Where are the e9s?

[Pinstripe inc.]

After returning to the forum with renewed interest, I have been checking out YouTube videos on e9s. After seeing some good restoration videos, I was steered into some coffee-and-cars, then Bimmer car meets. Where were the e9s!?

Cars and coffee in Malibu, and Scottsdale. Overwhelmed by supercars, Porsches, and custumized Honda’s, Toyotas and other Street rockets, I longed for the profound simplicity and elegance of our e9s. But there were none.

Bimmers of Sweden, an annual meet. Hundreds of Bimmers of every modification know. But nowhere could I find an e9. Where do we hide? Are we antisocial, are we car snobs? Perhaps we are just normal owners who enjoy tinkering with our toys, and occasional fair weather cruising. Perhaps classic cars are just off—trend.

I also noticed that the crowds seemed younger.

Your thoughts? Cheers.

 

[bmw2800cs]

Maybe tangential but here is an article on Robert Downey Jr's suh-weet Restomod:

How Robert Downey Jr. Turned This 1974 BMW 3.0 CS Into a Showstopping Restomod

Robert Downey Jr. asked Wisconsin custom shop SpeedKore to build him a 1974 BMW 3.0 CS restomod and the results are incredible.

robbreport.com

 

[Dohn]

I don't see too many young people in e9s, but the cars are around. We typically get around 10-12 at The Vintage, three or four at BMW CCA Oktoberfests, and one or two at the local Cars and Coffee. The simple reality is that they are fairly rare, due to relatively low production numbers and 50 years of attrition. The cars are starting to sell for amounts that eliminate the casual collector, and that plus high repair costs and a growing list of unobtainium parts may also cause some owners to fear driving theirs, which is a tragedy. I plan to drive mine, as it's way too much fun to be left sitting in the garage...

 

[Ohmess]

Events that cater to supercars and big chunks of the porsche world are not really our cup of tea because they lean too much toward what I call the capital intensive end of the car world - Guys who write big checks and don't know that much about how or why their cars work. Even the e9 folks here who hire out a lot of their work know a fair bit about their cars.

Similarly, events that cater to the owners of Hondas/Toyotas/street racers don't mesh with us very well because, that tends to be a much younger crowd, and to be honest, most of us don't really think of the process of making alterations to engine mapping on a laptop as doing something mechanical to a car.

Muscle car don't really appeal to us either. We've been spoiled from driving cars that like to change direction and will actually stop when you step on the brakes.

Seek out events that cater to analog European cars and you will be far more likely to encounter another e9. And if you don't, the other cars you see will be much more interesting than the supercars or ricers or muscle cars.

 

[Pinstripe inc.]

Events that cater to supercars and big chunks of the porsche world are not really our cup of tea because they lean too much toward what I call the capital intensive end of the car world - Guys who write big checks and don't know that much about how or why their cars work. Even the e9 folks here who hire out a lot of their work know a fair bit about their cars.

Similarly, events that cater to the owners of Hondas/Toyotas/street racers don't mesh with us very well because, that tends to be a much younger crowd, and to be honest, most of us don't really think of the process of making alterations to engine mapping on a laptop as doing something mechanical to a car.

Muscle car don't really appeal to us either. We've been spoiled from driving cars that like to change direction and will actually stop when you step on the brakes.

Seek out events that cater to analog European cars and you will be far more likely to encounter another e9. And if you don't, the other cars you see will be much more interesting than the supercars or ricers or muscle cars.

That’s really interesting. I have not heard the term “analog” European cars before.”)

 

[Ohmess]

Not sure if I made that up or, more likely, stole it from someone else. And perhaps the reason you haven't heard it is because it is a little imprecise.

Technically our cars are not entirely analog in that the later ones had computerized engine management. Carbureted cars like mine, however originally had no computers at all. But if we set aside the engine management system, BMWs operated with electrical circuits up until about the mid-2000s. And, a mechanic could work on them without the need to obtain a computer (with perhaps a code reader for the emissions stuff).

With the introduction of CAN-bus technologies, most of the car's functions ran through a computer of some type. And, a computer was required to work on them.

 

[Pinstripe inc.]

Not sure if I made that up or, more likely, stole it from someone else. And perhaps the reason you haven't heard it is because it is a little imprecise.

Technically our cars are not entirely analog in that the later ones had computerized engine management. Carbureted cars like mine, however originally had no computers at all. But if we set aside the engine management system, BMWs operated with electrical circuits up until about the mid-2000s. And, a mechanic could work on them without the need to obtain a computer (with perhaps a code reader for the emissions stuff).

With the introduction of CAN-bus technologies, most of the car's functions ran through a computer of some type. And, a computer was required to work on them.

I googled it... and it’s there.

 

[Mike Goble]

I used to wonder the same thing about E3's. I drove mine all over the west coast for seven years before I met another guy with one that actually ran. I did pass an E9 on I-5 one time, though.

 

[Baikal Bimmer]

Has anyone figured out where the current largest concentration of e9s is?

 

[Markos]

Let’s focus on the numbers. Here is a SWAG. I’m using US figures as C&C started in the US, and well I dunno.

30,000 E9’s made
3,700 US Models
5,200 Imports - generous 20% of remaining

That’s about 9,000 cars in the US from the start. Now assume that 80% survived, bringing the number down to 7,000. Now divide that number by 50 states and you have 140 cars.

Next, assume that 20% of the owners of these cars are interested in C&C, and have a show-worthy vehicle. That’s about 30 per state.

Next, divide each stage into a conservative 2 major cities. You now have 15 cars per metropolitan. Now divide that by 4 given that most people aren’t going every weekend. That is about 4 cars available in said city for said event.

Now take all that, and add the sentiment about cars and coffee, room for parking, etc.

That’s why!

Consideration: I gave a number of 7,000 cars remaining in the US. We actually have a grand total of less than 3,000 worldwide registered cars on bmwcsregistry.org. With the same loose math, that would half the number of cars that might show up on a given weekend.

How many times have you seen an unrecognized/new e9 on the road?

My answer is 4:

Chamonix 2008
Granada 2015 (bought it)
Sahara 2018
Polaris 2019

 

[adawil2002]

When I attend the Caffeine & Carburetors in New Canaan CT. There are a few E9s who show up & are usually parked conspicuously on Elm Street or at Waveny House in the front courtyard.

Porsches including the 3 959s are relegated to either a back lot or the big field they are a dime a dozen & nothing special in Lower Fairfield County.

 

[m5bb]

I have a private group in Atlanta with over 60 BMW owners.
9 are E9 owners. Of those 9 there is one I have never seen. We have 18 E24's.

Markos made me dizzy with his math.

The most I have ever seen together was probably at Legends. 18 the year I was there.
The Vintage in NC had 8? and my car was not back together for that. 2018
I have been the featured car at Caffeine & Octane 2 times and that is supposedly the biggest monthly car show in the US. Only E9 at show. One time over the last 10 years or so we had 2 there.
Sharkfest has had at least 5 at one time.
The other question I get asked all the time, "is that a 6 series"

Here is a Youtube Video done during Covid last summer with a friend. I've posted it before. The live sound files were messed up so he put music to it.

 

[Mike Goble]

That’s about 9,000 cars in the US from the start. Now assume that 80% survived, bringing the number down to 7,000. Now divide that number by 50 states and you have 140 cars.

I would apportion them by population. I'll guarantee that there aren't 140 E9's in Wyoming.

 

[Markos]

I would apportion them by population. I'll guarantee that there aren't 140 E9's in Wyoming.

LOL no doubt. Very rough math. I think half of all e9's are in California. Maybe 50 in Washington. That was all based on a high survival number also.

 

[Markos]

I can perhaps provide the make, but certainly not the model any "special edition" door-stop-shaped supercars produced after the year 2005.

Might as well have a parking lot full of these:

 

[HB Chris]

I think survival is only 30-35%.

 

[adawil2002]

Legends of the Autobahn in 2016 as I recall there were 56 Coupes.

 

[HB Chris]

We average 15-20 at Legends and had 60 in 2016 when our East Coast brethren came out west.

 

[Baikal Bimmer]

I’ll say this, other than my own coupe and those I’ve seen at Carl’s, I have never seen one on the road.

 

[HB Chris]

Quite a few in Long Beach and Orange County