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Tuesday, September 12, 2017

The Merrick Baur Is For Sale: 1981 BMW 318i Baur Convertible/Targa TC1 - $9995 (Centerport)

1981 BMW 318i Baur Convertible/Targa TC1 - $9995 (Centerport)


Thanks to our friend Layne Wylie in Texas for the heads up on this Baur for sale in NY!  Our friend Ingo. P. has decided to sell his 1981 318i Baur.  You may recall that we have written about this Baur several times over the years because it had been spotted on Long island, but we could not locate the car or the owner.  Here are links to a couple of our previous posts on this Baur*.  This is a beauty, folks!  

I love this color. This car is very tempting to me.... except that I want to STAY married, if you know what I mean!  ;)  










Baur #3136


1981 BMW 
fuel: gas
odometer: 74000
title status: clean 
transmission: manual 
Text of Craigslist ad: 
Up for sale is an extremely rare European model 1981 BMW E 21 318i Baur TC1 convertible/targa.

BMW did not produce their own convertibles for the E 21 line and commissioned the German Baur coach building company to produce these vehicles (only 4595 ever made, built in Stuttgart Germany) which were then sold in the BMW dealership show room. This car is an original European model with European bumpers, certainly more beautiful than the big 5 mph US mandated bumpers. Factory BBS rims, BBS front air dam and rear Zender spoiler. The roof consists of a fiberglass panel that can be removed separately from the rear convertible section. The fiberglass panel fits neatly in the trunk. The system works extremely well and is weather tight. 

This is an original 74,000 mile vehicle with documentation going back to 1981 and a Carfax report showing no accidents. Extremely dry with minimal rust and very straight (apart from a couple of grocery store door dings). The original "Zypressengrun Metalic" paint is in good condition, although it appears it was reclear-coated at some point. 

This car runs and drives beautifully with its original fuel-injected 105 hp strong M 10 engine mated to the original four-speed transmission that shifts tightly and smoothly. A reliable daily driver. The rear brakes were just replaced with all German ATE parts and are strong and straight. The steering is tight and direct as well.

I just finished most of the upholstery in the original color, although not the original fabric ($1150). The dash has some cracks in it and a couple of items have to be sorted out on the instrument panel such as the LED clock, the original lighter and radio. The original carpet and door panels are in place and presentable. The interior is complete and nice but needs a bit of attention here and there. 

The original owners manual as well as German literature is in the glove box. I bought this car from the second owner who drove it less than 200 miles per year, the Carfax report shows this. This car has always lived underneath a car cover in a garage since it was brought here from Germany in 1987. A clean New York title is in my hand as well and the car just passed the safety inspection and is registered.

I'm not in a hurry to sell this car and don't need to. I'm also not too flexible on the price. This car is absolutely wonderful to drive and always get a "thumbs-up" every time we take her out. As an extremely rare unmolested car, I am only looking to have it go to a serious classic car/BMW enthusiast. And, as a sidenote, the last e21 Baur convertible/targa that sold on the website "Bring A Trailer" was a non original US-model that sold for $5000 more than the asking price in this ad.

https://newyork.craigslist.org/lgi/cto/d/1981-bmw-318i-baur/6302745666.html

Thank you Layne and .... Best wishes on your sale, Ingo!  


*Post from 2011, when we first learned about it!
http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/2011/03/east-coast-represent.html?m=0

Post from April, 2017, when ---- at long last--- we finally located and identified this elusive Baur!    ;)  
http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/2017/04/coming-in-from-cold-long-sought-merrick.html?m=0

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