Reader JamestownMike needs your help! He was given this BMW shell, but he isn’t sure exactly what it is or if it’s even worth messing with. I’ll let him fill you in on the all the details! From JamestownMike – I was given this BMW shell by my body guy for FREE! It doesn’t have a VIN or title. Can you please help confirm what model this is? My guess was a BMW 2002 2 door? It has many brand new BMW parts including; both rear inner quarters, both rear wheel houses and both rocker panels. Some BMW parts stickers are still intact.
I googled the left rear BMW part number of 41351814069 and it seems to be a “covering left wheelhouse/entrance” for a E9 series BMW 70-71 2800CS or a 71-75 3.0CS. What’s really confusing is that it has a Genuine BMW remanufactured final drive with differential (3.91 posi) showing part number 33102225766 that seems to fit a M5/M6 ONLY which sells for as much as $2k.
My guess is someone was in the process of building a track car and spent a ton of money on NEW OEM BMW sheet metal and rear drive/diff. It WAS kept inside at one of my body guys property until it was abandoned, at which time my body guy stored it outside for the last 6 to 8 months in the North Carolina weather. My body guy needs the space and was going to scrap it but I told him I’d pick it up. I was hoping other Barn Finds’ readers could help confirm it’s identity and tell me if it’s worth doing anything with or not? Please help!
JamestownMike
So, can you help Mike identify this shell? And is there any value here beyond just scrapping it? Even if the shell isn’t worth anything, that rear end has to be worth a little bit to someone with an E24 or E28 that needs a rear end. Be sure to take a closer look at his photos in the gallery below and if you have any insights for him, leave them in the comments!
I should be nice and leave this one for Jeff, ’cause he knows a lot more about these than I do…but I think it’s an E9, not a 2002…one of the loveliest (and dare I say delicate?) greenhouses there have ever been!
yup looks like an e9 but may be a 2.8 or even a 4cyl car?
Hello Jamie
Do we know each other from the TR club 30 years ago? How do I contact the owner, I need that hulk for some metal patches for my race car.
Thanks
Al Taylor
324tdi@gmail.com
Hi, Al, that’s me 😃. i don’t have contact info, but let’s see if you can make contact here!
Hi Al, this is JamestownMike. I sent a private email to you with my contact information. Thanks! Mike
Yes, E9 coupe. Desirable for parts at this point only, I think, as there are better cars to start from. However, someone was spending money at some point buying brand new body panels from BMW! Parts like the diff, driveshaft, and wheels are all desirable and useful for an E9 owner (not necessarily worth a fortune but still should find new owners fairly easily). I’d put the whole carcass on eBay and see what it will bring – there’s some nice, new sheetmetal there that an owner of a rusty E9 (there are many) would love to have.
I can Identify that…,its called scrap metal,an Iron composite that is fond of rusting,
and it is virtually worthless..@ 6 cents a pound….! Worth alot more to
the right buyer for parts.
Probably more desirable if mounted on a 4 by 4 chassis with a SBC. lol
I think if someone would put a Porsche 356 emblem on it,
it would triple in value..!….Lol
Very interesting. Yes, it’s an E9. If it has rear drum brakes, it’s a 2800CS. If it has rear discs, it’s a 3.0CS. I can’t quite tell from the photo of the rear subframe.
Rob, I don’t recall seeing your name here before, but if you are ‘the’ Rob Siegel it’s really good to have you commenting on things BMW. Thanks for the input about distinguishing between a 2800CS vs. 3.0 CS. I thought there was something like that that would distinguish the two, but couldn’t remember.
We had an exchange or 2 online some years ago, and I bought & read your book—one of the best, and also funniest ever about cars and car mechanics and such.
I thought it looked like a drum rear end, however you can see a pair of rotors inside the passenger compartment in one of the photos and it looks like the backing plate has a cut out area for a caliper to sit on the trailing side.
The pair of rotors don’t belong to the car, their just scrap metal tossed inside the shell. The BMW rear end has drum brakes (as seen in this pic), so it sounds like it’s a E9 BMW 1970-1971 2800CS. I really appreciate all the help and feedback from everyone! Guess the newer M5/M6 3.91 posi rear end was an upgrade?? Sorry I don’t know much about vintage BMW’s, especially interchange.
Hey Rob. Thanks for stopping by. You and I have met at the CCA Cars & Coffee in Southern RI (and we’re friends on Facebook, ooh!) -Jeff
If you get this put back together and on the road…ultimate bragging rights!
Should’ve been here an hour ago, yes an E9! A parts only E9…
Looks like a 1979 Porsche 911 Targa wide body conversion…… just as bad anyway 😂.
To me it looks like some BMW parts wrapped up in future soup cans. Salvage what you can and scrap the rest.
Very Rare Thrust Capacitor model.
Next stop the crusher
e-9
What a gorgeous car! How could the company that made these also give us a grotesquerie like the 645?
E9 2.5CS Coupé
It is an E9, but the rear suspension assembly is from a later E28 or E24.
Pillar less windows , early style front sway bar, 5 bolt lugs spells e9 rustoleum. Diff definitely from a later car without looking at the part number
Still salvageable, new owner can soda blast the body, then primer it.
Or sell as a package only, to get the parts they have to take the carcass.
I’m with you on this Wes. There’s some great sheet metal in that shell. Also, yes, that sunroof is a bonus.
If I wasn’t so far away; I would buy it. Then buy a basket case for the mechanicals and electricals and a VIN.
Beautiful car. To
Me it’s not all about profit/selling. The fun is in building a 1:1 kit of a really rare and classic vehicle.
Good luck with it; those floors are fantastic 👍🏼
Send photos to Tim Suddard at GRM. A REAL “restoration impossible”… and see if he comments.
Sun roof alone, worth good bux!
I agree with those who say 3.0 Beautiful car if complete but you don’t have most of it.
3200 CS Bertone coup is my guess.
Nice wheels.
I would buy this, seriously. Located in NC, need some pieces for a track car, plus need that subframe/diff 324tdi@gmail.com please pass this on to “Jamestownmike”
Thanks
Al Taylor
Hey Al. I recognize your name from a variety of groups related to the Vintage and other old-school BMW forums. Hope you get your hands on it.
Pretty solid carcass, for what IS there..thats all flash rust, so one day it was shiny where its red…Mike, put it on the e9coupe.com website if you want to get rid of it. I know one guy there who has some interest for the parts…I’d have interest in the diff (not for $2K..) and maybe floor pans myself. I’m in west of you about 1.5 hrs. Small audience, but at least focused on old coupes, and good place for info/advice…
Hi dave v. in nc,
Thanks for that information. I was just getting ready to post the rear diff, shell and wheels on ebay, guess I’ll hold off for a couple of days. Thanks for the e9coupe.com website. I’m JamestownMike, the owner. Feel free to contact me at mikey@northstate.net if your interested.
Thanks!
Mike
CSs tend to rust from the inside out, don’t they? Start with a decent inside and then the rest’s shooty-in, right? Doesn’t matter what it started out as; you can make it into a batmobile if you want. I would. D.
There’s a reason the guy gave it to you for FREE. 😂😂😂
Good luck with that. Better you than me.
But what on earth would the crazies with more money than brains be doing if this were a 356 or 911??
I see some bitter comments here.
That is a E9 and it’s not so bad, i’ve seen worst.
Make it driveable and you have beautiful car to drive or sell it to highest bidder.
That rear end does not belong to this model, it is from some later cars.
But something tells me, that you are not the guy to fix this car..
Some say salvageable, but what about the fact that there is no VIN or title?
What do you do with something like that?
It could become a race car with no title easily enough. There are ways to get a title, but not having a VIN is a big drawback. The parts that are there look pretty solid, but it’s missing a lot to ever make it back to being a car. It’s an early ’70’s E9 for sure, just which one is harder to say. The rear subframe appears to be from an E24/28 so it’s no help. It’s a USA model indicated by the spacers on the front strut mountings. No CSI air cleaner mount so it’s a CS.
The owner should post on E9coupe.com as there are a number of folk there who would be able to use the parts that do remain good on this car. That might be this car’s best destiny, to help other BMW E9 live.
Those wheels are not Cromodoras, just the stock E9 wheels for early cars, which are Italian but not very valuable.
Those wheels look like Cromodoras, which would probably bring a thousand bucks for a set of 4.
E9 CS For sure … could be rescued if media blasted and primed…if not too far gone or salvage the good parts!
Nearly ready for LeMons! Some assembly required.
Looks to be a taker of hard earned wages…
What are hobbies for? You do know you are on a website called Barn Finds?
I’ve got just over $10k invested in purchase and new parts and I’m about to take it apart to fix the rust and paint it. Couldn’t be happier.
Ian,
Nice car! What year and model CS do you have there (2800 or 3.0)?
Mike,
It’s a 1970 2800cs. Chamonix with blue interior. Matching numbers. x38K miles. It’s very original with full tool kit and interior but has some rust issues. That’s the only reason I was able to buy it, both from the low cost of purchase viewpoint and because the seller only sold it because of the cost of proper remediation. Very few people on Maui have the skills and desire to take on such a project. I’m on the mainland now as I took the car with me. Still, it’s nowhere near as bad a these can get and I’ll be able to do the work myself, saving a lot of money and having a lot of fun.
Would definitely make a great CSL BAT replica
I guess a BMX bike 👍
sorry why do we care are we hoping a 50k rare car sell?
Take the trans and get the year off the serial and sell it for parts and then call the scrap man!
This could go either way; a BMW “art” car or parts for another CS coupe. I’ve loved the lines of the complete version of this car since I saw one take an illegal left hand turn in 1983. I’ve enjoyed them from afar since; this one I’ll keep even more so.
OK folks, I bought the shell. What is really funny is that it is a better starting point for a race car than my “Burnt Copart Special” I bought last year. The inner stuff is done. I have a one piece fiberglass front, going to take it straight to my cage guy, will have a rear framework for the 25 gal fuel cell that we will Dzus fasten the rear sheet metal to. So the goal is the Pittsburgh races this July. Crazy isn’t it?
Just finished the boxes for the main hoop….ospho’d most of the car, replacement roof is at the chem strippers…progress
Al, would love to see your build documented somewhere!