1970 BMW 2500 E3

1970 BMW 2500 Description

Up for sale is this rare very original 1970 BMW 2500 E3 with the two zenith carb set-up. I think this is the early version of the Bavaria but was known as the BMW New Six. This car spent some time in Alabama before the same owner moved up to Minturn CO (which is basically Vail) in 1997. I recently purchased the car and I have not done too much to it yet. The reason I haven’t jumped into this project is that the day after I purchased this car, I found a very nice 1956 2 door Chevy. I have been starting to put my time, energy and money into that car and the BMW has been sitting. Due to space, time and money I have decided just to let this project go, as I currently have too many on my plate.

I purchased this car with the intention of fully restoring it or making it a very nice driver quality car. The interior is extremely original and it still has what looks to be an original Karlsruhe De Luxe Blaupunkt Stainless Steel radio in it or some similar model but it definitely looks original. The head rests are cool, the seats aren’t horrible and the trunk carpet and rugs are all original with the snaps still in place and solid and clean. There is no rust in the floors. The four speed seems to shift as it should. The car shows 57,000 miles. At first I assumed it was probably 157,000 miles but at closer examination I think the 57,000 miles is original and accurate. Here is why I think that. Everything under the hood looks original. When I opened the oil cap the engine inside looked terrific. All the glass including the windshield is original factory glass and in really nice shape. No cracks and not pitted like a typical Colorado windshield after just a few years of driving. The interior is also very original and the original carpets and door panels are too nice to have 157,000 of wear on them. I don't have proof that the mileage is 57,010 but there are many hints that make me believe it may be. The car had sat a very long time and the gas is certainly not good anymore. However, hooked up a battery and direct fed gas into the carbs and the car started right up. Although briefly, I ran it on and off keeping it running on fresh gas or a blast of carb cleaner spray and it seemed to run well. Smooth with no missing etc. All the gauges seem to work and there is approximately a little less than half a tank of old gas in it. Brakes seem to function as they should.

There is rust on the car along the exterior door molding trim and in places along the rear outer wheel arches and some slight rust on the flat surfaces of the trunk, hood and roof. This rust seems to bea product of a few things. It was repainted at some point with a mediocre paint job and some of that paint is flaking exposing the metal. The other issue is that is was sitting outside in Minturn for quite some time. The only good thing is at that elevation there is not as much oxygen so it would have been a slower process. There IS NOT rust in the strut supports and there is no rust on the inner wheel wells or along the door jams or frame. The rust is out in the open where you can see it from sitting outside but it looks to be good in all the important areas. The original color of the car is blue but slightly darker than what you see on the car now. You can see it on the door jams and on the inside of thetrunk lid.

It has a new battery in it. It has all 4 hub caps but I only have two of the trim rings. It is missing the passenger side turn signal lens but they can be found online for roughly $20 and I need to see if I can find the handle to the dashboard ashtray. The tread on all 4 tires is excellent and the car does have a new battery. When I hooked the new battery up to it, the car lit up and the gauges came to life. Appears to be about a half a tank of gas in the car.

I have a box of parts that will go with the car including the passenger mirror, extra wiper motors, fasteners, clips, vinyl for the inside of the trunk lid (it’s torn but I saved it so cutting a new pattern off the existing vinyl would be simple) and various parts that go with the car. The car will come with two keys. Each key controls the ignition, doors and trunk.

All in all, this is a pretty complete example. Someone could make this a nice driver, fully restore it, or make a fortune selling it piece by piece. To me that would be a shame since the car does have a good clean Colorado title. I’ve cleaned the car, but not in detail so it is still dirty in areas but it can be cleaned up more. I just haven’t had the time to give this car the attention it needs.

Please don’t hesitate to ask me for more specific pictures of anything on the car. I would be happy to do that so you know what everything looks like if you have any areas of concern.You an call Justin at 303-246-0003 or shoot me an e-mail and I will send the many I couldn't post because of the 24 picture limit. I am representing this as clearly as I can. Please, serious bidders only. Thanks so much for looking.