Is there a market for these? Bavaria content

[firefirefire90]

I work for a company and in our warehouse I found about 3 pairs of eurospec Bavaria headlights in really good condition some with wipers and some without. I was wondering if there is much of a market for these as there are pretty limited amount of Bavarias out there that I have seen.

[C.R. Krieger]

I work for a company and in our warehouse I found about 3 pairs of eurospec Bavaria headlights in really good condition some with wipers and some without. I was wondering if there is much of a market for these as there are pretty limited amount of Bavarias out there that I have seen.

Quite limited. Technically, there is no such thing as a Eurospec Bavaria because, like the 535is, it was never sold outside North America. What you have there are Eurospec E3 pieces. They would fit the 2500, 2800, 3.0, and 3.3 sedans. Shoot me some pics (I still have a Bav lurking in my barn) and tell me what you'd have to have for them.

[Mike W.]

Yeah, post up pics. They might even be adaptable to other 4X5.75 headlight setups.

[firefirefire90]

well the bavaria's were converted by our company, Conversion Techniques, to DOT spec so we have lots of leftover parts. I'll get some pics up. I was figuring for price would be similar to E28 headlights? 140-200 range depending on condition? Would that be fair?

[mooseheadm5]

There are not that many E3s left, and not many that are worth spending any money on, however I would bet that the few good ones out there would be interested at that price.

[Michael P, C'ville]

On a whim, I just looked up the headlight bucket part number for the E3 and it is the same as the E9 (3.0CS, et al):
E3: http://tinyurl.com/3fkjjnb
E9: http://tinyurl.com/3hwkzrp
Note that the left bucket is still available for $400 (!) but the right is NLA...

The E3 crowd may or may not be interested in wipers on their lights, but E9ers with deep(er) pockets sure will. Post them up on the e9coupe.com parts page.

AFAIK, light wipers were never available on the E9, but Paul Cain's 3.8CSi made everyone covet them.

[C.R. Krieger]

well the bavaria's were converted by our company, Conversion Techniques, to DOT spec so we have lots of leftover parts.

That still makes no sense unless you were converting the few 3.3s that came into the country. EVERY Bavaria was built NA-spec. It is not a generic term like E28; it was a model name for a specially equipped 2800 or 3.0S (depending on year) that was imported, fully federalized, by Max Hoffman's BMW distributorship. It was only sold in North America.

I'll get some pics up. I was figuring for price would be similar to E28 headlights? 140-200 range depending on condition? Would that be fair?

Might work. Might not. You'll have to find those guys.

[nnarth212]

I work for a company and in our warehouse I found about 3 pairs...

Sick!

What a find! Keep hunting!

[rmiddendorf]

I seriously thought I'd see a bunch of E3's at The Vintage but apparently there were only two there, and of those two I only saw one. There were somewhere in the ballpark of nine E9's. The E3's really may be on their way to becoming pretty rare.

Cool find in a warehouse though. See if you can dig up some Aplina E28 bits while you're at it...

[Mike W.]

well the bavaria's were converted by our company, Conversion Techniques, to DOT spec so we have lots of leftover parts.

That still makes no sense unless you were converting the few 3.3s that came into the country. EVERY Bavaria was built NA-spec. It is not a generic term like E28; it was a model name for a specially equipped 2800 or 3.0S (depending on year) that was imported, fully federalized, by Max Hoffman's BMW distributorship. It was only sold in North America.

I'll get some pics up. I was figuring for price would be similar to E28 headlights? 140-200 range depending on condition? Would that be fair?

Might work. Might not. You'll have to find those guys.

CR is technically correct, but while they were all US spec cars from the factory, the early ones were much closer to euro models than later ones or their E28 cousins, they came with small bumpers, very similar engines, same HP rating, mostly different carb jetting and the same exhaust. Also all E3's in this country tend to be called Bavs, regardless if they were 2500s, 2800s or 3.0Si's.

However, after all of that I can't find any reference to E3's having headlight washers at any point, euro or not.

[firefirefire90]

I'll get some pictures up in a minute.

[firefirefire90]

the ones with the headlight washers already sold unfortunately. First set is a good pair and the second picture is two passenger sides or two drivers sides, i'm not too sure. I have one headlight wiper for one side left. Let me know if any of you guys are interested.

[C.R. Krieger]

EVERY Bavaria was built NA-spec. ... It was only sold in North America.

CR is technically correct, but while they were all US spec cars from the factory, the early ones were much closer to euro models than later ones or their E28 cousins, they came with small bumpers, very similar engines, same HP rating, mostly different carb jetting and the same exhaust.

Well, that was because they could. The pre-'73 Bavarias didn't have big bumpers because there was no requirement for it. US cars didn't have them either. [For those too young to remember, the '5 mph' bumper requirement was phased in. For 1973, only the front bumpers had to meet the standard; for '74, rear bumpers also had to meet it. This is the only model year difference for many cars, from the Bavaria and 2002 to the Corvette and 'Cuda.] Emissions standards were also easy enough to meet without modification until the mid to late '70s. BMW didn't build lower power cars just to insult the US. It came as a normal and expected result of tighter emissions standards here than in Europe. 'Federalizing' a BMW before 1973 basically consisted of changing to sealed beam headlamps and red taillights.

Also all E3's in this country tend to be called Bavs, regardless if they were 2500s, 2800s or 3.0Si's.

An unfortunate mistake on the level of calling all BMWs "Beemers". I don't think any were actually 2500s; and I don't remember ever seeing one here, although I know they were sold in very small numbers. AFAIK, the real Bavaria© was first a specially badged 2800 with more 'American' options like A/C, vinyl (instead of cloth) seating, and an automatic transmission. Later, it had the 3.0 and in its final year, I believe it got fuel injection for the first time to replace the fussy pair of Solexes that couldn't hope to meet emissions in spite of a spaghetti-like maze of tubes, wires, and sensors attempting to control them.

However, after all of that I can't find any reference to E3's having headlight washers at any point, euro or not.

I don't remember any, either.

[south26]

[quote]I don't think any were actually 2500s; and I don't remember ever seeing one here, quote]

My father drove a 2500. It had the 2500 on the rear and not the bav. I would love to own one some day. A person near me had one and it was in great shape, the drive shaft went out and he gave it away for free

Andy

[Mike W.]

Close CR, but not quite. Power dropped in a sense from euro cars with the 72 Bav, which went to 3.0, low compression in a US only engine, although it was unchanged from the 2.8 high compression "world" engine. Euro 3.0s were 10HP more. There were in fact 2500s sold here, I had one and used to see many, and Bavs were definitely available with a 4 speed. Federalization, as you mentioned was minimal in those days, amber turn signals at the rear were ok, but they did have to put in sidemarkers and spring spacers in the front to raise the headlight level for US standards. Bumpers on them changed front and rear in '74. The last 2 years of the 3.0Si were the injected years in 75/76, but they didn't sell many by then.

I think the term Bav came into play as most of them were badged that, there were 6 different US names for the platform and in those days it was a 1600/02, a Bav, a 5, 6 or 7. None of that BS about what 5 series, there was only one.

[C.R. Krieger]

Close CR, but not quite. Power dropped in a sense from euro cars with the 72 Bav, which went to 3.0, low compression in a US only engine, although it was unchanged from the 2.8 high compression "world" engine. Euro 3.0s were 10HP more.

ISTR the first round of emissions regs went into effect in '72. That's when the Real Hemi© died.

There were in fact 2500s sold here, I had one and used to see many,

Maybe you were where they were sold. What I meant was that the 2500 was never badged as a Bavaria and that not many of them were sold in any event.

and Bavs were definitely available with a 4 speed.

Absolutely! But the 'mix' was more strongly biased toward the automatic cars because that's what Max Hoffman thought would sell best. The Bavaria cost about as much as a contemporary Lincoln, fergawdsakes, so it had to have some perceived 'value' to luxury car buyers.

Federalization, as you mentioned was minimal in those days, amber turn signals at the rear were ok, but they did have to put in sidemarkers and spring spacers in the front to raise the headlight level for US standards.

Yeah; stupid simple stuff. You could probably 'federalize' a car in an hour back then.