1967 BMW 1600 Florida Green 41k Orig. Mi Survivor SoCal

[paul-hb]

Price: $29990

Location: Costa Mesa, CA

Description:

I figured since we started listing this across the web today, it would end up here.  Most of the local SoCal BMW vintage community knows this example and the owner.  Here are the details:

1967 BMW 1600 2 Door Sedan

 

Low Original Miles/Rare Survivor

 

Very Complete/Never Disassembled

 

One of Earliest Surviving 1600s in the U.S.

I've Seen.

 

$29,990

 

VIN # 1530xxx

41,500 Original Miles

Florida Green (Code 066) on Dark Brown Leatherette
4-speed Manual Transmission

Clean and Clear California Title

Numbers Matching

 

 

 

 

This car was manufactured on June 30^th, 1967 and imported by Hoffman Motors Corporation of New York City on July 5^th, 1967.

 

 

Although not much is known about this early 1600, it was found about 5-years ago at a home (next to a barn) in Idaho.  We believe it was with that family, if not from new then at least for most of its life.  Sometime in the late 1990’s the water pump seized and the car was parked.  At the time, they thought something really bad happened to the motor so they didn’t even bother with it.  Recently it was found by an enthusiast who saved it and got it in the hands of one of the most knowledgeable vintage BMW collectors on the West Coast.  This current owner knew how hard it was to not only find a dry and straight early BMW “roundie,” but to also find one complete with all the super rare and unusual early production pieces.  Highlights of some of the original unrestored rare pieces on this example include:

 

 

All grills, belt line, and deco trim

Window frames/trim

Bumpers

 “5-bar” kidney grill

Correct front nose trim

Hood and trunk badges/insignias

Stainless steel hub caps with fragile and rare beauty rings (5 qty)

All wheels are original and date stamped correct (including the spare)

Gauges

The engine and engine head are all numbers matching to the car

Door hardware

Chrome dash trim

Rear and side view mirrors

Carpet and upholstery (both no longer available)

Water hose to the manifold with the red stripe (you NEVER see these)

VDO windshield washer reservoir (narrow style)

Two piece muffler

Correct rear axles with clear boots (new boots)

Airbox/air intake

Complete interior

6-Volt system

Generator

All glass including windshield

Chrome wiper arms

 

 

Since the car sat dormant for so long, this owner’s team began going through all the mechanical systems.  Their goal was to get the car running properly and be safe for a long journey.  They also wanted everything to work properly.  They were extremely careful to preserve as much originality as possible.  Highlights of the recent work performed includes:

 

 

Replaced all bushings in the suspension

Services steering system including upper and lower bushings

All new rubber seals throughout

Flushed cooling system and cleaned out radiator

Flushed out fuel system and cleaned out tank/new fuel lines

Replaced drive shaft guibo

Restored original rear axles with correct clear CV boots

New Michelin XWX tires (all 5)

Serviced stub axles with needle bearings

Complete brake system overhaul including brake cylinders

Refurbished original gauges.

Full major service/tune-up

New battery with correct mount system

 

 

Furthermore, a compression test was performed and the results were outstanding:  150 even across all 4 cylinders

 

 

The fact that this BMW exists at all is remarkable.  The 1600-2 was BMWs big breakthrough into the U.S. market.  These two door sport sedans were really what helped BMW get a dealership stronghold in the U.S. market.  They started to trickle into the States by late ’67.  Most were 1968 model years.  Furthermore, over the years if they did survive rust and damage, most were modified or at the very least, picked apart.  This example remarkably is incredibly dry, straight, and complete.  It does not appear to have had a rough life.  Most likely it slept in a dry garage for many years untouched.  The chassis shows nothing more than some light surface corrosion on the raw metal parts.  There are no signs of serious rot.  The spare tire well and gas tank are in great shape.  The incredibly rare and original two piece muffler is still in place.  It’s a testament to how this BMW was stored as most just rusted off the car.  The engine further supports this example’s low survivor miles.  Unobtanium bits like the rare radiator rubber hoses are still in great shape.  The front nose does not show signs of even being slightly tapped as most were back in the day.

 

 

The exterior looks very nice and has that original survivor-driver vibe.  The paint is not original; it has had one light exterior repaint.  The trim and glass were removed first.  New seals were reinstalled.  The paint has a nice soft glow to it.  It is not super polished shiny as the intention was to keep with the original look theme.  There are small chips here and there throughout the car (see pics).  The wheels are in good shape with just some minor signs of wear on the original paint.  The rare beauty rings and center caps have been carefully straightened and polished.  They are wearing new Michelin period correct tires and new brakes.  All the glass is original including the windshield.  All the chrome and brightwork is original and in remarkable unrestored condition.  There are some light spots of surface corrosion in few places on the bumpers, but that’s all.  The trim is very straight.  All the exterior lights work properly except the reverse lights.

 

 

The interior is completely original as it left Munich 52-years ago.  It is showing typical signs of wear.  The driver seat has a tear on the bottom as and the cushion is a bit saggy.  The top of the rear seat has cracks from the sun.  The headliner is in decent shape and also original.  It has a tear by the rear view mirror.  The sun visors are in great original condition.  The carpet shows just some light signs of wear with no significant stains or tears.  The door panels are very original and have all their original and rare hardware.  There are some signs of mild wear including some of the silver material fading on the passenger side.  The interior door spears are in good shape.  The interior and dash lights work.  The dash has never been removed and is the rare 3-piece unit with some cracks.  The instrument cluster is in great condition and all the gauges work properly including the clock.  The correct and rare hazard light switch/mount shows no cracks and works properly.  The chrome pieces across the dash show some light wear.  These pieces are very hard to find in this good of original condition.     

 

 

This 1600 drives fantastic.  Most people don’t realize that the early 1600s/2002s were lighter than the post '71 examples.  Plus, the 1600s had a more spirited rear end differential.  They were down 15 or 20hp, but they made up for it in a couple hundred pounds of less weight than later cars and better gearing.  This example  starts easily with the first turn, does not smoke and holds an even idle.  The manual choke works great.  The engine runs very smooth with no issues.  The 4-speed transmission shifts nicely with gentle shifting and there is no slipping of the clutch.  The brakes have a wonderful pedal feel with good initial bite.  Everything about the way this 1600 drives is very tight and indicative of a low-mileage survivor example.  This 1600 would be wonderful on vintage tour or just local cruising.

 

 

California registration is current and paid through January of 2020.

 

 

This BMW comes with one set of keys, an original owner’s manual (in German), original spare wheel/tire, original jack, tool kit, emergency triangle, and original lug wrench.

 

 

**Note: VIN and other numbers withheld to protect against fraud.  All numbers including VIN, Engine, and color will be provided to serious buyers.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Paul at 714-335-4911 or paul@autokennel.com

For tons of pictures, either cut and paste the following URL into your browser, or click here: www.AutoKennel.com

 

 

 

 

Edited February 18, 2019 by paul-hb

[Seth Horwitz]

That engine bay is cleaner than my bedroom. Very nice. 

[oh2ryan]

Love it! One of my favorite colors

[AceAndrew]

 

Love this car,  doesn’t get much than an early car in a fun color.  Would take this over any tii any day of the week.

Edited February 18, 2019 by AceAndrew

[jgerock]

So.  Ryan flies off to the Philippians (Far East. weird spell check) in search of another car and this one (similar to his previous one) is right there practically in his neighborhood.

Edited February 18, 2019 by jgerock

[paul-hb]

1 hour ago, AceAndrew said:

 

Love this car, but you may want to edit this passage in your listings to clarify that the early 1600/2002 chassis is much lighter than the later chassis (mid 71 and then square tails).  However, within the same chassis years, the 1600 and 2002 near-as-made-no-difference weighed the same.  

 

Will certainly edit this when the listing is edited.

thanks...change made.

[iinca]

Is this a private owner your selling the car for? miles can be documented?Overall it looks a little rougher than 40 k miles....

Edited February 18, 2019 by iinca

[Lengrep]

Paul sells cars on consignment. Very trustworthy seller but of course he doesn’t have personal knowledge of the history of most of the cars he sells.

That said, the owner of this car is a trusted member of our vintage BMW community.


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[danco_]

This is a good car. I know it well. I remember the day it got to the current owner years ago.