Yahoo Autos Rare BMW 2002 Cabriolet up for auction in Munich
The BMW 2002 is an iconic car, an originator of the brand's reputation as the "Ultimate Driving Machine." Built from 1968 to 1972, the landmark model begat decades of Bavarian sports sedans. Now, an example of one of the rarest 2002 variants is coming up for auction in Munich.
Over 420,000 BMW 2002s were made in total, but the 1972 BMW 2002 Cabriolet being auctioned by RM Sotheby's is one of just 200 built. Stuttgart's Karosserie Baur was responsible for the conversions, which were initially done with the 2002's 1.6-liter predecessor, the BMW 1600-2. Baur's partnership with BMW goes back to the 1950s, and the cars were officially sold through BMW dealers in Germany.
However, Baur had plans to build what they called a Top Cabriolet, which had a fixed frame and pillars and a removable roof section. In essence, it was a targa top, except Porsche owned the copyright to the Targa name. So when Baur switched over to building 2002s in 1971, production of the full droptop continued for only eight months before the switch to the Top Cabriolet. Over 2,300 of those were made. As such, the true convertible 2002 Cabriolet is the rarest of the 02 series cars made by Baur.
