When you’ve got some cat named Baron Alexander von Falkenhausen designing the motor under your bonnet, you know you’re on to something special and that’s the case with this 1973 BMW Bavaria. And the fact that it’s a beautifully preserved, shows-like-new- example only helps with the cause. This limited production Beemer is located in Calabasas, California and is available, here on craigslist for $15,000.
The idea around the Bavaria (1971-1975) was to offer a 2.8-liter six-cylinder engine in a 2500 series car; it was known technically as the BMW E3. Apparently this plan was driven by Max Hoffman who was BMW’s chief north American importer at the time and the goal was to provide Germanic performance for a very competitive price of about $5,000. Starting in 1972 the ante was upped as the Bavaria was endowed with a 178 HP, 3.0 liter, in-line six-cylinder engine such as our subject car possesses. Inspite off its recorded 134K mileage reading, the seller advises that this Bavaria, “Runs good (has) original zenith carburetors (that) need some adjusting“. A four-speed manual transmisssion provides the hook-up to the rear wheels.
There is no denying the beautiful condition of the exterior of this nicely preserved E3. The finish and black rubber trim shows like new and there is no sign of rust appearing anywhere other than a small area on the rear roll pan, beneath the bumper. The seller claims this is an accident-free vehicle and there is no visual evidence of crash damage or a resulting repair. The trunk pan is nice and clean and attests to solidity at the rear end of the car. The only thing that seems off is the driver’s side front wheel which doesn’t match the other three. That noted, the spare tire is rolling with a wheel that matches those installed.
Inside is a typical Teutonic environment that has been upgradesd with Recaro seats and a Nardi steering wheel. Unfortunately, the seats are going to need some upholstery help. They also look out of place as they are perched up on risers that just don’t visually fit with the rest of the interior’s balance. Beyond that, however, the door cards, carpet, etc. all show well.
This ’73 Bavaria is pretty rare car with only about 2,300 produced. And as it turns out, 1974 was the last year that the Bavaria was actually named “Bavaria” as in its final year of 1975, a numeric name badge was applied to the deck lid. This entire package appears to have been well maintained and the original tool kit is even included. I can’t say with certainty if the mileage is a detriment for a BMW engine of this era so that may be one matter to consider. Beyond that, this is a fine example of the “Ultimate Driving Machine”, wouldn’t you agree?
These are cool cars,with a cool sounding name.
In ’72,a nice guy in our neighborhood who owned a
nursery,Mr. Sherwood,bought one new & had two of
us detail it for him.
I was so impressed,as I’d never seen anything
like it,especially up close.I was bummed,because his
teenage niece got to drive it,& I didn’t have my license
yet.
Hoffman knew what was up, ordering essentially a “hot rod special” for the American market — the biggest engine paired with the lowest-spec trim — though buyers could also opt for the top-spec 2800 or later 3.0S in the same E3 body.
The Bavaria wasn’t so much renamed for ’75 as replaced with the new but smaller E12-body 530i — the very first 5-series — while the Bavaria’s E3 body remained available only as the top-spec 3.0Si until it was ultimately replaced by the first 7-series two years later.
Fairly high mileage BMW´s tend to have problems with the front suspension bushing. Also the air conditioning on those was inefficient as Behr, the manufacturer didn´t have much experience with the concept. THAT was the reason for Mercedes to install American airconditioning units, they worked.
Nice, but 2 doors to many.
Too. But I think we understand and definitely agree!
A friend of mine drove my BMW 1600 on a long trip with me and was so impressed that he eventually fournd a used 2800 sedan which I only got to drive on a short jaunt. I was at 100mph with 5 people in the car and it was rock solid. Now that’s not a big deal but back in the 70’s most American cars at that speed , especially sedans were hanging on by their fingertips. This was like going 60 in any other car. I never forgot that sensation.
My father had a 1600 four door and I eventually owned a 1972 Bavaria in agave (green). I agree wholeheartedly about how different and better these cars drove compared to their contemporaries. By the way, I still have two of the tools used to balance the carburetors.
I bought a used 3.0Si in 1979. In those days, the 3.0 engine and the Bavaria chassis were a great combination for high speed cruising, but low end torque was not the greatest. It seemed like you could get from 50-90 mph really quick, but 0-40 mph wasn’t going to smash you back in the seats.
It was a fantastic Highway car, but repair costs were crazy high at the time. I was in no position to pay the dealership for repairs, but the one BMW factory certified mechanic at the dealership would actually talk me through what I needed to do on each maintenance or repair issue. I had one nightmarish water pump replacement where I would get the new pump installed, and it would leak as soon as the car warmed up. Had to go get a new gasket and redo it twice and it still leaked. I finally snuck in the shop to talk to the mechanic, and he let me know that the idiot behind the parts counter had neglected to let me know that I needed a shorter set of water pump bolts because BMW had changed the water pump housing to a thinner design. My original bolts were bottoming out in the block before the pump was actually fully tightened. $10 worth of bolts and I was back on the road, pissed, but relieved that I wasn’t a moron.
Ex father-in-law had a 2800 Bavaria (besides a 2002 and an R75/5) that I drafted my Scirocco up to 130 MPH while chasing across Wisconsin one Sunday morning. Not too long after that, I kept getting moisture droplets on my windshield. Yup, those of you that know older BMW 6 cylinder cars, you guessed it! Cooked head gasket. Nice driving car, very comfortable and great touring car. Did not have the character of driving a Jaguar sedan, But was a lot better on the reliability scale.
Wayne, ANYTHING is better than a Jag in terms of reliability.
Those early sixes did not have much space between the water jackets and the cylinder wall, this often led to head gasket failure. I believe they corrected this problem when they reconfigured the 3 liter engine to be 2.8 liters (as in the 528i) in 1980.
So much neater car than the New BMWs I see on the Boob tube. Cars like the Bavaria will be around longer than the new ones with all their fancy electroniic gadgets . It won’t be that long that lots of the electronics fail and will be unrepairable.
True story. I now drive a Passat, good looking, tremendous performance, luxurious and loaded with electronics – totally over the top. The other day I couldn´t open the gas cap. In sheer frustration I drove to the nearest VW dealer. Turns out the gas cap is secured via an electric motor which had stopped functioning. An ELECTRIC MOTOR to operare the gas filler cover. The motor cannot be repaired, it must be replaced, at considerable expense. Opening the hood is enough to make one run away. They are insane.