1972 BMW

Coupe

6 - Cyl.

Manual

3100118

Clear

Gasoline

This is an exceptional low mileage 1972 BMW Bavaria spending most of its life under single ownership in Santa Barbara, California. When the original lady owner was unable to drive Coupeking (Peter S.) offered the car for sale to a gentleman in Nevada City, California when the car had only 33,000 miles. I bought the car last year in August 2010 from him with 38,976 miles. I have driven the car very little and it was mostly stored it in my garage and admired by my friends and neighbours. It remains in the same condition when I bought it with now approximately 39,650 miles. I did complete an oil service at a BMW dealer here in town. Now, I simply do not have room and its time to let it go and for someone else to enjoy it. The car was featured by Bring a Trailer in their July 28, 2010 edition which is how I found her. The postings describes the car as follows: "This 1972 BMW Bavaria must be one of the cleanest original examples still on the road, having turned most of the 39k miles while belonging to a Santa Barbara strawberry grower original owner. The car was sold to the current owner in 2005 by CoupeKing, a well respected SoCal vintage BMW expert. It is a strong runner with good color and wheel options but no A/C or sunroof." Here is a original BAT link: http://bringatrailer.com/2010/07/28/39k-mile-survivor-1972-bmw-bavaria/ As the pictures show, the car was well kept throughout the years, and one of the nicest Bavaria I have ever seen. The colour combination of white on blue is one of the most desirable. It does have a few nicks and imperfections, but it is likley one of the lowest mileage BMW Bavaria's still around. Coupeking stated that the driver's door and fender had some shopping cart dings repaired in the dstant past (though not by him) but the car wore most of its original paint. The interior is perfectly original -- no cracks in the dash -- no upholstery flaws, etc. The engine is original and unmodified. It runs exceptionally well. The brake calipers were rebuilt as some point in the past and regular maintence was performed throughout the years. The previous owner installed ceramic coated headers which match the stock exhaust system. Also installed was a limited slip differential from a European 635csi (3,07:1). Coupled with the stock 4-speed, the car has "long legs" with the 4th gear acting as an overdrive. The rear subframe camber-adjustable eccentrics which compliment the heaight-adjustable Bilstein shocks and fully adjustable rear sway bar. The front sway bar is similarly over sized - the car handles very well. The stereo and speakers appear to be the relics of the 70's. Also I have the original filters in the trunk caddy - original spare tire! See the original tool kit in the trunk alone is very rare and a collector's item - simply can not be replaced. All said, the car starts, stops and runs like you would expect from a low milage vintage BMW. I'm sure the original owner never intended the car to be any sort of time capsule object - she drove it so little and was petite which accounts for the unusual high state of preservation and low mileage. I do have some of the early service records, original owner's manual and some original parts including the steering wheel which was replaced with a classy Nardi wheel and matching CoCo mats. The alloy wheels and caps are difficult to beat on the E3's. Note the original front and rear BMW roundels! The rear one is starting to fade a bit but both are "raised" and original to the car -- not reproductions and super rare! I also have the original blue California plates that will go with the car. When I spoke with Peter of Coupkeing to get more history about the car, I was advised that they bought the car from the well respected Ishibashi family of Santa Barbara. Mrs. Ishabashi bought the car new for herself in 1972 and used to drive down the hill from her home to supervise the picking of strawberries that her family grew being one of the largest in southern California. A delicate 5'2 and 90 lbs she barely made a dent in the seat when she drove. You can contact Peter at Coupeking.com if you have any further questions. Please remember that this is nearly a 40 year old car and it is not perfect. The car is being sold "as is" with no warranty or representations of any kind. Certainly you are welcomed and encouraged to have the car inspected prior to bidding. There are no rust issues. It does have a few corrosion spots from proximity to the costs only (see pics). Please do not ask me to end the auction early. I would prefer that the Bavaria go to a true collector who can appreciate the car for what it is and keep it in its original state. The value of these cars are only going up. Good luck bidding.