If you are interested in exclusivity when looking for your next automobile, but you also want a classic car, it will be pricey. The only exceptions involve getting unloved models that were sales failures, but there are always reasons why some vehicles were not desired when new, and some people view owning a classic car as an investment, so getting an unpopular model is not going to be their first choice.
Occasionally, some rare vehicles do pop up for sale at a relatively reasonable price when their rarity is considered. Out of those, some are in a good condition, and fewer are close to museum quality. Well, this BMW might fit the bill as one of the latter, since it spent the last seven years on static display as part of a museum exhibition.
We are writing about a 1972 BMW 2002 Cabriolet, which is based on the BMW 2002. As you may be aware, BMW has built over 420,000 units of the 2002 during the nameplate’s lifespan, but the 2002 Cabriolet was only available for eight months.
In that short timeframe, just 200 of these were made by the factory, which makes them extremely rare today. Its first owner had it from January 14, 1972 to January 1978.
Currently, the vehicle has expired German registration papers, and its import duties need to be paid if its customer wants to keep the vehicle in Europe. Otherwise, you should check with a company focused on importing classic cars to get the inside scoop on what you need to do before you get one.
While these were sold through the BMW dealer network of the time, the bodies were made by Baur of Stuttgart, which had been working with the Munich brand for numerous years, and continued to do so for its TC (top cabriolet) models.
However, this BMW 2002 Cabriolet is not one of those, which are more than ten times more common, as BMW made 2,300 units of the 2002 Top Cabriolet Baur.
This 1972 BMW 2002 Cabriolet comes with the company’s famous M10 engine, which only provides 99 horsepower (100 ps), but it does so with a weight of just 2,000 lbs ( 907 kg), and it even has fully independent suspension on all four corners, so it should not feel like a boat on the open road.
If you do acquire a vehicle that has been sitting for several years, it is recommended to perform an ample service that involves changing all fluids and filters, new spark plugs, fresh brake fluid, new brake lines, new radiator hoses, a new thermostat, and a set of new tires, along with a new battery just to get things going.
Otherwise, you are not going to go very far with your acquisition, which is estimated to fetch between $51,000 and $72,000 ( at current exchages rates €48,932 and €67,183) at the RM Sotheby’s auction in Munich this week. It is offered without reserve, mind you.