Lack of windshield seal availability seems to be a frustration for many of us. I know I would love to replace my screen (slightly cracked on the passenger side), but without a replacement seal I'm not sure I would want to chance it even If I had the new glass on hand.
How does the cross section of the e3 seal vary from an e9 or e10 chassis? Sounds like the e12 gasket is close, but is this a size issue or a shape issue? Shortening it and sealing it with some windshield urethane seems viable if the shape is right and the trim can fit. No problem to urethane any questionable areas to prevent leaks in my mind, as long as the result is presentable.
It is hard to imagine that anyone other than BMW would be interested in tooling up to manufacture these seals. Realistically, there are probably less than 100 people on the planet right now who would genuinely drop $800 for a E3 seal (probably would need to cost more for the manufacturer to make any sort of margin). Once the seals are finally produced and become available, everyone who needs one buys them, and then what? Hard to imagine it being a profitable affair.
Right now, BMW has the tooling available, so it seems like encouraging a production run is the best option. Wonder what it would take to get them to reproduce, obviously ordering through the dealer network is not cutting it. Anyone have a contact at the ivory tower or mobile traditions? Making these seems like much more of a favor to the enthusiast community than a viable business decision.