Pages

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Father's Day Part I! Five (Count 'em: 5!) Baurs Together in Connecticut!


I have just had a fantastic Father's Day Weekend.  This is just the first post of several that will recount some of my adventures.   Stay tuned!
Baur Cabrio Targa at Sports Car Restoration Plainville CT

OK, folks.  We may have just set another record!  This time it is a record for the largest number of Baurs ever gathered together in one place in the State of Connecticut!  The previous known record was set at the BMW CT Valley Chapter Show and Shine in Manchester CT in July 2011, and tied in at the same show in 2012:  TWO Baurs!  Both Baurs are E21s with M20 engines:  Afonso C's 1979 320/6 from Enfield, and Baurspotting's own 1982 323i from Niantic.

On Saturday, June 15, 2013 FIVE (5) BMW Baurs were together at 125 Whiting St, Plainville, CT.  Those in the know may recognize that famous address as the home of Matt McGinn's Sports Car Restoration!  Here they are:

One:
2002 Cabrio Targa by Baur

2002 Cabrio Targa by Baur

2002 Cabrio Targa by Baur

2002 Cabrio Targa by Baur

Two:
Bare Bones of a Cabrio Targa by Baur

Interior view of a Bare Bones Cabrio Targa by Baur

Bare Bones of a Cabrio Targa by Baur

Three:
1600 Voll Cabrio by Baur

1600 Voll Cabrio by Baur

Four:
BMW 700 Cabrio by Baur!  Woo hoo!

BMW 700 Cabrio by Baur

BMW 700 Cabrio by Baur

Ok, that is four.  But ..... Five?
Why.... Me, of course! I drove my 1982 E21 323i Baur up to the Klingberg Show and then over to Sports Car Restorations, but I forgot to take a pic of my car in either place!  

Truth be told, it turns out we were mistaken about the previous record for Baurs in CT.  Although we don't know how long these cars have been in residence at SCR, the fact is that the previous largest convocation of Baurs in CT was taking place EVERY DAY (!) at Sports Car Restoration!  We just didn't know it!  

And to be honest, I am not sure that anyone really knew it.... because most folks don't yet realize that the Voll Cabrios and the 700 Cabrios were built by Baur!  So they sort of slip under almost everyone's Baur radar.  But we at Baurspotting are out to change all that, one car at a time if we have to!    

So, huge kudos to the folks at Sports Car Restoration.... sheesh where do I begin!!??  
1) Special thanks to Nate W. for being so accomodating in showing us around the shop Saturday;

2) As you can see from these pics, Sports Car Restorations is doing just some amazing work--- there were many more cars in the shop, btw, that didn't make it into these pics, or the pics in my other SCR post.  I didn't realize, e.g., that there was an additional second shop area adjacent to the main shop floor.  Nate opened another interior shop door..... to another whole world of projects!  I was stunned!

3)  Part of my reason for going there Saturday was that Lance Johnson, our local Chapter president had told me a while back that SCR had a Baur in the shop.  I definitely wanted to check that out.  But even I was not prepared to see 4 Baurs in there!  Wow!  Thanks to these good folks at Sports Car Restoration, and similar shops across the country, I look forward to seeing more of our beloved Baurs restored and on the road in the not-too-distant future!

I am still amazed:  4 Baurs in the shop at Sports Car Restoration, as we speak!  

Stay tuned, and we will try to keep you informed as those projects proceed.  Please bear in mind, of course, that these projects do take time.  Think of the amount of work left on the "Bare Bones Baur Targa" pictured above!

ADDENDUM:  The trip to the Klingberg Vintage Motorcar Festival (accompanied by one of sons and my grandson) and to Sports Car Restoration on Saturday, June 15, 2013 was part of my Father's Day Weekend celebration.  It was fantastic!  And to discover 4 Baurs at SCR was just the 'icing on the cake'!  Happy Father's Day to all!

Stay tuned for more Father's Day Weekend posts!






No comments:

Post a Comment