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re: Baur TC

>From: sean thompson <sean.ti@domain.elided>
>I just saw an interesting car up on Clearwater Beach. It was An E30
>convertable but not a factory rag top. It was more like a targa. It looked
>like a hard top  conversion. there was "TC BAUR" on the B pillar. The car
>was badged ///M3 but it had no fender flares. anyone know about these? It
>looked pretty cool.  >Sean

Baur is the carrosserie (or as Baur prefers- Karosserie) or coachbuilder in
Stuttgart which has been building BMW convertibles since the 30's.  They
began in 1910 and produced, among others, 1682 1600-2 Cabriolets, 200 2002
Cabriolets, 2597 700 Sport Cabriolets and most of the 450 or so M1's (after
Lamborghini couldn't fulfill it's contractural obligations).  In 1971 they
began production of the safer "targa" style body with the 2002 and
continued with the E21 3 series body with full factory authorization.  The
roll-bar version or "Top Cabrio" (TC) continued with the E30 even after
Baur developed the design for BMW of the E30 Convertible, which they do not
build.  These TC cars can be built for the owner at any time as they are
done after-market, you supply the car.   The Baur family recieved a patent
for the design of a folding top for luxury automobiles about the time BMW
was building the first car with the BMW name.  They enjoy an excellent
reputation for qualilty and do prototype work for many manufacturers such
as Porsche, Audi and Ford.  Interestingly enough, all Porsche 959's were
actually produced at Baur, not at Porsche, on an assembly line with Porsche
inspectors overseeing the finished bodies.  Most of Porsche's "special
wishes" dept. leather work was also done by the workers at Baur.  At one
time all suspension components for the Audi Quattro suspension unique to
that model were produced by robot welding equipment at Baur.  It is also my
guess that the California version 318ti with ridiculous rag-top sunroof
must also be a Baur creation, as I have seen their version of an E36 4dr
with the same roof.

- -Phil Marx  BMWCCA #6021, Owner of Baur #780224, 780443, 7801059, 1558333 + more