Saw this posted over at another forum, I wont spoil it for you, but it brang a small tear to my eye..

Stumped, check it out!

Jump: Most Rare Modern BMW in North America?

 

Anyone else a bimmer nut as well? Surely must be some Mini owners who share my admiration of BMW.

 

I don't get it. What's the big deal? The Alpina B7 isn't rare. It's part of the current lineup. Maybe not every dealer can get them, but I could walk into my BMW dealer and order one. Last time I was there they had one for sale on the showroom floor.

But yes, I'm a fan of bimmers. I had four before I got my JCW. Still have a '03 330ci (wife's) and just got rid of an '05 M3. Had a '99 323i and a '02 530i before that. Great cars.

 

If u want to see a nice rare Bimmer, a guy down the street from me has a mint 840CI that is a beautiful ride. i just recently sold my 95 M3 in preparation for my new MCS .....if she ever gets here :(!

-Hutch-

 

I've seen one before. And what's with freaking out that nobody posted just 2 minutes after your original post?

 

Doesn't matter...if it's not a 507 I don't care how rare it is. (imho )

 

Or an M1.

 

none of which are 'modern era'. Rarest would probably be this (my old CEO paid $225k from a buddy of his):

 

Ooooo.....that's very nice, too!!!

 

There were two models. The original with the M5 engine and 6 speed manual, and the dummied-down & more expensive one that came after, the so called Alpina with a less powerful motor and a slushbox.

 

really? I was only familiar with the M5 motored one.

 

As RaceTripper posted...

...the B7 isn't rare, just out of reach for most people. The dealer I work for just sold one not that long ago...the car is
definitely sweet!

PGT is right...

...the Z8 is what you would consider pretty rare in the world of BMWs.
Even more rare is a red one, had a customer come in a few weeks ago with one...the red just pops on this car.

 

The Alpina was down on the HP, but not by much. 10-20 if I recall correctly, but had a bunch more torque.

 

loving my little 325i

 

I think the most rare would be the grandfather of them all the M1. But maybe the E34 M635CSI. Then maybe the Z8. Then the E31 850....

 

Can't be too rare. A mechanic up the block from me at Firestone station owns one. Complete with the built-in armrest phone.

Now, the M1... mmmmmmmmmm

 

which part of 'modern' means 25-30 years old to you?

 

Well, "modern" is sort of a loaded term. Much of like "modern art", a movement that spanned almost 100 years and *ended* almost 40 years ago.

Any of the cars UKSUV listed could be considered "modern" in the context of BMW's history, especially if you're talking to a fan of their pre-WWII cars.

If I were describing BMWs from only the most recent years, I'd probably use "contemporary" rather than "modern".

 

I think a good benchmark of modern vs. classic for cars is 25 years of age. That's used legally and for insurance purposes a lot.

 

That sounds as good as anything, although "classic" and "vintage" are kind of loaded terms as well.

When I was in high school, a friend had a '67 Camaro SS/RS, and even thought it was only 20 years old, I had no problem thinking of it as a "classic". But flash-forward to today, and I think it would be strange to see "vintage/classic" license plates on a 1982 Trans Am (my first car), even though it would satisfy the requirements in most states.

 

I love the Z8, and have probably seen one on the road less than a hanful of times...

Other rare BMWs that came to my mind:


The M3 CSL "lightweight" is pretty rare with only about 125 made, with 80 or so in the USA:
http://www.usautoparts.net/bmw/models/m3_ltw.htm






The Z1 never made it here to the US, and only 8000 were produced:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_Z1

 

Good point about the E36 M3 LTW. The chief DE instructor in our car club had one. Now he has a Lotus Elise Sport.

I saw a Z1 at the BMW Car Corral at the USGP some years ago. I have a picture of it somewhere. The license plate read YES A Z1, or something to that effect. More than anything else, it didn't make it to the US because it didn't have proper doors.

 

Ahhh...I forgot the M3 LTW....altho as I recall its not a CSL...

 

That IS modern.... Depends how you look at it. We can start talking about BMW motorcycles and prop engines from back in the day....get off my chonies...

 

Well, I still have not seen a 850CSi, CSL 3.0 "Batmobile" or a "obruT 2002" (2002 Turbo) in real although I have seen several M1s and Z1s, Z8s, and M3 LTWs.