Although over in the U.S. it's a common occurrence, it’s not customary for the main European carmakers, especially the German ones, to produce models for a limited number of years. Yet such a thing has been known to happen, and when it does the cars in question become real collectibles.
15 photosOver at BMW, the E9 is one of those short-lived models. Introduced back in 1968 as an offshoot of the New Class coupes, the line was in production for just seven years – not enough time for scores of them to be made, but enough for the E9 to make a name for itself in racing, especially in the European Touring Car Championship and the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft, and on the road among true fans of the brand. Rare in Europe, these machines are even rarer here in the U.S. But if one looks hard enough, one is bound to stumble upon such a gem, like we did when we came across this 3.0 CSI variant sitting on the lot of Avant Garde. It comes with a price sticker that reads $169,000, a little higher than what valuation company Hagerty says a perfect condition one is worth ($162,000). We’re told this 1973 vehicle made its way across the pond back in the 1980s and has been in possession of the current owner since 2014. And judging by the available photos, we’re looking at an almost unspoiled mechanical wonder. The car rides on 14-inch wheels, and its body is wrapped in a rare hue called Golf Yellow, offset by chrome bumpers. The interior shows leather and wood trim, and as far as we can tell, pretty much everything on it is original.
As its name says, the hood of the model hides a 3.0-liter inline-six engine, which works with the help of a four-speed manual transmission. The mileage on the powerplant is not officially disclosed, despite the number 28,038 being visible on the odometer.
Keyword: 1973 BMW E9 Shines in Rare Golf Yellow as a True Euro Gem on American Soil