Friday, July 31, 2015

Small Baur World! BMW 1982 320 E30 5 speed 6 Cylinder - $8000! Baur #2581 Again!

Baurspotting knows this Baur! We have been tracking this one for several years, and through three owners. This is Baur #2581, one of the original 25 US Spec Baurs imported to North America by BMW. It originally went to Canada, and has since come down to the US. It is no longer a US Spec model, since the engine has been swapped out to an E30 M20. While that may be perceived as an improvement in performance--- and if it is running that is undoubtedly true----- but in our mind, it would be more collectible in its original, uber-rare, US Spec version.

But, c'est la vie. Here it is!

From the seller:

"Looking for somebody who knows about this.This is a very rare US import. Only 25 of them were sent to the US market. It's very rare 6 cilynders not 4. Needs full restoration. Engine needs to be rebuild its blockin now. I can throw E30 6 cylinder motor in here but to keep vin matching. I have the original wheels. 18 inch BB is not included in sale. Recaro seats I have door panels new front and back comes with the car. The car is worth 20K it's yours for $8000 firm. Text only : four oh seven-867-9575 Mike Zaza"

OK, so the bottom line is that it is listed as a "320". It is no longer a '320i", nor is it even a 320. I am not sure what he means by 'to keep the VIN matching". The only way he can keep the VIN matching is to return the original M10 320i engine, and I see no mention of that anywhere.

Here are some previous posts on Baur #2581, including more pics. This Baur was formerly located in the Atlanta area btw:

http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/2014/12/rare-us-spec-e21-baur-for-sale-in.html
http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/2012/05/hotlanta-baurs-got-em-all.html

Don't get me wrong, I would love someone to save this Baur. It is definitely one of the original North American 25. You can find it listed on this chart:

Scroll down the second column on the right, a little past the halfway mark. You will see "72581'. Read the info on that row: this is that car! But with a different engine.

http://orlando.craigslist.org/cto/5149040514.html

I personally think it would be more be more valuable from a collectible perspective in its original specifications. I do not think that it is worth $8000 as is, but I do think it is worth saving! I hope someone feels the same as I do, and buys it to save it from the crusher!

Stay tuned!

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Florida TC1 Baur #4040 Bidding at $16,500 on Ebay!

Thanks for the heads up to Adrian P.! This beautiful Baur is apparently back on the market. We have featured this Baur four times* in previous posts. It is a beauty. Good luck to Charlie W. on the sale! It was also in the German Cars For Sale Blog, which is where these pics came from. Check the links to the other 4 posts below for more pics, plus the German Cars link..

Item specifics

Condition:	Used
Seller Notes:	“EXCELLENT CONDITION 320/6 BAUR LOW MILES.”

VIN (Vehicle Identification Number):	WBAAH1103C6972482	Year:	1982
Number of Cylinders:	6	Make:	BMW
Transmission:	Manual	Model:	3-Series
Body Type:	Convertible	Trim:	2 DOOR BAUR
Warranty:	Vehicle does NOT have an existing warranty	Engine:	M20-6
Vehicle Title:	Clear	Drive Type:	5 SPEED
Options:	Cassette Player	Mileage:	60,038
Power Options:	Air Conditioning	Sub Model:	BAUR
Fuel Type:	Gasoline	Exterior Color:	HENNAROT
For Sale By:	Private Seller	Interior Color:	Black
Disability Equipped:	No

RARE 1982 BMW 320/6 BAUR CONVERTIBLE. #4040
EXCELLENT CONDITION. VERY GOOD ORIGINAL PAINT. SOME TOUCHUP PAINT DONE DURING LIFE OF CAR, BUT IS MOSTLY ORIGINAL. LOOKS GREAT.
SEATS RECOVERED WITH ORIGINAL MATERIAL.
FOLLOWING DONE ON CAR RECENTLY:
SERVICED BY BMW SERVICE TECH.
TIMING BELT REPLACED AT 59K MILES.
NEW WATER PUMP.
NEW COUNTER SHAFT PULLY GEAR.
NEW FRONT CRANK SEALS.
NEW A/C COMPRESSOR. A/C BLOWS COLD.
NEW GERMAN MUFFLER.
NEW WEBER CARBURATOR ( ORIGINAL SOLEX COMES WITH CAR)
NEW INTERSTATE BATTERY.
NEW CASSETTE RADIO (NOS)
HAVE SERVICE RECORDS DATING BACK TO THE 80's
CALIFORNIA CAR. CALIFORNIA CERTIFIED. NO RUST!
GOOD TIRES. NEWER BRAKE JOB.
JUST TURNED 60 THOUSAND MILES! GARAGE KEPT.
DRIVES GREAT. INSPECTIONS WELCOMED.
CAR IS LOCATED NEAR OCALA FLORIDA.

*http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/2013/12/new-baur-4040-on-ebay-wow.html
http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/2014/04/florida-tc1-baur-charlie-ws-hennarot.html
http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/2015/03/was-posted-yesterday-in-facebook.html
http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/2015/05/e21-baur-4040-for-sale-in-florida.html

http://germancarsforsaleblog.com/1982-bmw-e21-3206-baur-for-sale/

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-3-Series-BAUR-/271939109199?forcerrptr=true&hash=item3f50d5814f&item=271939109199

Thank you, Adrian!

Friday, July 24, 2015

My Friend, Afonso, and Baur #A000048!

I want you to meet my good friend, Afonso Conceicao. Afonso owns the only other confirmed E21 Baur in Connecticut, and I am very proud to call him my friend. I thought that this might be an opportune time to do a post featuring Afonso, since this weekend (July 26, 2015) is the BMW CCA CT Valley Chapter's annual Show and Shine in Manchester, CT, and that is where Afonso and I, ----and our Baurs---- first met back in 2011!

Baur to Baur! My son, Brian, shot this pic out of the window of the Baurspotting Baur on Sunday, July 12, 2015, as we returned to Connecticut from a great weekend at the Vintage at Saratoga.

BTW, Afonso was born in Brazil, and that hat is from Brazil! I love this pic! Wow! Perfect shot!

You will notice that we are both driving in the Baur-unique Landaulette style! Targa-top on the car, rear soft top wide open! We sit in shaded comfort with a 70mph gale blowing through the Baur! Gotta love that! It was a great ride!

Here is a little side note on Afonso. He came to the US back in the '70's as a teenager. He used to race Mini Coopers at Lime Rock back in the day, in the course of which he had occasion to not only meet, but to actually race against, none other than Paul Newman! Ask him about that! He has stories! :)

Anyway, here is a long overdue feature on Afonso's Baur! Afonso is the owner of the earliest known Baur in the US : A000048. That is the 48th Baur of a total of 4595 built. It was originally imported to Canada, and found its way to the US eventually. Afonso bought from a person in Massachusetts.

First, here are some pics Afonso sent me, taken when he first bought Baur #000048 in October, 2005

It is a 1978 320/6. If you are not familiar with what that means..... it is the original BMW 'baby six'. The first M20 engine was a 2.0 liter carbureted inline six, and this is an example of it! It is a very torquey, fun car to drive, as anyone who owns one will attest!

Notice that it is carbureted, not fuel injected. Afonso has since changed the carburetor, and installed a mechanical fuel pump.

This is the original craigslist ad that Afonso responded to. Those are Afonso's handwritten notes under the pictures. Great stuff!

It still has less than 70,000 miles on it, btw! ;)

This group of pics (below) was taken by Davey101 of Bimmerforums at the BMWCCA Connecticut Valley Chapter Show and Shine, July 2009. This was my first introduction to Afonso. When I saw these pics. I was determined to find the "other' E21 Baur in Connecticut!

The earliest known E21 Baur in the US: A000048-01! Wow! Kudos, Afonso!

So I attended one of the BMW CCA Connecticut Valley Chapter's (CVC) events, an Ice Cream Social in Colchester. I met Lance Johnson and Dave Rich there, both Officers in the Chapter. I asked if they knew who the other Baur owner might be, and if I could get in touch with him.

Dave Rich stated that he knew who he was, and very graciously offered to contact him for me. Sure enough, later that very evening, I got a call from Afonso, the other Baur owner, and the rest is history! We agreed to meet at the up-coming CVC Show and Shine at Wickham Park in Manchester. Thank you, Dave Rich!

Here are a couple of poor quality phone pics from that first meeting in Manchester.

This is a rare Baur Badge, which Afonso has recently re-installed on his Baur!

We actually made it into the media back in 2011! This is a spread from the CT Valley Chapter magazine, Die Zeitung, from the summer of 2011.

Our two Baurs are at the bottom of the spread near the centerfold. The pic was taken as we were preparing to head home.

Afonso and I at the BMW CT Valley Chapter Show and Shine 2011. First meeting, and it was a great time!

This is Afonso's Bauri in 2011, and, by pure coincidence, I am captured in the pic, extolling the virtues of his beautiful Baur, no doubt! ;) This is a screen shot of the Die Zeiteung article above, and that is the source of the pic. :)

Vintage at Saratoga 2012

The following summer we helped organize a group of Baur owners from New England and New York to attend the Vintage at Saratoga together as a group in July 2012, Saratoga Springs, NY. The result was the largest known gathering of Baurs ever in the US! We had 7 Baurs on the field: 6 E21 TC1s, and 1 E30 TC2!

July 2012 CT Valley Chapter Show and Shine, Manchester CT

These two pics were taken at the BMWCCA Connecticut Valley Chapter Annual Show and Shine 2012 at Wickham Park, Manchester, CT, and they appeared in the sept/Oct 2012 edition of Die Zeitung, the Chapter magazine. Those t-shirts were just officially introduced at the Vintage at Saratoga NY about a week earlier, and they sold out!

Here is the reverse of the t shirt showing the Baur as : "Four Cars In One"! Coupe, 'Targa", Landaulette, and Convertible! This pic is by Lance Johnson, taken at the Misquamicut BMW CCA Social with the Boston Chapter, June, 2012.

For a short time, Connecticut was home to THREE Baurs, after our friend Rob Theriaque bought Baur #917 in Philly and brought it back to CT. (It was once owned by Josh Lyons of Mystic.) The Connecticut Valley Chapter's annual Humpa Picnic in Glastonbury, CT provided us with the occasion to get all three CT Baurs together in one spot!

The meet up.

Afonso and Rob standing next to Rob's Baur. Rob has since sold his Baur and become a father! Congrats, Rob and Abby!

Rob, Afonso and Baur A000048.

Afonso telling stories of his days racing Mini Coopers at Lime Rock Park.

Here we are together again at the Bav Auto October 2014 Show and Shine in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Hi-rise camera shot of Bav Auto 2014. E21 Baurs (Afonso's and mine) can be seen at the upper left of the pic.

Afonso and I awaiting admittance to Bav Auto Show and Shine 2014.

The meet up before the show.

The Bav Auto Show and Shine October 2014.

I love this pic! You can see the photographer's shadow with the camera on a long rod at the lower right of the pic. (L to R) Afonso, Tom speaking to a new Baur owner from NY and his friend. He had just bought our friend Matt S's beautiful cranberry Baur from Philadelphia, but the car was not present at this show. We hope to see it soon!

Lime Rock Historics "Sunday in the Park", Labor Day weekend September 2014.

Skip ahead now to 2015, and the Vintage at Saratoga, July 11, 2015, one of my absolute favorite shows!

Baurs on the Mass Pike Friday afternoon enroute to Saratoga! Pic by Jose Rosario.

At The Parting Glass for the Meet and Greet Dinner.

On the lawn of The Saratoga Automobile Museum

Two Baurs, with my son Brian in the white shirt approaching the camera.

This is one of my favorite pics!

The Three Amigos at The Cantina, Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY. July 11. 2015. (L to R) Afonso in the Baur t shirt, '02 owner Joe Cunningham, and Tom Schuch. Three Connecticut Yankees, more or less. ;) Afonso's Baur can be seen parked on the street in the background. What are the chances of that!!! Pic by Brian Schuch, whose dinner can be seen at the left of the table. :)

Here is a view from the opposite side of the street. The first table in the little alleyway is where we were seated for dinner on Saturday night after the Vintage show. Is that perfect, or what? ;)

Stopping for gas after having breakfast with the BMW guys and gals at Wolff's Biergarten, Albany NY July 12, 2015. Baurspotting Baur and Afonso. Pic by Brian Schuch.

On the road again! Notice those sharp yellow headlamps!

Heading home from the Vintage at Saratoga, July 12, 2015.

Here is Afonso's Baur in a pic that was used to advertise this year's Show and Shine in Manchester this coming weekend! I believe the pic was taken at least year's event. Afonso's Baur is the 5th car from the right.