1969 BMW 1600/1602 Cabriolet, 2 owners, very original, one of only 1682 made across 5 years.
This car was originally purchased in Paris France by a Mr. Barilett in June of 1970. He promptly moved it to his Corsica Island home where it stayed for the next ten years or so before being imported into the US by BMW importer Steven Harwin. That same year, 1982, it was sold to Mr. White here in CT. Unfortunately he was only able to enjoy the car for a couple of years and he passed away.
His widow and her new husband have owned the car and enjoyed it for the last 40 years, taking impeccable care of it mechanically.
The car was repainted by Mr. Barilett in it's original color, Granada Red, before it came to the US.
Other than that repaint, and certain wear items (tires, brakes, bushings) the car is original.
Pull the choke a bit, turn the key and there is no hesitation, the car fires immediately to life, even in the 20 degree temps we photographed her in.
The 1.6L inline 4 cylinder eases into a relaxed idle and is ready to rev when needed. The 4 speed trans shifts easily despite a need for shifter bushings (included with the sale) The 4 cylinder pulls the light weight 1600 along with ease and the car handles great. I can imagine Mr. Barilett cruising along the twisty island roads of Corsica.
The odometer reads just over 70K kilometers which equates to around 43K miles, these are known to be original.
The tires (Khumo Solius 185/70/13) are about 4 years old and stick well. (The original hubcaps come with the car)
The interior is in good condition for a car that is nearing 60. There is a small crack in the dash and the gauge pod is a little loose. Carpets and the rest of the interior could use a deep clean but are in very good condition, no tears and hardly any wear. The chromed plastic trim bits could also use some attention.
The convertible top is manually dropped by simply pulling two clamps and lowering it into place. Unfortunately, the installed boot cover is torn. The top itself is in very good condition with the rear plastic window a bit foggy with a couple of small cracks.
The lights work correctly, blinkers and wipers. Heater fan also blows air, and the radio works. It is not the original Blaupunkt. Not much else electrical in the car.
The underside of the car is in great condition, except for the right side (passenger) sill, there is unfortunately significant rust/rot. Interestingly enough, the rest of the undercarriage hardly even has light surface corrosion.
Two other blemishes on the car include a dent above the grill and a couple missing cross bars in the grill from a misadventure with an iron table in the garage when going away for the winter several years ago and a bent rear rocker behind the left (driver) wheel. A slipped steel belt broke through the tire and mashed it up into itself.
The paint is over 45 years old but still presents nicely, a color sand/correction would bring it back.
The rot in the sill will need attention but someone that knows what they're doing can align it correctly, weld in a panel and either match the paint under the chrome trim line or paint it with a black anti-chip paint under the trim line (similar to many Mercedes of the same era) as I've seen several of these finished like.
The car is a 1969, based on the sequential VIN, however, most of the paperwork calls it out as a 1970. This probably due to most European countries, back then, registering a car based on it's initial purchase date.
The fact that this car operates so well, has very documented history, is highly original and is one of just approximately 31 here in the US, the owners have a hopeful asking price of $62,000 or best offer.
Any questions, for several hundred additional photos and video, to schedule a time to inspect her, or to make an offer, please don't hesitate to contact me.
