Vintage Motorsports Buys the Beaufort Baur!

OK, Baur fans everywhere,  we have some exciting news!  The Beaufort Baur, which we have written about several times here, following it from Beaufort, SC, to LA, has just been purchased by a renowned BMW restoration company in Duarte, CA:  Vintage Motorsport Group.  I have attached a blurb below that briefly describes who they are. 

But that doesn't tell 1/2 of the story!

Here are some pics of some earlier work..... and there is much much more!

Ron P owned the beautiful Baur above, but sold it several years ago.

The E21 above, and the trhee pics below, are all of Ron's 333i.  This is NOT a misprint!   :)  Yes, Baur fans, this is psrt of the reason we are so excited!  We can't wait to see what he will do with the Beaufort Baur!!!  

Stay tuned!

 Ron P in his own words, talking about the car above: Here is the bio on the car:

"A rare opportunity to own a great piece of history! This is a “one off” car produced by Dinan in 1980 and has just gone through a sympathetic restoration. It has just over 50k miles on it and is completely sorted out. It is one of the fastest cars that I have ever driven and will surely put a smile on your face.
Dinan started out with a Sapphire Blue 1978 US spec 320i and completely gutted it. They then sent it out to have the entire car painted and changed the color to Ferrari Red. The job was so good that it still retains it’s original paint. Once the car was back from paint, they added a 3.3 M30 big six and a turbocharger. Prior to paint, they grafted the same vintage wheel arches to form a steel fender flare all the way around and they did a fantastic job.
Prior to my ownership, the original air flow meter was replaced by a split second MAF which modernized the fuel delivery.
They also added oil temp, rear diff temp, and water temp gauges and a 5 speed gearbox. It is also fitted with an Alpina finned diff cooler.
I have changed a few things around since I have owned the car. Originally the car was fitted with period correct Recaro seats with black cloth outers and a tan cord insert with a custom tan set of carpet. I have gone to all black with leather outers and a synthetic suede and a set of factory black carpet, a Momo wheel and matching shift knob. They had also had an elaborate sound system that had been removed but all the wires were still there! I found a new in box, period correct am/fm cassette stereo so I can play my ipod. One really rare option was a Blaupunkt stereo speaker carrier on the rear parcel shelf, which I have also rebuilt.
The car will be featured in an upcoming issue of Bimmer Magazine.

Photos: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v454/ronperry/Dinan%20333i/   "

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v454/ronperry/Dinan%20333i/?start=20#!cpZZ1QQtppZZ16

http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?t=85030

Bimmer Magazine November 2011:  "E21 Dinan 333i: Six into Three...and Charge!                                        "We drive another fabulous Ron Perry restoration, this one a six-cylinder turbocharged E21 widebody built by Steve Dinan in 1980."

BaT (Bring a Trailer):

http://bringatrailer.com/2010/11/24/early-days-of-dinan-1978-bmw-333i-turbo/

Check them out on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vintage-Motorsport-Group/137343179709905?sk=wall

The following was posted on their Facebook page. I am just passing it along to our readers so they canshare our excitement!

Vintage Motorsport Group

Well, it was bound to happen some time.
You play with cars, and more cars, and more, and one day you have to make a decision.


DECISION MADE.


... Ron Perry and I [John Barlow] have teamed up to build what we hope to be the most comprehensive "GoTo" for all Vintage BMW fans. Vintage Motorsport Group, consists of three different and unique companies:

Vintage BMW Source: www.VintageBMWSource.com
Will shortly become the one stop shopping for vintage parts, New, Old, Modified, and OEM

Motorsport Legends: www.motorsportlegends.org
a company built around the preservation of Germany's finest Vintage cars. Specializing in the restoration, sales and consignment of CSL's, Alpina's, Hartge's and the rest.

GROMA Race Fabrication: www.gromafab.com
Known across the world in Vintage BMW circles as the builders of some of the meanest BMWs on the street and track. Custom fabrication of all types, engine conversions, track preparation etc.

Feel free to come out to see us, and keep your eyes peeled for features in some of BMWs finest magazines!

We look forward to working with you.See More

Vintage BMW Source

www.VintageBMWSource.com

This site has been made for BMW enthusiasts who want to share projects, purchase parts, and learn more about the classic car.

Need these?   Look familiar?

These are the clips that are supposed to be holding your hardtop in place in the trunk. All I have are the stubs on my car. I need a set of these! :)

http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/p/baur-parts-wantedfor-sale.html

Hardtop TC1 rubber holders

as a set for the price of

45, - € incl 19% VAT

Single piece price for Left or Right

24,95 € including 19% VAT

Wayne Carini of 'Chasing Classic Cars' Meets Baurspotting

Wayne Carini of 'Chasing Classic Cars' Meets Tom S. of Baurspotting Blog

While doing the daily chess quiz, as I always do, in the local paper today, I happened to glance down at the "To Do Today" column directly below the puzzle.  Skimming quickly through the list of concerts, fundraisers, film festivals, etc.  I soon found myself reading, rather absent-mindedly, the following little blurb: 

MEET WAYNE CARINI.   "2-4pm Waterford Public Library; star of "Chasing Classic Cars" on Discovery, and owner of F40 Motorsports in Portland, will present a program on buying, restoring and selling vintage classic cars;  free."

!!!! What?? Whoa.  Why wasn't I told???

A quick glance at the clock told me I still had time to make it.  I contacted my son, Brian, and my friend Bill, both of whom would have loved to go, except they had prior committments.  So I hopped in the Baur, and headed out, arriving about 1:45pm, in time to snag the front row center seat, 4 feet in front of the podium!  Yes!  Camera phone and camera ready to go.

Mr. Carini took the podium a few minutes after 2pm, introduced by Librarian Judy L., who noted that the library parking lot was loaded with classic cars, and it looked like a Car Show out there!  The room was packed, btw, with a number of folks standing in the back. Carini started by introducing an episode of his show, "Chasing Classic Cars' which was supposed to be about a local guy, Herb Chambers, but, due to a technical snafu, was instead about a Greenwich CT car collector searching to add to his collection.  In the course of the show, Carini helped him pick up and restore a grey 1963 Ferrari Lusso and a Mercedes 300SL.

Here is the Ferrari Lusso:

http://www.finecars.cc/en/detail/car/157435/index.html?no_cache=1&ret=20&request%5Bfilter%5D%5Boffset%5D=6&request%5Bfilter%5D%5Browcount%5D=6&request%5Bfilter%5D%5Border%5D=tstamp&request%5Bfilter%5D%5Bdesc%5D=desc&request%5Bfilter%5D%5Bdealer%5D=314

Carini followed the video with a short talk about how he got involved in the car business, and what he does today.  His father ran a car restoration business when he was growing up, and he worked there as a kid.  He went to college to become an art teacher, but when the job market was .... unreceptive, he found himself back working in his dad's shop.  One thing led to another, and he took over his father's business in 1973.  The rest is history.  F40 Motorsports is still located on Rte. 66 in Portland, CT. 

(Readers of Baurspotting may recall that we have featured F40 Motorsports in a previous Baurspotting blog post on the 1948 Davis Divan above.  http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/2011/09/wtf-department-1948-davis-divan.html   Carini mentioned the "Davis' during his talk.)

(Here is Wayne with his BMC AutoTransporter.  It was parked in the lot at F40 Motorsports in Portland, CT the night that Tom D, my friend Bill K. and myself met there to go to dinner last fall.)

Carini said that he was first approached by Jim Astrausky, the creator/producer of the show, after an article appeared in the Sunday NY Times automotive section.   He was a little leery of the idea at first, but he told them as long as they don't interfere in his business, or give him a script to read, etc., etc., he would give it a shot.  However, if the show production impacted his F40 Motorsports business, taking him away from the stuff he loves to do, that would be the end of the show.  He stated that the format of the TV show is basically just a small crew following him in his day to day business of chasing down and restoring classic cars for a mostly wealthy clientele.  The entire show involves just four people:  Wayne himself, Jim Astrausky, the creator/owner of the show who also functions as camera man; Hannah Lintner, a producer/writer; and Jessica Barr, who remains behind, editing the film.  The show just got renewed for a 4 year contract! 

Here is a link to the original NY Times article that got this TV show started:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/02/automobiles/collectibles/02LOVE.html?pagewanted=all

Wayne Carini, star of "Chasing Classic Cars'

I found Mr. Carini to be extremely likable, friendly and down to earth.  He is very natural and comfortable at the podium, and he has a very easy-going style.

When he finished his presentation, Carini took questions from the audience, answering each one thoughtfully, and with a touch of friendly humor.  He remained at the podium until all the questions were answered.  When asked how many cars he had in his personal collection, he declined to answer, citing security reasons.... and because he didn't want his wife to find out how many he had!  I can relate to THAT!

There is one more thought from Carini that I happen to agree with, and that I want to share with you.  Carini is definitely NOT in the trailer queen camp.  He believes, as I do, that these cars were meant to be driven!   It is not good for a collector car to sit unused in storage for years.  He said that if it is a nice day, even you drive it only ten miles, take it out and DRIVE it!  Bad things happen to cars when they just sit for long periods.  That is especially true with the changes to the gasoline these days.  Gasoline with a high alcohol content tends to evaporate in a short period of time..... leaving nasty, sappy, sludge deposits in your fuel system.  If it is left in there long enough, this fuel can cause a nightmare of problems, that are easily minimized, or avoidable, by simply taking the car out for a regular periodic ride!  Fuel stabilizers can help, but the best thing for the car is to exercise it regularly, just like keeping your body in shape by regularly exercising.

"Wayne is also involved in and regularly attends many different car clubs and events to get young people involved in the car collector hobby. He believes that without young people's involvement, the car collector tradition will disappear. His latest passion is convincing families with special needs children to consider placing collector cars into a special needs trust with the hope that the cars will benefit the children in the future."

----http://www.f40.com/page.php?page=Meet_Wayne_Carini

Mr. Carini also spoke about another issue that is close to his heart:  autism research.  He and his wife have 23 year daughter with autism. He devotes part of his time to charity work, doing fund-raising and charity auctions to benefit autism research. 

As he stepped away from the podium at the end of his talk, your trusty reporter was the first to approach him and introduce myself.  I gave him a quick rundown on the Baurspotting blog, including mentioning that I had done a post on his Davis Divan (above).  I handed him my Baurspotting blog card, and mentioned that we were 'chasing classic Baurs', and that we have found 65 of them in the US so far.  I am not sure, in the rush, that I was able to fully convey exactly what a Baur is, other than that it is a rare car.  There was a massive line of folks now waiting their chance to have a few words with him, so I then asked Judy L., the librarian who happens to be a personal friend of ours, to oblige us and take the following photo of Mr. Carini and myself.   And I got out of the way.   But Wayne Carini has been "Baurspotted!"  He has my Baurspotting card.  :)

It was a real pleasure to meet Wayne Carini.  He is a real likable fella, and a real gentleman.  You can catch him on his show, "Chasing Classic Cars" on Velocity by Discovery Channel. 

Here are some "Chasing Classic Cars" videos from Wayne's F40 Motorsports website:

http://www.f40.com/page.php?page=Videos

Enjoy!

Baurspotter of the Week Award!

Baurspotter of the Week Award to bimmerforums member HenryHide1886 for messaging me about a Baur he spotted in a showroom window at Moran Motors, Berkeley, CA.

http://www.moranmotosport.com/
751 Folger Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94710
Phone: 510-548-7171

Click on "Sales".

http://www.moranmotosport.com/sales.html

You will see a pic of their inventory inside the showroom. Looking at the pic on the left side.... the third car from the bottom is a dark green E21 Baur! That is what HenryHide1886 saw!

The car can also be seen in a shot from outside the front of the showroom. Click on "Map".

http://www.moranmotosport.com/map.html

In the pic, just to the left of the map you can see the showroom window.... and you can just make out the distinctive amber turn signal and the bumper-mounted side reflector of the E21 Baur.

I will see if I can get more info on this, but in the meantime, thanks to HenryHide1886 for a great find!

Update:  Google 795 Ashby Street, Berkeley CA.  Go to "Street View".  You will see a BMW dealer on one side of the street.  Zoom around to the opposite side of the street where you will see Moran Motorsport. Zoom in close to the showroom window and you will clearly see the distinctive roll-bar pillar of the dark green Baur!

TC2 Baur Found in Junkyard! For Sale in Houston TX

We are much indebted to robrez in the E30 bimmerforum for posting this link today.  Wow!  what a find!

Thank you robrez, Baurhunter of the Week!

Here is his post in bimmerforums.... followed by the Baur thread:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?p=23708384#post23708384

N.B.  There are a lot more pictures in the thread below than what I have posted here, btw.

Posted by flyboyx on the r3vlimited board.

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=237861&highlight=baur

very rare E30 BAUR rescue roof retrofit. almost complete

---

ok, so i was wandering around the jy yesterday and came across a Baur e30 that some thoughtless tool turned in. as you know this kind of place will never sell you a complete car. it really makes me upset to see such a rare vehicle wind up in the crusher. Originally i pulled off the roof panel and a few pieces of proprietary hardware. last night i started thinking about this car kind of like the way my girlfriend looks at those dog rescue shelters. kinda want to save them all. anyway, i went back today and removed the entire roof area so it can be grafted onto another e30 coupe. as you can see by my sig, I have too many projects right now. if this doesn't sell, i was thinking down the road to fabricate it onto one of my ix's. as a result, i am not willing to separate any parts. all or nothing. i just want it to go to a good home where it is going to be put on a car and adored by its owner.

i know that not everyone finds a baur aesthetically pleasing, but they are awesome and they are very rare. not as pretty as an m3, but definitely much harder to come by. i could see this sort of project as something levent's shop might do. this top came off an 84 euro, but the good thing is that it can be made to fit any e30 coupe.

the setup is mostly complete. it is just missing two items: the driver's side quarter window was broken when i got to the car. also, the passenger side quarter window trim is missing. you will be able to see these defects in the photos below. i know of two e30 parts baur's a few hours west of here. i don't know if the guy is willing to sell parts off them, but at least it would be a start.

here comes the pix:

as you can see, all of the vinyl is really in excellent condition. it is dirty in the pix, but there are no rips, tears, or abrasions that i can see.



here is the vin if anyone with a carfax subscription feels like checking the history and posting it here. last digit is a 3.









the original convertible top vinyl is actually in good condition as well. the back window is gone as you can see. i think you could get away with just replacing the window for a while. if you decide to replace the entire thing, at least there is good fabric to make a pattern from.



here is the broken window mentioned above.



here is the missing trim piece on the pax side. i had removed this window yesterday and that is why it just looks like it was placed there because it was. also the horizontal piece of chrome trim that is hanging down is also in good condition. it fits into a channel in the bottom of the rubber that goes around the window. i didn't have time to put it back together before i shot the pix.



there is very minor surface rust on the lip that holds the back of the convertible top down. it would easily come off with a wire brush on an angle grinder. the package tray is in rough shape but it is complete and will be easy to use a pattern to make a new one. it is simply made from 1/8" mdf or particle board with a thin Berber carpet glued on the top.



the headliner is complete and in good condition. just like a cabrio removable hardtop, it is loose and will need to be reglued back into place.

there are two small holes in the roof panel headliner, but they are covered up by the frame rails when the top is mounted on the car.



yes, that was a german check panel. some stupid jackass tried to remove the front plastic sheet instead of pulling the entire panel. i know this because i found the front laying in the car in pieces









even the baur seat belts and the roof panel storage brackets are there. i included trunk hinges and torsion bars to make it as easy as possible to reinstall this in another car.





proprietary baur rear interior panels. obviously in black.





these are included too.



ok, price.....this stuff is so rare and hard to find. i don't even think there are any active users on this forum with a baur. i did a search to see what others were selling parts for and was not able to find a single thing. as i said before, i really want this to go to a good home. i would be proud to see this in a build thread for one of our fellow forum member's cars. its pretty hard to put a price on this, but considering that i have two days invested in driving to the yard and the better part of the day today cutting it off. also, i feel like they screwed me a little on the price by nickel and diming every little part on the assembly. the figure i have in mind is 1200.00. since i am advertising this on a national forum, i am willing to ship, but as you can imagine, i would prefer and give preference to a local pickup.

__________________

Thank you robrez and thank you flyboyx!!

South African-built Baur Spotted in Metro DC Area!

Baurhunter Alert!  Metro DC area!

This photo was posted on 2/6/2012 by bimmerforums member FrOzEnSoLiD, who is from the northern VA area.  According to TomDC, it appears to have Maryland plates. 

N.B.  1) Right hand drive.
          2) No Baur TC badge on the B pillar (roll bar).
          3) Unusual Color
          4) The color of the Baur frame is matched to the body color.

All of those items noted above serve to help us identify this unusual find as one of the 3500 TC2 Baurs built in South Africa under license to Baur Stuttgart.

Baur Guru Jeroen J. of The Netherlands, resident authority on all things Baur in bimmerforums, has commented on the above:
"The Baur from FrozenSolid's pic is a South-African build Baur. It hasn't the "Baur TC" plates on the B-pillar, but the most recognizable part is the coloured Baur-frame (all Stuttgart build Baur's have a black frame). About 3500 Baur TC's where build by the SA BMW-factory. The frames where put on before the car was sprayed or anything."

That is the first South African-produced Baur we have spotted in the US, as far as I know.

Your assignment, Baurhunters, should you choose to accept it:  LET'S FIND THAT BAUR! Maryland plates, metro DC area..... how hard can it be? Can't be more than 3 or 4 million cars to sift through, right?



I wonder if Lothar Schuettler knows about this one.... or perhaps the BMWCCA National Chapter? Any National Chapter members here?

If you know anything about this Baur, please email me, or post your info to us in bimmerforums thread here:
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?p=23666510#post23666510

My email:  tom82baur@gmail.com

 

Baur Odyssey Part II: Baur on the Dyno

On this coming Friday, February 3, 2012  a new movie, THE BIG MIRACLE, has its Premiere.  As you may know, one of our own Baur owners (Jeff a k a alaskabimmer) plays a bit part in it, as does his Polaris silver Baur. 

As we stated in our previous post, we would like to honor Jeff and his Baur on the occasion of his movie debut by doing a series on one of his previous exploits:  his 7,000+ mile Odyssey in his Baur in May 2010 from his home in Anchorage, Alaska to Pasadena, California to attend Bimmerfest 2010.  To call this a journey of epic proportions is a gross understatement of what Jeff accomplished here.  Ponder this:  he traveled alone for nearly four days on largely unpaved roads across the Western Canadian wilderness, camping in a tent, just to reach the northern US border of the Lower 48 States! 

Here is a little of the scenery, the flora and the fauna, so to speak, that Jeff viewed along the way:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYrZxQD89a4&feature=channel

Wow.  Gravel road.  Spectacular backdrop.

Stopping to say "hi" to one of the non-english speaking locals.  Based on the facial expression that deer appears to be saying:  "Wow, is that really a BMW Baur?  Cool!"

;)

Ok, we will get back to all that soon enough.

 I really believe that Jeff's Odyssey is an amazing story in itself.  However, in the course of preparing this series, I have come across a wealth of material that Jeff has shared over the past few years,  mainly in bimmerforums, that serves to flesh out his story considerably.  So I will begin this series by giving you a little history on Jeff and his alaskabimmer Baur.

Here is a video that Jeff posted in May 2007 of his Baur being tested on a Dyno. 
(for those who may be unfamiliar with a 'dyno'.....  According to Wikipedia:  A dynamometer or "dyno" for short, is a device for measuring force, moment of force (torque), or power. For example, the power produced by an engine, motor or other rotating prime mover can be calculated by simultaneously measuring torque and rotational speed (RPM).)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMQ2cAM44Jg&feature=related
"I'm not sure exactly what the motor is, all I know for sure is the head is a 2.7 ETA head since it's stamped on it. The guy who built it did it in 1990 and doesn't remember what all he did and the paper work is in a file box in a shed somewhere....So I'm assuming it's a 2.7 and it's running on K-jet"

As you can see from his comment above, there was some question as to just what motor was in the Baur.
 "Ended up with 140 hp and 161 tq at the wheels, not bad for a car that is 140 hp at the crank from the factory."
"The spoiler is a Zender E-30 M3 Evo spoiler. I'm not sure if it's an e-30 replica piece or a replica piece for the e-21 made from the e-30 piece. I can't find much info on the wing since they don't make them anymore."

N.B.  The comments in quotes are Jeff's.  All photos are Jeff's also.  Thank you, Jeff!

The Baur on the Dyno

Jeff and his Baur

Dyno Results

You can read more of Jeff's original posts on his day at the Dyno here:
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=756412


Much more to come.  Stay tuned for the next installment.... an account of something we shall only refer to as "The Incident".

;)