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It seems that, to me at least, the Mercedes-Benz W114/115 may be forgotten about, or at the very least overlooked. I can understand it given the W111 Coupes that were being produced at the same time were some of, and still are, some of the most magnificent and quality automobiles ever built. A W111 Coupe has doors that weigh roughly the same as a baby elephant and shut so preciously that it’ll slice your fingers clean off if you get them caught. But you won’t care because all you’ll be focused on is the beautiful burl wood gauge cluster housing. So naturally if you are standing on the lot of a Mercedes-Benz dealer in 1972 and see that interior, then walk over and peek inside today’s car, a 1972 250C, you’ll probably be a little disappointed. It certainly explains why a W111 Coupe today is worth a boatload of money, and the W114/115 Coupe can be hand for those of us on a budget.
The Bavaria was BMW’s bold attempt to redefine its market presence in a large way…or, perhaps more correctly, to redefine it’s large-car market presence in some way. What predated this design was the BMW 501 and 502 – the ‘Baroque Angels’ – which looked more like they were out of a black-and-white film than ready for the Jet Age by the time of the end of their production in the early 1960s. BMW took a break to get its Neue Klasse feet under it, then in the late 1960s introduced its new six-cylinder-powered 2500 and 2800 sedans. Moving into the 1970s, the M30s engine was punched out to 3.0 liters and the model was offered here as the Bavaria.
A handsome design in its own right, like the E12 and early E24s it suffered some teething pains before the the replacement models really caught fire in the early 1980s. Finding a clean Bavaria today is indeed quite a treat!
Is a classic wagon more your style, but you want to keep up with modern traffic? The BMW E6 Touring offers a unique look coupled with timeless style that will help to set you apart. They’re a favorite of mine for sure. But this one has ditched the original configuration and gone for a more modern stance with E30-sourced engine, wheels and a modern interior for a different type of resto-mod Touring. Does it stand the test of time?
It seems somewhat fortuitous to stumble upon today’s creation, which manages to build upon a few prior posts. Last week I look a look at a beefed-up 1976 2002 with a S14 swap. Then, yesterday, I took a look at the crazy 4-door convertible 316i Baur TC4. Combining those two unique creations is today’s 1972 BMW 2002.
Like last week, this one is pretty far from original. It’s also got tacked-on flares, super-wide wheels, a non-original interior and is painted a non-original color – in this case, Sunflower Yellow borrowed from the contemporaneous Porsche. But the big news here is again the S14 and 5-speed swap, giving more muscle to match the macho looks. On top of that, or rather topless perhaps, this one appears to be a Baur Targa conversion. It was certainly worth a closer look:
Well this is interesting. Typically when I see a 911 like this one I assume it’s some variant of a backdated 911SC or 3.2 Carrera. The value of most long-hood 911s is such that modifying an original car would be as useful as setting money on fire and much less efficient. But this is a bona fide 1972 Porsche 911S. So not only are we looking at a modified early 911, but it’s an S. Add to that the uniqueness of the ’72 911 with its one-year-only external oil filler and this is a pretty rare find.
From what the current owner has been able to gather it sounds like the conversion of this 911 happened long enough ago that investment potential wasn’t really of much concern. So modifications could be carried out with fewer worries. On the flipside it also means we don’t really know a lot about how this 911S arrived at the state in which it currently sits. That’s a little bit of a problem, but from the owner’s comments while we may not know how it got here we do know it drives very well. It also looks pretty great!
