mkekiddoc
Member
I’ll try to be brief. When I was a wee lad in the early 70s, my father bought a used E10 (1600), which was our family car for 4 years until a large mechanical failure forced him to sell. But it left an impression in my young, car-crazed brain regarding BMWs. As a teenager, while friends had posters of Corvettes, Ferraris, and Lambos on their walls, I had a grainy calendar photo of an E9 CSL.
Fast forward to middle age adulthood, after owning a VW B5 Passat, an Audi B7 S4, and a Chevrolet SS Sedan (all manuals, of course), I took the plunge into BMW ownership last year and made my daily driver a Sunset Orange M2 Competition with gold CS 763M wheels (that color combo works better than you would think).
But I’ve been thinking about owning an E9 for at least 5 years. After meeting e9er at Cars and Coffee, being able to see the possibilities with his absolutely stunning ‘72 Coupe, I became increasingly serious about pulling the trigger. Thanks to Vince’s guidance (and after a visit to Coupe King, where Erik generously lent his valuable time educating me about purchase pitfalls and restoration costs), I found a nice ‘73 CS on BaT in April. 2240697 (fjord with white leather, 4-speed, slick top) has lived most of its life in California, where it was rescued from the bone dry Bakersfield area and underwent a cosmetic restoration (high quality repaint and total interior refurbishment). The engine, chassis, engine bay were not touched. Documentation shows that the 76,493 miles at purchase time in April 2024 are original. The previous owner bought it at a Bonham’s auction in January 2017 for $60,000 + fees, just 3 years after all that work was done.
But it had not been driven much during prior ownership, so needs some mechanical sorting. The only rust found so far is minimal - surface rust around the battery tray, as the engine bay remains untouched.
My plans? (1) To get this beauty to run well. If it doesn’t drive really well, what’s the point? My track experience has warped my perspective about driving. I may even breathe on the motor a bit - cam, headers, head work, possibly FI if I can’t get the dual Webers tuned well enough (installed by last owner)….not opposed to a M30B35 swap if desired result is elusive. And yes, I do know that these were never fast cars…just want it to get out of its own way. (2). Stainless exhaust. (3). Suspension/tire/wheel upgrade. (4). Finish the engine bay and get rid of the mild rust there. (5). 5-speed conversion. I think it has the 3.64 LSD and it just needs to calm down a bit on the freeway.
Then, I want to drive and enjoy this thing, and be a good caretaker. We have incredible, beautiful roads throughout the Pacific NW, and they are calling. Within a year or two it would be epic to drive 2240697 to Legends of the Autobahn (726 miles from home) and BMW SoCal Vintage (938 miles) shows.
I am excited to be part of this forum, with deep gratitude for the generosity, kindness, and fund of knowledge that exists here. I haven’t spent much time on forums in the past, but it’s already clear that this is a special place. Thank you in advance for your patience with this newbie and for my pleas and questions that are sure to come.
Fast forward to middle age adulthood, after owning a VW B5 Passat, an Audi B7 S4, and a Chevrolet SS Sedan (all manuals, of course), I took the plunge into BMW ownership last year and made my daily driver a Sunset Orange M2 Competition with gold CS 763M wheels (that color combo works better than you would think).
But I’ve been thinking about owning an E9 for at least 5 years. After meeting e9er at Cars and Coffee, being able to see the possibilities with his absolutely stunning ‘72 Coupe, I became increasingly serious about pulling the trigger. Thanks to Vince’s guidance (and after a visit to Coupe King, where Erik generously lent his valuable time educating me about purchase pitfalls and restoration costs), I found a nice ‘73 CS on BaT in April. 2240697 (fjord with white leather, 4-speed, slick top) has lived most of its life in California, where it was rescued from the bone dry Bakersfield area and underwent a cosmetic restoration (high quality repaint and total interior refurbishment). The engine, chassis, engine bay were not touched. Documentation shows that the 76,493 miles at purchase time in April 2024 are original. The previous owner bought it at a Bonham’s auction in January 2017 for $60,000 + fees, just 3 years after all that work was done.
But it had not been driven much during prior ownership, so needs some mechanical sorting. The only rust found so far is minimal - surface rust around the battery tray, as the engine bay remains untouched.
My plans? (1) To get this beauty to run well. If it doesn’t drive really well, what’s the point? My track experience has warped my perspective about driving. I may even breathe on the motor a bit - cam, headers, head work, possibly FI if I can’t get the dual Webers tuned well enough (installed by last owner)….not opposed to a M30B35 swap if desired result is elusive. And yes, I do know that these were never fast cars…just want it to get out of its own way. (2). Stainless exhaust. (3). Suspension/tire/wheel upgrade. (4). Finish the engine bay and get rid of the mild rust there. (5). 5-speed conversion. I think it has the 3.64 LSD and it just needs to calm down a bit on the freeway.
Then, I want to drive and enjoy this thing, and be a good caretaker. We have incredible, beautiful roads throughout the Pacific NW, and they are calling. Within a year or two it would be epic to drive 2240697 to Legends of the Autobahn (726 miles from home) and BMW SoCal Vintage (938 miles) shows.
I am excited to be part of this forum, with deep gratitude for the generosity, kindness, and fund of knowledge that exists here. I haven’t spent much time on forums in the past, but it’s already clear that this is a special place. Thank you in advance for your patience with this newbie and for my pleas and questions that are sure to come.
