While somewhat rough-looking, today’s Nice Price or No Dice E3 is promised by its seller to be totally solid underneath. Let’s see if the price tag also makes for a solid deal.
I have a confession to make: I am terrible at being a passenger. When relegated to passive participation, I sit in constant judgment over the driver’s choices of speed, lane, route, and cologne. For that reason, yesterday’s chauffeur-oriented 2007 Maybach 62 S — nice as it was — is not the car for me. The Mercedes-based super saloon’s $72,500 asking price made it a turn-off for many of you, too. The prospect of future maintenance expenses and the requirement of multiple ZIP Codes for parking the extremely long car resulted in a sizable 78 percent No Dice loss at that asking.
The Maybach of the mid-Aughts represented a move upmarket by Mercedes-Benz as the company sought to compete with Rolls Royce, which had recently been acquired by arch-rival BMW. The purchase of Rolls by the Bavarian brand was quite the flex at the time. It showed just how grand the company’s aspirations had grown since the 1960s when it was best known for making small to mid-sized economy cars.
BMW’s first big modern-era push into a more expensive and, hence, more lucrative market came in 1968 with the introduction of the E3 line of saloons, nicknamed the Neue Seches or New Six. Wilhelm Hofmeister designed the new executive car, which featured styling tropes such as the forward-leaning four-lamp nose and eponymous Hofmeister Kink rear pillar that would define BMWs for decades. The E3’s design proved modern enough to fulfill BMW’s up-market pretensions and carry the company well into the 1970s.
As the nickname implies, the new cars were powered by an equally new six-cylinder engine, which BMW made available in several displacements. Base engines offered Zenith carburetors, while the upper-scale editions went for Bosh L-Jetronic fuel injection.
This 1969 BMW 2800 offers the Mama Bear middle displacement M30 six and a four-speed manual to make the most of its 168 (gross) horsepower. According to the seller, this car has led an extremely interesting life:
I am the third owner of the car. It was originally sold at Ocean City BMW in California to a BMW enthusiast who was very involved in the Southern California chapter of BMWCCA. I have the original sales paperwork, along with some other interesting documentation/communication between the original owner and BMW. This includes the owner’s manual, shop manuals, and a very cool little BMW flag which I think was displayed on the car at the dealer. The paperwork trail has the car returning to Germany for a few years while the owner’s son worked there in the US military. The car was then shipped back to CA, eventually to Idaho, then Washington state. The car was then stored for 20ish years in a garage. It was then sold to the first owner’s neighbor in Washington where it was planned to be a project between him and his father. Sadly, the second owner’s father passed away and they never were able to work on the car together. I then purchased it, had it trailered from Washington to my home in New Jersey where I have gotten it back to road-worthiness. One could argue (not that I am) that I am the second owner as the fellow I bought it from only stored it, but as goes the paperwork, I am the third. You could be the third/fourth 🙂 !
The present owner’s work to bring the car back to life includes ignition updates, a replacement exhaust, a new starter, battery, and tires, and a refresh of all the hydraulics. The twin Zeniths have also been replaced by Webers. There’s more noted in the ad, but those appear to be the highlights.
Aesthetically, the car looks to be a good 20-footer. There is plenty of rust bubbling on the leading edge of the hood, but that seems to be the worst of it. The paint — a respray of unknown age — is failing on the roof but seems passable otherwise. Steel wheels with handsome deep-dish covers add a bit of panache.
It’s much the same in the cabin, where a solid-looking dash and updated steering wheel and shift knob are countered by torn seat upholstery and some broken hardware. A rebuilt Blaupunkt Frankfort lends some old-school cool, as do a set of sisal mats. Luxuries include power steering, which is suffering a minor leak, and A/C, which is present but non-functional. The car comes with a clean title and 29,000 miles reading on its rolled-over odometer.
What might such a classic with a cool story be worth? The seller hopes it all adds up to $9,900, and it’s time for you to tell them if they are right. What do you think? Is this E3 worth that kind of money as it sits? Or does it need too much additional work to claim so much cash?
You decide!
North New Jersey Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Whatsupdohc for the hookup!
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