Tassie & Gotz's E21 320/6 Baur-TC

BMW's E21 model is a masterpiece; Back in the 1970's it was an affordable 2-door family sedan with quality workmanship, reliable technology, simplicity and comfort. Suspension and steering were tight, very responsive and the power of the 6-cylider models was impressive. BMW made great efforts to achieve the high level of comfort that only a Mercedes could offer at the time. A well engineered exhaust system, body-deadening and thick foam mats under the carpet gave the interior a surprisingly low noise level, even at high speed. While a conversation in most other cars became impossible beyond 80km/h, the passengers in a BMW would still be chatting while traveling at 180km/h on a German Autobahn, which prompted BMW's advertising team to create the word "Fahrvergnuegen" (Driving Pleasure). Compared to most other cars it was actually a pleasure to drive a quiet BMW at high speed with plenty of flexibility even above 150km/h. The E21 was built from 1975-1983 and marked the beginning of the 3-Series. It was a huge success for BMW who built 1.36 million of them. The customer could choose among six different 4-Cylinder models and two 6 cylinder versions. The more powerful models (320i, 320/6, 323i) also came with double headlights.

I was fortunate enough to acquire one of the few convertible E21, that Baur Karosserie (Germany) built for BMW. I purchased the car in 1989 in Germany as a restore project, which I completed in 1991. It became our pride and joy for weekend trips through the German countryside. When I migrated to Australia the car came with me as a personal import. With some sweat and swearing I finished the left-to-right hand conversion in 1997 and the car was fully compliant for Australian registration. Over the next 15 years it was my work vehicle until 2012. It is now retired and awaiting some repairs on the drive train among some other age related issues.