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The BMW E3, or “New Six” was the grandfather to today’s modern 7 series. This was a car that helped BMW emerge from the brink of collapse post World War II and bring it towards the prosperity it experienced in the 1980s. While the stablemate E9 coupe is fairly sought after in today’s market, the E3 has flown a bit under the radar. This 1977 3.3 LiA is a late model build, as 1977 would be the last year for this model. The baton would then be passed to the E23 7 series would then take the top spot in the BMW range. While this is a right-hand drive model, this car was too nice to pass up for a feature, sitting pretty on Alpina rims in a handsome hue of Anthracite metallic.
I have a soft spot for the Bavaria. It’s not because it’s the best looking BMW from the 1970s, or the fastest. It’s not the most collectable, either – but as a result, the Bavaria might just be the rarest of the 1970s BMWs. To me, I can appreciate this coming from a background of loving Audis – most of which are quite rare today. The look of the Bavaria is even very similar to the Audi 100, and like the 100 very few examples are left kicking around. But the Bavaria was nonetheless an important move for BMW, taking on the larger executive market with an upscale big-body 4-door:
Following on to the S-Class Double Take we featured earlier today, here’s another pair highlighting that car’s competition: the BMW E3, or New Six. After the success of the smaller New Class, BMW decided to try its hand at luxury vehicles once again. These larger sedans, powered by straight six engines, would be a decided departure from the luxury sedan formula, adding a dash of sport into the equation. Unique to the US market was the Bavaria, priced more in line with the 2500 model but with the larger engine of the 2800. Eventually the engine would increase in size to 3.0 liters in 1972 and the Bavaria would continue on, slotted beneath the 3.0S.
To start, we’ll take a look at this restored Bavaria for sale in Pennsylvania.
Do you need a show car? We often write up very clean, fully restored and consequently very expensive examples of cars that are desirable, but there are many more than exist below pristine level. Generally if we post one of these cars there’s a large amount of feedback pointing out the flaws. Yesterday, a few of the GCFSB authors went to a local open house in our old – and flawed – cars. None of them are perfect; all have plenty of character from being driven over the years. They have stories about how they got various battle scars, strange modifications and unorthodox thinking to get around a problem or previous owner’s work. Despite this, driver quality cars have a charm that makes them desirable in their own right. Do I love perfect examples of older cars? Yes, absolutely – they’re awesome to see. But so are well presented drivers:
After a run of bubble cars and compact, rear engine sedans in the 1960s, BMW decided to return to the large car segment with the…
