A Rare Bird: The E30 Baur

[TomDC]

Hi guys,
Well I swapped interior, including carpet. Seats are no problem but the doing the carpet is another story!
I'll start with "dumb and dumber" and then "good, bad, and the ugly":
Dumb: the interior Ih got is oem bmw gray/black houndstooth recaros and not brown/tan like i thought it was. (btw, my old carpet was called "nut" and seats were brown/tan checkered)
Dumber: I decided to do the swap anyways. Put door driver's door card on twice because I had trouble with lock.
Good: the new interior looks good overall, I improved several interior tidbits (like new cassette holder, ashtrays, etc. It was a great Spring weekend weather.
Bad: I discovered there was moisture/rust under old carpet padding up front (worst was under drivers feet. I cleaned out as much rust as I could and dried it up b/f putting in new padding. BMW recaros were extremely hard to bolt down because VERY little bolt thread showing -- I barely have some nuts threaded on and passenger seat is missing one nut.
Ugly: rear seat bottom is sticking up a little because no hooks to latch on. (Sammy: yes, I went from a coil to cushion rear seat.). My entire body is sore from doing this, plus soccer and cycling! Advil is my friend!

I took some fotos and will post when I get a chance.

Best,
Tom

[Sammy7]

I went out and compared the "new" rear seat bottom that I have ready to go in to the one already in the car--both have the same hardware, so it looks like I'm safe as far as that goes.

[Baur]

Hi Sammy, yours is an '85, so no problem. Only the really early cars are different, the one build before september '83.

Here some pictures of what I did today.



Started taking it apart for a complete respray. It was already partially welded, this year the car should be ready for a drive after about 3 years standing around.

I also had to take the TC1 inside. Children (at least, I think/hope) where in it, the doors and roof where opened when I got there today.



Gr Jeroen

[Sammy7]

Thanks Jeroen. I was thinking the same thing once I saw Tom's was an '83.

I do have one more question: What's the point of the cover that's #3 in this diagram?



Is it to protect the window when it's up or when it's down? I've always had it, but just realized what it was for today. I really don't see much of a point though.

[Baur]

It's used for two things; you can wrap your roofcover in it. And it can used to cover the window when the roof is up. That's against dirt and ice.

I've never used it

Gr Jeroen

[TomDC]

Here are some photos showing moisture/ rust I discovered. Also, isn't that wiring loom by the steering column just beautiful?!?!

i'll take some photos of my rear seat when i get the car back from the shop (timing belt, tensioner, water pump, seals...)

[TomDC]

Ok, some of the Baur accessories (like rear window cover) may be a bit 'over the top' (sorry!), but you must admit the company did a top notch job and thought through pretty much everything. Guess I'm preaching to the choir here though...

Btw, I had one of those moments yesterday where some guy and gal stopped me and asked about the car. He was really excited saying he's never seen anything like this!

Which brings me to another topic, the Baurs were not that unique in the 70/80's, were they? I think jaguar did something similar. And, I had a friend who had a Lancia Zagato (same time I had my old Baur) and that car was VERY similar with the two tops. I saw on Wikipedia, someone in the Baur family obtained a patent. Does anyone know what the patent was for? I checked the US Patent database and I did not see any patent issued to "Baur" for anything relating to cars.

[tomscat1]

For example..... 1985 Jaguar XJS Cabriolet 5.3 Litre V12


There is a GM car in my neighborhood that is a convertible with a built in roll bar. It does not have the Targa type roof however. It is a 1994 Buick, cant remember the model, however.

Also, here are a few Renault 5's posted by HarryPR last year, when discussing the same topic, i.e., other Baur-type cars.

"check out these "Baur-ish" Renault 5's, built by a company called Sovr LM in France:" ------ Thanks HarryPR!!






Here is the thread on the Nebraska Hartge Baur above that Jeroen posted the other day:
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1421891

I have PM'ed the former owner... stay tuned!

[Baur]

1912 erstes Patent (276663) "umlegbares Verdeck für Luxuskraftwagen"

1912: First patent (276663) "Foldable roof for Luxury-cars"

@TomDC; Quality was one of the things for which Baur stood out of. That's also the reason why Baur was the company who build exclusive cars like the Audi SportQuattro, BMW M1 and Porsche 959.

But Baur had nothing to do with cars like the Lancia, Jaguar or even the BMW E24 convertible.

Gr Jeroen

[Sammy7]

Close to a Baur-type roof, but not quite: Triumph Stag

[Baur]

Today I took the hardtop of. Time from hardtop to softtop: 10.10 till 11 o'clock. Some pics:

Hardtop unscrewed

And off.

The vents in the rear-shelf, which where modded by Baur.

From inside

The hardtop inside. Yes, it's fabric is coming loose.

The softtop on it's frame, hanging on the ceiling

Had to take some parts out of my "Baur-box"

Another difference which Baur made. Normally, the belt in the middle can by stored on the shelf. Baur took this opportunity away, so it wont damage the window.

Softtop on!

And outside again.

Gr Jeroen

[tomscat1]

Close to a Baur-type roof, but not quite: Triumph Stag

thanks, Sammy7!

I have started a new page on my blog for pics of cars like this.... i.e., non-BMW Baur-type Top Cabriolet/Targa designs from various manufacturers. We have just gotten started so.....Contributions are most welcome!

http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/p/non-bmw-baur-or-baur-type-top.html

[TomDC]

Tomscat: cool idea, several cool cars. The Renault looks a little like a Suzy Samurai. And the Stag, what a great car -- perfect for looking cool and pushing home!

Thanks to Jeff in NC for heads up, I scored a baur top fix kit on eBay! I am mainly interested in the handle part (my current handle is cracked but I think still functional). For this Jeff, I will be a UNC Tarheel fan for one month!

Jeroen: thanks for photos. The interior looks familiar and I noticed you did not take off the headrests for the softop!

[BMWtyro]

TomDC,
You are certainly welcome. No UNC Tarheel allegiance necessary; instead, try to make it to The Vintage (all-BMW show) down here in Winston-Salem's Old Salem Village. It should be a fairly easy 6.5 hour drive for you via I-66 west to I-81 south to I-77 south to I-40 east. At least three Baur TC2s showed up last year, plus one Targa 2002. http://atthevintage.com/
So you think that you have wiring problems? Check out the attachment which shows the "bird's nest" that I found under my instrument board!

Jeroen,
I too thought that all Baurs had no parcel shelf provision for center seat belt stowage, but I was apparently wrong. The shelf I just bought on eBay does indeed have the triangular buckle retainer, and it appears that it always has! It is the same shelf which you IDed as correct, but I could not see the retainer in the eBay photos, either. It appears to have all of the right contours and the central blower which only(?) the Baurs used. It also has two little chrome button snaps which I assume are for the apron which protects the rear window from the shelf when the top is lowered. Of course, that apron is not present.

Tomscat,
Interesting targa-top vehicle photos indeed. The Stag is beautiful, but TomDC is right: it looks very cool while you are pushing it home! My first experience with a Stag involved a driver stranded in my driveway by a massive electrical system meltdown. That is why I now drive Bimmers instead of Triumphs or other Warm Beer Machines, as my wife calls them (as in: "Why do Englishmen drink warm beer? Because they all have Lucas refrigerators!") . . . since I prefer my ride to get me there, and to do so under its own power.

Jeff

[TomDC]

Jeff: I will seriously try to make it to Winston-Salem. My sister lives in Roanoke which is on the way and about little more than 1/2 way there. Maybe take everyone and make it a family trip. I'll need to put alot more miles on the Baur before I feel comfortable doing this though...

Jeroen: I'll be in your neck of the woods end of June. I'll be in Liege, Belgium for about a week or so. I found a couple Baurs in Belgium (mostly parts cars) and may try to do some parts shopping while there. My wife may have other ideas though...

Still waiting to get my baur back from the shop. They were supposed to just do timing belt, water pump and tensioner. Well, they said it was not running right and needed fuel pressure regulator and apparently PO's mechanic has switched plug wires around and they were lost with the firing order. In their words, I "threw them a curveball"...errr... Apparently, it's still not running great and they think something is wrong with air flow sensor now... It was actually running fine when I dropped it off, just had trouble warming up which I chalked up to a bad cold start valve but nothing major. Let's see.

Good news is I found a local e30 323 being parted out.

[BMWtyro]

Tomscat (and others),

Nice-looking E30 Baur spotted in BMW CCA online classifieds:

http://www.bmwcca.org/classifieds/listings.php?id=2290

Jeff

[Baur]

Hi Tom,

Liege (or Luik, as we call it in Dutch) is only 3/4 of an hour driving for me. Don't know if you have a busy schedule, otherwise I'd centainly would enjoy coming by.

Here a picture of the rear shelf cover...

Indeed, it's one with the roof cover.

Today it was about 20 degrees Celcius (68 F), so I decided to go for a spin.

This is an aftermarket roof cover, which came with the car. Just wanted to see how it looked.

Gr Jeroen

[TomDC]

Jeroen: I'll pm you when it gets closer to end of June and I know our exact plans. I know we plan to catch the first 2 stages of the T de France (starts in Liege this year) and then we always end up visiting family and friends (hers, that is...).

Just heard back from shop, my Baur will be there over the weekend since mechanic wants to go back over everything to find why car is not idling well...

On Monday, I plan to go out early and pick up a few parts from a donor e30 323i -- e.g., maf, heckspoiler (my trunklid already has holes drilled, but no spoiler...), maybe a german checklight...

Any of you guys want to look for anything for you?

[brahbarian]

theres a baur for sell locally near me for $2700. seems mint condition as well. too bad i just picked up my 87 325i days before it got posted on craigslist

[BMWtyro]

Jeroen: I'll pm you when it gets closer to end of June and I know our exact plans. I know we plan to catch the first 2 stages of the T de France (starts in Liege this year) and then we always end up visiting family and friends (hers, that is...).

Just heard back from shop, my Baur will be there over the weekend since mechanic wants to go back over everything to find why car is not idling well...

On Monday, I plan to go out early and pick up a few parts from a donor e30 323i -- e.g., maf, heckspoiler (my trunklid already has holes drilled, but no spoiler...), maybe a german checklight...

Any of you guys want to look for anything for you?

Tom,

Don't buy a used spoiler; they are too cheap not to buy them new. O.E. spoilers deteriorate from the inside out. When I removed mine, it was like a sponge (very wavy) with flakes of rusted steel core sifting out of it. The new ones seem to be made of a somewhat harder, hence hopefully more stable, material. Here it is on ECS Tuning's site: http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/51711945710/

I'm not sure what a "maf" is . . .

It might be nice if you could find an inexpensive Active Check Panel printed in French or German for my Belgian-delivery car while you are over there. It is probably too much to hope for a parcel shelf cover or a black top boot in good shape . . .


Jeroen,

Thanks for the photo of the shelf cover, but why is it so large? Where do you "put all of it" when the top is lowered? Does it hang down over the back seat cushion? I thought that it was just a small thing contoured to fit the shelf's "footprint".

Jeff

[tomscat1]

theres a baur for sell locally near me for $2700. seems mint condition as well. too bad i just picked up my 87 325i days before it got posted on craigslist

Can you get us any other info on this car? We know of a white baur that was for sale in FL recently, but curious to know if this is the same or a different one. I'd like to post it in my blog:

http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/p/baurs-for-sale.html

Any info would be much appreciated! Thanks for the tip!

And thanks, BMWtyro, for the link to the BMWCCA Classifieds Baur Ad! It is now posted in my blog also!

theres a baur for sell locally near me for $2700. seems mint condition as well. too bad i just picked up my 87 325i days before it got posted on craigslist

Is it this one?

http://miami.craigslist.org/pbc/cto/2899474684.html

If so, we are quite familiar with it.




If not.... do tell!!

[Baur]

325iX Baur, anyone?
B48462-13 for sale, €3000,- (+/- $3950)

Gr Jeroen

[tomscat1]

325iX Baur, anyone?
B48462-13 for sale, €3000,- (+/- $3950)

Gr Jeroen

A 325iX BAUR! The Ultimate Snowmobile..... and Top Cabriolet! Extremely Limited Edition!



Thanks, Jeroen, for posting this link today. An AWD BAUR for sale in Staufenberg Germany! This is one of the rarest of the rare, since only 114 (is that correct?) were ever built. Jeroen himself has TWO of these!!!

This one has an automatic transmission of which only 21 were made.



Wow. I would love to own this car! But, since I want to STAY married, I won't be buying it. Somebody grab this!!



http://baurspotting.blogspot.com/



Price:

€ 3.000, -

Body Style:
Convertible

(5 seats)

Mileage:
281,465 km
Year:
09/1988
Performance:
125 kW (170 hp )
Fuel:
Gasoline

Exterior color:
Vermilion

Vehicle description of agency

For sale is my BMW 325ix A Baur Convertible. Vermilion paint, black leather, with ski bag in the back seat, power windows, power, green glass, outside temp. Display. One of only 19 built 325ix automatic all-wheel Baur convertibles. Last entry in service record at 266165 km. The car has German daily admission has been approved anschliesend in Switzerland, where he had 2 owners, I have prepared for German and Swiss papers for the car, he is already cleared, and for approval in Germany. Among its shortcomings: no German TÜV, the BMW owner apparently had a little accident with a right rear, so the side panel above the wheel arch bit bumpy and dented the right corner below the bumper a bit. The droning engine starts, but not damage to the engine! The car has already been once, probably fully painted. The rear deck is not perfect. Here and there he has a few small signs of rust, not much. Have lots of pictures

(Google translation is responsible for the clumsy language, btw.)

[TomDC]

Very interesting! Do we know if any ix baurs made it across the Atlantic?

Tomcat: have you heard anything about the Irish baur? Is it on its way to the us? I would be curious how much hassle it is to get thru customs and titled.

Jeff: maf is the mass air flow sensor. It is unique to the engine, does not use same as m20b25. Very expensive to get new too -- $500 or so... I will try to pick up the used one tomorrow morning. Also, Jeff, my guess is BMW only did check lights in German or English, but I have no problem looking.

[tomscat1]

Very interesting! Do we know if any ix baurs made it across the Atlantic?

Tomcat: have you heard anything about the Irish baur? Is it on its way to the us? I would be curious how much hassle it is to get thru customs and titled.

Jeff: maf is the mass air flow sensor. It is unique to the engine, does not use same as m20b25. Very expensive to get new too -- $500 or so... I will try to pick up the used one tomorrow morning. Also, Jeff, my guess is BMW only did check lights in German or English, but I have no problem looking.

As far as I know, NONE made it across The Pond....YET!!

Here is a chance to bring one over! They don't come on the market very often, boys and girls.

I have not heard any update on the Baur that I believe is presently enroute from Ireland. I will post as soon as I do hear.

The Baur iX is a 1988.... If the cutoff is 25 years for importation exemptions... this one still has a year or so to go. Anyone know the rule?