81 Baur convertible near complete project

This is an incomplete restoration that is near completion but I will not have time and money to finish it before moving cross country. The car is sound with none of the usual rust associated with e21s which is rare in itself especially for a Baur. This is the reason I bought it myself as an investment. This Baur is number 2348 out of 4100 and the last time I checked the DVLA there were only 23 on the road in the UK so a rare car indeed.
The Good news: All the most expensive work has been done. The body on this car is rust free and worth every penny as anyone with Baur knowledge will tell you these had a habit of rotting out. The previous owner replaced the front fenders. slam panel. valance panel and bonnet due to rust not an accident…. I checked. I have replaced the rag top part of the roof with a genuine BMW replacement top from the dealer. This was one of the last 4 original tops left in the world with BMW. The seals for the rear roof have also been changed and are water tight with £1500. 00 of all genuine parts. The roof mechanism itself has been dismantled. cleaned. stripped back to metal and reprimed/painted. I have pics to prove the work. The head was rebuilt before I bought the car and has less than 20 hours run time on it. I rebuilt the 2 stage 4 barrel carb including the cold start system with all NOS parts from BMW(£250. 00) The block has been removed and sent to a machine shop to be measured. It was found to be in tolerance and was deglazed ready for rebuild. The front brakes have been upgraded to the 323 vented discs. The discs have been recut and the matching 323 calipers have been professionally rebuilt through Fritzs Bitz (£300. 00) The car was sold to me with 78. 00 showing on the clock but unproven. As the engine has been rebuilt this is unimportant. The lower control arms and tie rod ends have been replaced and have about 10 miles on them. The interior is as you see in the photos. The seats are genuine recarros made specially for the e21 BMW and are stamped as such. The seats alone would sell as they are very desirable and can not be bought new and hard to find in good shape. The wheels are 15 inch deep dish polished ally in the BBS style of the time and also hard to find since they do not require spacers or any special fitting. I have fitted an original set of Hella driving lights with covers that have never been used. These were not fitted when I took the pics. The suspension has been replaced with a sport suspension which has lowered the car by 2 inches.
The Bad news: The block is unfinished. This means new rings. bearings. timing belt and gaskets are needed. I have priced the NOS (new old stock from BMW) parts needed at around £500. 00. I have the crank and needed parts to convert this to a 2. 3 liter and the original 2. 0 liter parts if you chose. The front stabiliser bar bushings need to be replaced at a cost of £1. 50 each again NOS. The rear silencer will need to be replaced as the baffles have gone. The cost of this really depends on whether you want a sport box or not. I would say around £200. 00 would cover it for an original one. The car will need an alignment (because of the new parts) cost £40. 00 around here. The carb will need to be tuned. This carb has two fuel mixture settings and will need to be done at a garage with the right tech. I had been quoted £70. 00 at KAP for this on their new rolling road set up. The carpet. while intact. could use redyeing as it has faded over time. The chrome around the front windshield needs to be replaced at a cost of £30. 00 for the parts. The hard top part of the roof needs to be recovered and I have sourced the material for £40. 00. If you chose to use the BMW one it will cost £300. 00 but this isn't necessary as my source was going to match the material to the new roof on the back. I have the factory glue to fit it and the job is a weekend type thing. The bonnet has a ding in the middle of it. The person I bought it from dropped it after the re-spray :/ and the under bonnet foam has not been fitted yet but not an expensive thing and quite DIY. The new driving lights are wired in and working with the high beams however the wirring is basic. I only had one color of wire at the time and was more concerned that they worked planning on finding an original loom off a doner car later. The rear tyres have been replaced with Pirrelis but the fronts havent. The fronts will pass MOT but I planned on changing them. The spare is missing but easy to replace. I have sourced one for around £30. 00. There is a card under the boot carpet that is missing and hard to find as they all go a bit floppy however it wouldn't be hard to make one. The power antennae is missing but still available NOS or any after market one from your local stereo shop would do. It will need a new battery.
Well that's it. I have been dead honest to avoid any confusion. You can see by the pics she is a stunning car and as e21s continue to rise in value it is a sound investment for the future. I would expect this to fetch around £7k finished so plenty of room to make a profit. I have pics of every wheel well and rocker panels for you e21 enthusiasts (you know why lol) and I am sure they wont disappoint.  I will be happy to answer any questions or send more detailed pics on request. I would consider parting it out BUT only after I fail to sell her whole as it would be a shame to cut her up.  
Buyer will need to arrange pick up. I have set a reasonable reserve. This is an as is sale. I will accept offers over my reserve. I will not part the car out at this time.

Also published at eBay.co.uk

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