Sedans may not be the sexiest cars around, but there’s a lot to be said for a four-door with four speeds. The BMW Bavaria is a classic Autobahn cruise missile that combines the torquey power of an overbuilt inline-six with three pedals, a rare combination in any era but a niche of vehicle that’s certainly extinct today. This 1973 BMW E3 sedan listed here on eBay is a running project that the seller started to work on before other projects took priority, and it looks like a mostly rust-free runner that could be back on the road in short order. The asking price is $6,500 or best offer.
The monstrous exhaust system looks a bit out of place, but the rest of the car is spot-on with body panels that look largely straight and hang nicely as you look down the slab sides of the car. The turbine-style wheels always get mistaken for being genuine Alpinas but they’re actually just standard-issue BMW wheels. Still, they look good here, but the white-line radials may be ditched if you’re not into that old-school look. The seller reports that the rust you see is limited to surface-area-only, which presumably means the Bavaria has a solid structure underneath.
The interior is a real treat, looking far better than expected. Finding a stick in a big sedan like this is a treat, and I generally consider it a hoot to drive a car this size with gusto. The Bavaria was yet another example of BMW building and defining the sport sedan market in the U.S. in ways other manufacturers never capitalized on. It was always there for the taking, but the domestics continued to focus on land yachts while the likes of Mercedes-Benz were fixated on luxury. BMW believed that its cars could be equal parts pleasing to ride in and a thrill to drive, and managed to own the demographic for decades to come with cars like these and the venerable 2002.
The 3.0L inline-six in the Bavaria offered a healthy 176 horsepower and 185 lb.-ft. of torque, pushed to the rear wheels. The seller reports that his car runs well but he took off the brake calipers for rebuilding, so it’s just a roller for all intents and purposes. The front seats have been removed due to being trashed by the sun, and a set of cloth factory buckets are available for an additional cost. The Bavaria is a wonderful driver’s car when running well and sorted, but one that will never be worth appreciably more than it is now. For the price, it seems like a relatively low cost of entry into vintage sports sedan ownership.
This is one cool BMW. I can just picture this one, newer, back in the early 70’s especially with the whitewalls ( which I truly like on this car). I really like the lines on these older BMWs too. That straight 6 and a stick is bound to be a blast to drive too. I don’t know what the future holds for this one, but it would be very nice to see it fixed up and painted. Very nice find and write up too Jeff. I enjoyed it.
Great choice for a write up and it looks to be a pretty sound and straight car for the price. I have had four e3s and they are indeed a blast to drive. Visibility is great as well in this Bavarian glass house. Shock/strut towers are some of the prime areas of concern for the tin worm. Do a thorough investigation as, just like the (much) more expensive e9, it can hide in placs that can be a problem later. That being said, this looks good so far. Parts availability can be challenging for a few things, but it is doable. The value of these cars are on the upswing and rightfully so. This is the model that BMW built its brand on and are such a hoot. Nice ride!
Had a 3.0 while stationed in Germany in the very early eighties. And yes, I had it up to 126mph on the autobahn. Driving at 90mph + was necessary, unless you wanted others honking at you.
Lovely looking car. Assuming there are no serious cosmetic problems, rust, holes, etc., this looks like a nice resto project.
Ex-father-in-law had one of these when dating his daughter. One Sunday morning traveling back from a sports car club overnight rally. He finally got around a slow driver and kept his foot in it. I was glued to his back bumper in my Scirocco. The soon to be young brother-in-law in the back seat kept us apprised of the speed as my speedo only went to 110mph. (I think) We got up to an indicated 130 mph, traffic indicated that lower speed would be the best coarse AND the Scirocco was red lined. A little while later I kept getting moisture on my windshield and it finally occurred to me that it was coolant from the BMW. Yes, it had ruptured a head gasket. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.
Nice find…I, if mine, might do red-lines…thin whitewalls fit the era. As Larry David would say…it looks pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty solid.
Going by the trunklid badge, this appears to be a 3.0S, which was a step up from the Bavaria. Prolly the seller just mentioned Bavaria in the listing because many potential buyers might only know of the “New Six” E3 models by that name.
The Bavaria was a “hot rod special” devised by importer Max Hoffman to appeal to American buyers, where he convinced BMW to install the larger engine from their high-spec E3 model into their low-spec E3 model, thus offering better performance in a slightly lighter package at a more affordable price — i.e., the 3.0S was basically the same as a Bavaria but better-equipped with nicer trim.
I waxed a new Bavaria in 1972 (?) and was amazed at
what a cool car it was,compared to the usual American cars
I worked on.
Wasn’t there a problem with the Thermal Reactor these used?