I previously had a Polaris '72 CSi, which wasn't quite as expensive as this one. When I mentioned this to the person I bought this car from, he asked if the earlier one was bought with Bush dollars. I thought about it for a minute and said, "nope, Clinton dollars." I've also had 3 2002s over the years ('71, '74 & '76).
Here are the details of the car on delivery, "the BMW 3.0 CSi VIN 2263791 was manufactured on November 18th, 1972 and delivered on November 22nd, 1972 to the BMW dealer Antes & Hofmann in Mannheim. The original colour was Fjord metallic, paint code 037."
It has since been repainted to what I think is Baikal Metallic, but I'm not entirely certain about that. I'd have to see it next to an actual Baikal car to know for sure. I welcome member input as to the "colour" of my car...
As you can probably tell from one of the photos, some fiend took a can opener to the roof in the 80s and installed an aftermarket sun roof. It at least seems to be well manufactured and well installed. I'd obviously prefer it not to be there, but in some ways it's liberating in that the car will never be a pristine $100k BAT car. This relieves me from worrying about making things perfect and makes it easier for me to enjoy.
The previous owner had installed an extravagant "Phoenix Gold" stereo system. This included cutting holes in the door cards and the hat rack for speakers; a voltage regulator JUST for the stereo with a machined aluminum cover that could have passed for a Mallory electronic ignition; and a concealed radar detector. The rear antenna for the radar detector was installed behind the rear fog light lens. The light housing itself was sacrificed in the name of avoiding bogeys. It turns out all of this audio excellence and it's attendant voltage requirements made the car run like crap. The dealer/mechanic I bought it from gleefully removed most of it prior to my purchase. There are still countless mystery wires to be accounted for and removed though.
It isn't rust-free by any means, but the places to really watch out for are in good shape. It has a strong replacement motor that is hardly even broken in, and a Metric Mechanics 4 speed. Oh yeah, and Recaro seats. I've got the originals too.
I have learned so much from this forum and its members already. I wish it had been around when I had my first E9! I'm especially appreciative of the way members who also make money from working on and restoring these beauties are so free with their knowledge. I'm thinking specifically of SFDon and Mo Brighta, but I'm sure there are others that I'll come to know.
Finally, I felt a great compulsion to come up with a really snazzy user name. I'm not sure that I succeeded, but I was striving for a double entendre. Our E9s are indeed graceful, but if one's not careful they can also easily deal a coup de grace to the old bank account.
Looking forward to more interactions and (gasp) meeting some of you in person one of these days,
Dan
Here are the details of the car on delivery, "the BMW 3.0 CSi VIN 2263791 was manufactured on November 18th, 1972 and delivered on November 22nd, 1972 to the BMW dealer Antes & Hofmann in Mannheim. The original colour was Fjord metallic, paint code 037."
It has since been repainted to what I think is Baikal Metallic, but I'm not entirely certain about that. I'd have to see it next to an actual Baikal car to know for sure. I welcome member input as to the "colour" of my car...
As you can probably tell from one of the photos, some fiend took a can opener to the roof in the 80s and installed an aftermarket sun roof. It at least seems to be well manufactured and well installed. I'd obviously prefer it not to be there, but in some ways it's liberating in that the car will never be a pristine $100k BAT car. This relieves me from worrying about making things perfect and makes it easier for me to enjoy.
The previous owner had installed an extravagant "Phoenix Gold" stereo system. This included cutting holes in the door cards and the hat rack for speakers; a voltage regulator JUST for the stereo with a machined aluminum cover that could have passed for a Mallory electronic ignition; and a concealed radar detector. The rear antenna for the radar detector was installed behind the rear fog light lens. The light housing itself was sacrificed in the name of avoiding bogeys. It turns out all of this audio excellence and it's attendant voltage requirements made the car run like crap. The dealer/mechanic I bought it from gleefully removed most of it prior to my purchase. There are still countless mystery wires to be accounted for and removed though.
It isn't rust-free by any means, but the places to really watch out for are in good shape. It has a strong replacement motor that is hardly even broken in, and a Metric Mechanics 4 speed. Oh yeah, and Recaro seats. I've got the originals too.
I have learned so much from this forum and its members already. I wish it had been around when I had my first E9! I'm especially appreciative of the way members who also make money from working on and restoring these beauties are so free with their knowledge. I'm thinking specifically of SFDon and Mo Brighta, but I'm sure there are others that I'll come to know.
Finally, I felt a great compulsion to come up with a really snazzy user name. I'm not sure that I succeeded, but I was striving for a double entendre. Our E9s are indeed graceful, but if one's not careful they can also easily deal a coup de grace to the old bank account.
Looking forward to more interactions and (gasp) meeting some of you in person one of these days,
Dan
