Karossiere Baur has a long history of partnering with BMW. Most noted for their open roofed conversions, they had a hand in crafting some unique…
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Like most convertible conversions, this isn’t for everyone. If you are however, a fan of cars with the roof cut off then its best to…
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It’s a bit amazing to consider that two of the most significant halo cars in German motoring history – both homologation models intended to lead their respective marques into the next decade – so closely paralleled each other, yet were so very different. It’s but a 35-minute train ride between Munich and Ingolstadt, and in the late 1970s both BMW and Audi wanted a range-topping model to grab attention. But their approaches were radically different. BMW designed a bespoke mid-engine, tube-frame supercar around a basic engine design it already had. Audi, on the other hand, took a basic car design it already had and added a revolutionary drivetrain.
Both were styled by Giugiaro. Both had to be built out-of-house; Baur had a hand in each. Both had legendary engineers – Walter Treser and Roland Gumpert for Audi, Jochen Neerpasch at BMW. Both raced, though the series they were intended for were ultimately canceled. Both launched a brand name – BMW’s M division, and Audi’s quattro (and later quattro GmbH). And today, both are both legends and highly sought by collectors. So today we have an interesting showdown; two prime examples have come to market and are nearly the exact same price. Of course, for that to occur the Audi entrant is the ‘ultimate’ evolution of the Quattro, the Sport model. So let’s put aside the ridiculous $600,000 asking prices of each of these cars for a moment, and consider – all things being equal (which they nearly are!), which one would you choose? Let’s start with the Audi:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1985 Audi Sport Quattro
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I give Audi a lot of credit for bringing the R8 to market. It took a fair amount of gall for a company best known for mid-range all-wheel drive luxury sedans to up and produce a supercar-beating mid-engine road car capable of being used year-round and every day. It’s a feat nearly without precedent. Of course, I said “nearlyâ€.
That’s because BMW pulled off a similar trick the best part of thirty years before Audi did it. And arguably the development of what would become BMW’s fledgling Motorsports division was even more impressive than what Ingolstadt pulled off. The M1 burst onto the scene at a time of economic austerity, global oil crises and came from a company who not only didn’t have a history of producing such cars, but didn’t have connections to others who did (unlike Audi’s corporate Lamborghini partnership).
Speaking of Lamborghini, because of BMW’s lack of expertise in supercar design it was the Sant’Agata firm that was employed to produce the M1. But because of Lamborghini’s lack of expertise at being…well, a company capable of producing something on a schedule, BMW engineers had to first liberate the early molds from Italy and then find someone who could produce the car. Ultimately, it was a combination of ItalDesign in Turin, Marchesi metal working in Modena to build the frames, and Karosserie Baur in Stuttgart that stuck the M1 together. Though it doesn’t exactly sound like a match made in heaven, and indeed the M1 was a relative sales flop, it has nonetheless grown to cult status as one of the most user-friendly supercars of the late 1970s:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1979 BMW M1 on eBay
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Recently I looked at a post-War oddity, the EMW 327.
Although it was the BMW that wasn’t a BMW, the company itself was busy with its first post-War offering – and it was an unusual one in many ways. In 1952, the company launched the large 501 models. Under the hood was the 326’s inline-6 powerplant, but the new bodywork, ornate details, and large scale gained it the nickname “Baroque Angel”. In 1954, BMW introduced an all-new 2.6-liter V8, which increased horsepower to nearly 100; about a 40% increase over the initial 501 offering. The alloy V8 would be the first of the company’s history, but wouldn’t last long – BMW used it in the 50X series cars, but reverted to four and six cylinder engines until the M60 was introduced in the 1990s. At the same time as the new motor was rolled out the company introduced the 502, which was essentially an upscale version of the 501 with additional chrome and equipment. Improvements continued to stream in; a 3.2-liter V8, disc brakes, and even a late run ‘505’ upscale limousine carried the model into the early 1960s. The V8-powered versions were also claimed to be the fastest German production sedans in period. 501s and 502s were also built in multiple configurations, including sedans, coupes, and convertibles. Today’s sedan example comes from the middle of the run, and these are rare enough to see that it’s worth a look:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1957 BMW 502 on eBay
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