovered one of the wonderful advantages of owning a Baur: leaving the hardtop on, opening the rear cabriolet, an option normal convertibles do not have! This gives occupants of the car protection from the hot sun, while allowing tremendous cooling air flow! Brilliant in this hot weather.

By the way, when we met up with Lawrence Charlemagne (Baur #0872) the next day, we found out that that is exactly the way he drives his Baur in the heat!

 This monument marks the spot where Confederate Brigadier General Lewis A. Armistead received a mortal wound (shot three times at close range) after breaching the stone wall at The Angle, which can be seen in the background.  He died of his wounds two days later.  This spot was close to the furthest penetration of Union lines by the Confederate forces.  In the far distance, you can also see the line of woods where "Pickett's Charge" (also known as Longstreet's Assault, since Pickett's Division was only one of three that actually made the assault) began. 

Fifty years later, in July 1913, at the Commemoration of the Battle of Gettysburg, there was a re-enactment of Pickett's Charge by the survivors of the battle.  When the Confederate Veterans emerged from the woods onto the field to begin their advance, an audible gasp was heard from the Union lines. A few minutes later, as the fellow countrymen of one unified nation greeted and embraced their former enemies over the stone wall at The Angle, battle-hardened Veterans were brought to tears as they vividly recalled the shattering events of that fateful day... events that forged a nation from the white-hot flames of conflict and blood. 

The Roaming Baur, a Connecticut Yankee by birth, doffs his cap in respect and admiration to all of those Honored Dead, and the Survivors on both sides.  May they rest in peace.

You can find the following speech, considered by many to be the greatest speech in American History, carved in stone on the left wall as you enter the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.  273 words that capture the essence of a nation enduring its greatest trauma.

 

THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this
continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the
proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in
a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so
conceived and so dedicated can long endure. We are met on a great
battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of
that field as a final resting-place for those who here gave their
lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and
proper that we should do this. But in a larger sense, we cannot
dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground.
The brave men, living and dead who struggled here have consecrated
it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will
little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never
forget what they did here. It is for us the living rather to be
dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here
have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here
dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these
honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which
they gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly
resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this
nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that
government of the people, by the people, for the people shall
not perish from the earth.

Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States

At the Dedication of the National Cemtery at Gettysburg, PA

Thursday, November 19, 1863
-------------------------------------

Prepared by Gerald Murphy (The Cleveland Free-Net - aa300)
Distributed by the Cybercasting Services Division of the
  National Public Telecomputing Network (NPTN).

For more information on the Battle of Gettysburg, try this link:

http://www.brotherswar.com/intro.htm

Baurspotting Makes a Bimmerfest East Photo Gallery!

http://www.carthrottle.com/bimmerfest-east-the-show/

Scroll down to pic #18: Baurspotting Baur!! Ok, so it is not exactly a RAVE review, neither is it Car and Driver, but still.... It is nice to be noticed! And they misspelled 'Baur'. There were 1899 BMWs registered for this event, and only a few made this Gallery!

Be sure to checkout pic #19-22, also: these pics are my friend Charbel's white E21, (including a video!) and his red 2002.


Ok, folks, the E21 Revolution continues! Hark! Is that a Buzz about E21s I am hearing.... Or... is it just that annoying ringing in my ears again.

Rats!

Hope springs eternal.

The Roaming Baur at Harpers Ferry: Kennedy Farm, the Railroad Bridge and the Maryland Heights

My son, Brian, stands before the Kennedy Farm, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, about 5 miles from Harpers Ferry.  John Brown leased this farm in the summer of 1859 under the name of Isaac Smith, and hid his Raiders here.  They embarked on the famous raid from this point about 8pm on the evening of October 16, 1859 in 40 degree rain.

John Brown's Raiders crossed the Potomac River on this bridge to begin the assault on the Arsenal at Harpers Ferry, and it's store of over 100,000 rifles and muskets on the night of October 16, 1859.

1982 323i Baur at John Brown's Fort, Harpers Ferry on August 8, 2011 in the rain.

John Brown's Raiders holed up in this firehouse with their hostages after being driven from the Federal Arsenal by local militia.  It was moved to this location and preserved, now known as John Brown's Fort. In 1859, it was located in the Arsenal grounds, a few huncred feet north of its present location.

A detachment of Marines under the command of Colonel Robert E. Lee arrived on October 18. Lee sent Lt. J.E.B. Stuart to Brown's fort to negotiate a surrender. Brown refused, and the Marines attacked and captured the fort. Brown was tried, convicted of treason, and hung on December 16, 1859, an event witnessed by John Wilkes Booth, who would later assassinate President Abraham Lincoln in 1865.

For more info on John Brown, read 'Patriotic Treason' by Evan Carton.  there are many other sources of nfo on Brown, his famous Raid, and Harpers Ferry. 

FWIW, Harpers Ferry remains one of The Roaming Baur's favorite places on the planet.  Located at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers with heights rising dramatically on all sides, it is spectacularly beautiful at any time of year, architecturally gorgeous, and historically rich and significant.  The Appalachian Trail goes right through it, also. Go see it.

In September, 1862, as part of Stonewall Jackson's attack on Harpers Ferry, Major General Lafayette McLaws mounted 7 guns on the spectacular Maryland Heights you see in the background (behind the railroad bridge above), rising some 1,000 feet above the Union forces defending the Ferry. After a short battle, the 12,500 Union forces under General Miles surrendered, the largest surrender ever of American troops.  The surrender allowed General A.P. Hill to join General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Antietam, just in time to prevent a significant Union advance that could have won the day completely for the Union forces.

Our tour guide for Antietam National Military Park was a Park Ranger named John Hoptak.  Here he is pictured on the inside cover of the current issue of Civil War Times magazine.    We had no idea who he was when he gave the tour, but he was absolutely outstanding.  Highly recommended.

Charbel's Drifting Burnout at Bimmerfest East

Aberdeen, MD.  August 6, 2011

Just before the arrival of the Maryland State Police who put a damper on the party, as well as a dent in at least one driver's wallet:

http://www.youtube.com/user/tomscatbmw?blend=1&ob=5

He is driving an E21 with a 3.5L turbo from a BMW 745.  Describing that car as 'awesome' is a significant understatement.

Baurquest I: A Project Baur in PA

We had a nice ride from Gettysburg through the Michaux State Forest to visit Michael and Scott in Newville, PA:

http://www.youtube.com/user/tom82baur#p/a/u/2/Bwo3ngDkU3A

Michael and Scott's project Baur in Newville, PA.  Scott is msbehmane36 in bimmerforums. This is Baur number 3583, and formerly looked like this:

When they bought it, it was a mess:  dents and dings everywhere, body kit in terrible shape,foor pan rust, etc.  So they decided to strip it down, and basically start over.  Lots of work remains to be done, as you can see, but they are well into the project.  We look forward to watching their progress on this restoration.

See the little cutouts in the valance above?  Michael plans to run his dual exhausts through there.

Scott's (msbehmane36) son, Michael, left, with my son Brian, on the right with two Baurs today in PA. Scott and Michael's project is on the left, my Baur on the right. We look forward to watching their project as it progresses.

Michael, Scott, and Tom

We had a great visit with Michael and Scott, stopping by for about an hour at the storage unit where they are keeping the project Baur.   As you can see from the pics, they have started woring on it, and they do have a long way to go.  Best Wishes for your work, and we hope to see from pics along the way.

Michael has now driven TWO Baurs (one more than me), since I let him take my car for a little spin.  Very nice  friendly folks, and we enjoyed our visit.  We are also indebted to them for providing us with the contact name (Hugh Freet) and phone number for the next stop in our Baurquest:  the Bullenstall Museum, in Mechanicsburg, PA.  Thanks, fellas!

Scott wasn't happy with the trunk in his wife's VW cabriolet. Neither was she. So he improved it! A sliding drawer trunk! Brilliantly done! This is one of the reasons that I love car guys!!  Creative problem-solving skills, with the mechanical talent to make it work!  Kudos, Scott!!