Spotlight vehicle donation on a 1985 BMW 323i; this triple blue BMW is an exceptionally interesting and rare car for a number of reasons.
Firstly, it’s a BMW chassis code “E30” 3-series, which was produced from 1983 to 1994 and is noteworthy alone as the entry-level BMW that brought the company fame and fortune in the 1980s and made the “3-series” a household name, especially here in the United States. It offered excellent handling, performance, efficiency and design. For example, it was the first 3-series range to feature innovative technology such as an on-board service indicator that consisted of an LED bar graph plus warning lights for inspection and oil service.
Secondly, it’s a 323i “Euro-spec”, meaning that it was specially imported from Germany to the United States, as opposed to “officially imported” vehicles en masse by BMW for sale at dealerships across America, and meets specifications unique to European standards at the time.
This yields two delightful results.
- Mechanically, the ‘323i’ designates a 2.3-litre inline 6-cylinder engine producing 148 horsepower that was never offered in the United States.
- Cosmetically, the car has the small, elegant chrome-topped bumpers and a quirky semi-convertible top also never officially available here.
The tale of the bumpers is a bizarre one in western automotive history. In the 1970s, the U.S. federal government passed regulations for automobiles that ended up forcing European automakers to install larger-than-intended bumpers on all vehicles bound for the United States. The results notoriously ruined otherwise beautiful cars, as Mercedes, BMW and other European brand models were defaced with the offending bumpers that were so unsightly they earned popular nicknames as “diving boards” or “picnic tables” by owners and spectators.
Individually imported cars such as this one somehow passed U.S. inspection at the time and retained aspects of the car that were otherwise not permitted in America, such as the bumpers. One can now finally see how the Germans intended the car to look, and the results are subtly satisfying, making the car’s clean, angular proportions stand out even more.
The last notable feature of this car is its quirky roll-back canvas top. It is a semi-convertible that has no roof like regular convertibles but retains the side pillars and window frames to maintain structural rigidity for the best of both worlds: open air driving along with the stability and road manners of a hard-top car. It was not even offered by BMW officially and is called a “Bauer” because it was most likely custom built by a German “Karosserie” or coachbuilder named Bauer, who specialize in creating this special roll-top convertible and have a highly-respected and close relationship with BMW, among other German automakers, that continues today. This is no hack-job!
Quite the opposite, actually: a tastefully customized addition, as close cooperation with the original manufacturer as possible, on top of an already exemplary automobile. Many thanks and gratitude to the generous donor who gave us the privilege of processing this vehicle. We use our expert automotive industry knowledge to make the best decisions on each and every donated car. For questions on a donating a vehicle call 877.709.2277.