BMW of the Week – 1973 BMW 3.0cs – BARN FIND!

“Barn Finds” are talked about rather frequently amongst classic car collectors, no matter their preference in automobiles.  It’s a story of driving down a country road and out of the corner of your eye you see the sun reflecting off the chrome of a car just sitting half covered in a shack.  After approaching the owner you come to find that it belonged to their grandfather and has just been “sitting there” since the 70’s . . .

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BMW of the Week – 1972 3.0csi

In my opinion, the 3.0cs/csi/csl is the most beautiful car BMW has ever built, and this 3.0csi is a really attractive example for a number of reasons.  It’s owner is a really nice guy who also owns an old 2002 and happens to live right around the corner from the shop.  Originally the car was not delivered to the US Market, but made its way to California early in life and has been very well cared for since. This car came into us for what I would call a day-spa treatment — none of the work being major surgery, but in the end you notice a big difference and it’s expensive.

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BMW and the Monterey Historics

A visit to the Monterey Historics should be on the ‘list of things to see before you die’ for any fan of vintage cars.  It is just around the corner, running from 8/15-8/17, see www.montereyhistoric.com for more details.  What the website won’t tell you is just how incredible this experience can be, and that you really need to be there for a full week.  There are many events not to miss, especially the concours events that are not really part of the Rolex event, but always coincide with the weekend.  This is a bit of a snap-shot from my last visit which was two years ago.

Far left is Rug Cunningham (since deceased) of Cunningham BMW.  He was one of the great dealership owners who had an extreme passion for BMW racing and was a staple of the historics as long as BMW was allowed in the gates.  Toward the middle is Boris Said, a successful GT Driver and current NASCAR driver for NoFear.  I first met Boris at a BMW tech conference in St. Louis and see him at different events here and there.  Incredibly edgy driver and a nice guy.

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Profile – BMW e30 325i – A new Classic

If you are looking for a Classic BMW, but you’re not prepared to spend upwards of $15,000, you just can’t beat the BMW e30 3-series. The ‘e30’ was delivered to the US Market between about 1984-1992, but I’d stick to the 325i versions from 1987-1992.  You can get them cheap, they are extremely reasonable to service, and they are a blast to drive.  What more can you ask for in an older BMW?  The e30 was available in various engine and interior combinations over the years, but the two that stand out are the 325ic and the 325is from about 1987-1992.

The BMW e30 325ic (1987-1992) – BMW goes topless for the Masses

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BMW Restorations – Know your options ahead of time

In recent years the restoration market has gone through the roof, especially in the American Muscle car category.  Personally, aside from a 1965 Mustang fastback, I really am a die-hard BMW fan with a few old Ferrari cars mixed in.  With all the hoopla on TV, the auctions, the car shows, etc, many people get into this world of ownership without having the proper knowledge about the car, or about the restoration process in general.  If you are looking at an older BMW with the hopes of restoring it to a fine example of a car, this is what you need to know before buying that ‘candidate’ that needs everything.

BMW Resorations (more…)

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