A Trio of Rare Classic BMWs Is Up for Auction
The supply of neat cars stashed away seems never-ending, and here's proof. An Ohio auction company is selling a trio of rare, cool BMWs—a 1973 2002Tii that's been off the road for nearly 20 years, a rare-in-America 1983 323i, and a 1988 M5. The auction ends in less than a week, so get your bids in.
Auction company Burns Auction & Appraisal LLC says this trio was purchased in 1996, and while the 2002 has been off the road for some time and isn't running, the 323i and M5 both start and drive. We'd suggest giving those two a little love before any serious use, though, as both are more than a little dusty.
Among 2002s, this car is particularly desirable as this fuel-injected model was relatively uncommon, and this example has the much-beloved round taillights and no sunroof. It shows 2092 miles on its odometer, but that almost assuredly means it has 102,092 miles. The sellers say that the driver's side door has been replaced, and that the car was originally painted in Tagia Green. Otherwise, it looks original, though there is some rust underneath, as to be expected with an '02. It's well worth restoring though—hopefully the buyer repaints it in its original shade.
The E21-generation 3-Series isn't as loved as the 2002 that preceded it and the E30 that replaced it, but this is an interesting version. It's a European-market 323i, the top-spec, six-cylinder model of its day. For whatever reason, we only got the E21 with a four-cylinder in the U.S., so this car is uncommon. It's done 235,612 miles in its 39 years, yet it still looks very clean where it counts. The seller had it on the road until 2019, so it shouldn't need more than a little freshening to get it roadworthy again. This is the sleeper of the group, and it could prove to be a good buy.
Finally, the M5. Is there anything to say about the original M5 that hasn't already been said? This is one of the all-time great sport sedans, and one of the prettiest too. It's finished in black, as were all U.S.-market E28 M5s, and though it's done 158,237 miles, it looks remarkably clean. Like the 323i, this M5 was on the road until 2019, but the seller says a few items need attention. Again, it doesn't seem to need much.
At the time of writing, bidding for the M5 is up to $20,000, while the 2002tii is up to $6000 and the E21 has hit $3100. Expect these to go for a lot more because golden-era BMWs like these are hot commodities now, and well, that's just how auctions work.
You Might Also Like
