1972 BMW 2002 BAUR CABRIOLET

In the care of the same owner for the past 29 years, this amazing BMW 2002 Baur Cabriolet was fully restored in 1988 when it was still owned by one of the village GPs. The vendor often saw it being driven around the place and decided to indulge himself when it came up for sale.

He bought well because the restoration work had been extensive in its scope; the car had been stripped to a bare shell and then rebuilt with all new OE panels, for example. The doctor had commissioned what was essentially a brand new old car - and that was exactly what he got. (A copy of the schedule of work is attached and it makes for fascinating reading, as does the photographic record of the restoration itself.)

Nonetheless, time takes its toll and the current owner, who is a long-time member of the BMW Drivers’ Club, arranged to have the car recommissioned a few years back.

To call what the vehicle underwent a ‘recommission’ is something of an understatement, as the work involved yet another full respray and all the mechanical components being checked over and refreshed or replaced as necessary. Again.

The car was the subject of a full photographic bare-shell restoration in 1988. Almost every panel was replaced including new original-equipment doors, boot, bonnet, and wings. A fine job was done and the quality of the work shone through for the best part of three decades before the fastidious owner decided to do it all again.

Did it really need doing? No, probably not but he’s not a man to do things by half and derives great pleasure in ensuring that his cars are as near perfect as he can make them.

The car was stripped down again and inspected. Obviously, the panels were still fine but there was a small amount of rust on the nearside bulkhead, which was cut out and replaced. The car was then carefully prepared before being fully resprayed, including inside the engine bay and the boot. The result is virtually flawless, as well it might given how much it set him back…

The targa top was stripped down at the same time and then professionally resprayed by the same chaps who’d done the bodywork. A new mohair targa top was fitted by P & M Taylor, the firm the owner chose to carry out all of the retrimming. The bill for these two (relatively small) jobs alone came to over £500.

All five Alpina-style alloy wheels were fully refurbished before being fitted with new matching tyres. (And you all know how we feel about matching tyres by now, don’t you?) The chromework was inspected item-by-item and either polished, re-chromed or replaced as appropriate. It, like the paintwork, wheels, interior and roof, now looks stunning.

Underneath looks similarly good too - probably down to the tri-annual professional waxoyling of the box sections etc. 

The owner tells us that the re-siting/replacement of the rubber seal on the folding roof, along with a limited tidy of the rear of the roll-hoop is the only exterior work that needs doing.

Please note that the front grille, beside the nearside headlight, appears to have had a bend BUT this is not actually the case - the owner has fitted a simple plastic U-shaped edge moulding around all of the grilles to prevent them from cutting in to the paint. Some of these mouldings don't sit straight, giving the wrong impression in the photos - they have since been replaced with fresh edging, and could all be removed to reveal the straight, original underneath.

The recommissioning work was carried out by a very talented friend of the owner, who kept a detailed handwritten record of what had been done.

Which was a lot, because it included having the seats professionally restored, a mammoth job that involved having them stripped to their frames and then painstakingly rebuilt using new seat foams. They were then re-covered using the original material, which the owner sourced from a BMW specialist in Germany.

The material alone cost over £500 but whatever the final bill came to, we think it was worth every penny as they are now in perfect condition, and as good-looking and supportive as George Clooney on a hen party weekend.

P & M Taylor didn’t just retrim the targa top and re-upholster the seats; they also fitted new carpets to the BMW. These, along with the Petri steering wheel, still look like new; in fact the entire interior is in startlingly good condition.

Faults? Well, the centre console trim above the Blaupunkt Paris radio cassette player has a touch of patina, some of the under-dash wiring is untidy, and there is the odd rusty screwhead but we mention these niggles mainly because we can’t find any real flaws. Either way, it wouldn’t be an expensive or complicated job to sort all of these areas out if they bother you.

All the mechanical ancillaries were refurbished at the same time as the bodywork was restored. The list is long but included a brand new braking system, a refurbished gearbox, a new battery, a re-cored radiator, and a full Larini stainless steel exhaust.

The engine wasn’t touched during the recommissioning as it had been fully rebuilt during the car’s restoration and was still running perfectly. The owner thinks it was mildly tuned back in the day but is unsure of the exact specification save for the fact that it almost certainly has a high-lift camshaft. As you can see from the photographs, it sports twin Weber carburettors and sounds every bit as good as you’d expect.

It also goes very well indeed thanks to recent servicing. It “starts on the button, pulls well, steers and brakes as you would expect” according to the owner who drove the car from Cambridgeshire to our HQ for the auction. Feel free to use the Contact Seller button to come and take a look yourself.

The 2002 also has a brand new MOT, despite not needing one by law (hands up who asked for that change to the law. What, none of you? No, we thought not…)

As mentioned, the car still needs some very minor fettling but it’s the sort of work that is a satisfying way to spend a weekend. So, the new owner might want to acid-dip the rocker cover to brighten it up a bit.

Oh, and vendor wonders if the dampers are probably going to be due for a change in the next couple of years. But the former is purely cosmetic and the latter is pre-emptive maintenance, so the reality is that there isn’t actually anything that needs doing.

The online MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever. In fact, the only advisories are about the speedometer operation being impaired and an insecure battery a couple of years ago. The current MOT certificate expires in March 2021. 

The BMW comes with dozens of old invoices and bills, along with a selection of expired MOT certificates, old tax discs, and a photographic record of its restoration. Careful owners leave careful paperwork trails.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been restored and maintained to the very highest standard.

This is a rare opportunity to obtain a BMW 2002 Baur Cabriolet in the subtle solid blue colour everyone wants – that the paintwork, mechanical components, and interior are all in such fine fettle turns a rare opportunity into a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And we've managed to write this far without mentioning those fabulous round lights.

And how much will this little slice of Bavarian heaven set you back? The answer is not very much because we estimate that it will only sell for between £14,000 – 18,000. Not bad for what is obviously one of the best.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen with us near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Footman James for classic car insurance Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car and AnyVan for transporting it.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.