Happy my CS found a new, caring owner. After more then a decade of driving it as a first car, my family conditions changed and the roads became more and more dangerous because of the traffic, I found myself taking my WRX STI again and again. No place to stall the BMW correctly and the result was that it started to rot away... No local body shop wanted to prepare me an offer for a restoration, and the last one I had left the car to study the stuff that needed to be done and make me a price told me they had a car broker interested in the car.
Anyway, I bought the car in 1995 (not very good in dates, so it might as well be 1994 or 1996) and became the third owner. After having the mechanical part controlled and overhauled by the BMW Dealer Motorsport in Mestre, I imported the car to my home country and started using it intensively. The dealer changed all the filters, the fluids, the seals of all the pumps, the rubber cuffs and sleeves, and disabled the Californian system to recycle parts of the exhaust gasses (the car was built for the American market, but stayed in Europe). Moreover I had the original airco revised (yes, a 1973 car with an airco and seat belts).
A couple of years later on a very hot afternoon, the engine fan's transmission broke and the engine overheated very quickly and fatally. This was also due to the poor design of the engine's water channels, especially in the head. The damage was huge and the revision of the engine would have cost me twice the money a factory revised engine was costing. Moreover, more than 20 years after the car's production, there were just two out of 12 mechanics at Motorsport Mestre that knew how to repair a 6 in line engine with two Zenith double body carburetors. While installing the engine, all the remaining parts of the Californian emission reducing system were removed.
A few years later, the rust devil started to eat up Karmann's not so solid body in all the usual spots. After the engine was swapped, I had the car restored in its original colour, Malaga, had it re-chromed, and had the inside cleaned, especially the fantastic leather seats and sofa in dark beige. The only thing I had the body shop remove were the reflectors on both sides that were compulsory in the USA. The bumpers were already European, fortunately.
I drove the car regularly until 2009, but not as a first car anymore. This obviously accelerated the detoration process, up to the moment I finally decided to get rid of the car. I still love the E9 and have very good memories of the 15 years I drove it. I have kept the car pretty close to original spending too much money for the salary I was earning at that moment. And since I have two left hands I was always very dependent on repair shops that became too expensive for the job they were doing.
Anyway, success with, at least that is what I think, the most remarkable BMW in car history, with its infinitely long shark nose and the electrical windows that completely disappeared in the body. Who knows if I will see it driving around in Slovenia one day...