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Phactory

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My name is Phil and I live in the Boston area. I started with BMW ownership in the late 70's when I was 18 with a 72 2002. Was very heavily involved with the BMWCCA Boston Chapter, back in the day.

Had a 72 and a 73 2002, plus a couple of 1600's. Passed on an uber clean 1970 2800CS, from Richard Lorenzini (in Bedford, anyone remember him?), because I was just too much in love with my 2002.

A bunch of years later my 2002 was stolen and I had started riding motorbikes, and I got very heavily involved in the BMW Bike world!

From my very first BMW bike, a 1987 K75S, that I bought in the late Spring of 1986, I now have something like 25 or 26 bikes. Included are some of the rarest BMW's ever made, and also some of the most sought after. Some models included are 2 1982 MKM1000's (I used to own 3!), and BMWNA only ever brought in 13 of that model in 1982 only! I also own a 1982 Magni BMW MB2, one of only 150 made. I also have a 1959 R26 (birth year bike), 1972 R75/5 Toaster, 1981 R80G/S, 1981 R100CS, 1985 K100, 1987 K75S, 1988 K100RS SE ABS, 1993 K1, and recently a 2012 R1200R CE.

Other brands include Ducati, MV Agusta, Triumph, Rickman, Honda, Kawasaki, and Harley Davidson.

Lately I have been having a strong urge to liquidate some bikes to make some room for a CS, that I let slip away so long ago. I have made some trips to go look at cars and have joined this forum to reacquaint myself with the marque and it is all slowly coming back to me.

I am really open to pretty much all CS's and its variants, though I definitely want a stick and would definitely prefer a pre 74 car, as I have always preferred the chrome bumpers. I know rust is a major concern and that is my number 1 priority when looking at a vehicle. What more that I am looking for is a car that has been loved, which is kind of funny, as I call my side business Motorcycle Rescue, where I find abused or neglected bikes and rescue them!

One thing that has really surprised me is just how many of these Coupes have been updated to 3.5 engines and 5 speed transmissions. Is that because PO's did not want to rebuild the 3.0's or they just wanted the extra engine capacity? I know in the BMW Bike world that a non matching number bike is the kiss of death and will easily destroy the value of it, and I feel that it is the pretty much the same in the Car world, but it seems like a lot of sellers tout this as a plus. What is the real deal?

I did call on a Polaris CS in California that had a 5 Speed and I was told that the car had been converted from an automatic, which actually seemed like a pretty good idea. I would care much less about an engine/tranny swap if the original parts were included with the vehicle, but I have yet to see any car advertised like that.

I'm looking forward to the hunt and chase and learning and in some cases, relearning all of the knowledge that is important when owning one of these fine E9 coupes!

Thanks, Phil
 
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Stevehose

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Welcome back to the madness. I am a believer that as more people rediscover and start to buy these coupes (such as yourself), matching numbers (or revesible mods with the originals retained) will fetch a premium as it does in other marques. Others here will disagree, but that is why this forum is so good.
 

HB Chris

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Some day in the future a matching numbers coupe might be worth more but in today's environment a 3.5 and 5 speed adds value. I will wager that almost every coupe over heated and got an improved head with an 80s casting date back in the day, the early heads were prone to this. Many got a new long block, VIN is now gone as well. Find the best one you can afford and enjoy it.

Chris
 

sfdon

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And Mr. Macha has just used Occams Razor to illustrate that the early head and USA low compression engines and factory carburation were not the defining attributes of the e9.
Pedestrian and mundane perhaps but not attributes.
 

Phactory

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I am not so anal that I would demand the head have a casting date of the YOM. I have no problem replacing the head with a new one, but I can't see why you would have to replace the block, except for severe damage to the bores or if it was on its 4th overbore.

I would rebuild it to Euro specs and would have no problem putting triple Webers on it, as I did the same to my 73 02. Though being a carb guy I would like to give the Zenith's a crack to see if I could make them work. I just remember back in the day, that they were even worse than the 2 barrel Solexes that came on 73 and later 02's.

Mostly what I want to find is a clean rust free body (if there is such a thing) and a car that has been maintained properly. It certainly is not going to be a DD, and I can take my time finding the right car. God knows that I've waited a long enough time to acquire most of my bikes!

Phil
 
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