Rusty But Trusty

The gorgeous BMW E9 coupes are among the cars quickly escaping the reach of the average collector/driver. Looking around, you’ll see their immediate predecessor, known internally at BMW as the Model 120, and to the general public as the 2000C and 2000CS. These cars have lived in the shadow of their younger E9 siblings since about 1968, due to their unique front-end styling and 4-cylinder engines. In specific, the 2000C with its 100hp single-carb engine and automatic transmission was a bit of a dog. However, BMW woke the car up a bit with the dual carburetor, manual shift 2000CS, which put out 120hp. Some careful modifications can turn this into a fairly competitive car compared to its contemporaries (Alfa Romeo GTV, anyone?), and you still get that gorgeous greenhouse found on the later E9 cars. You can find this 1967 BMW 2000CS for sale in Arlington, VA for $1800.

As the seller states, this car is a project for him, and while it runs, it needs total cosmetic restoration. However, outward appearances suggest it’s quite intact, and some explanation of his ambitions would be informative. The car has some rust, and of course rust is known as a killer in E9 circles, but perhaps with some POR-15 treatment and dry storage, you could string things out for quite a few years. The original color is Bristol (pale) grey, but this muted color also works pretty well on the shape. That hole just aft of the front wheel could be the beginning of the end, so inspect carefully so you know what you’re getting into. Rusty does not necessarily equal unusable if you’re okay with the cosmetic impact, and your shots are all current.

The interior is well-used, and will need some attention either way. If you’re looking to do any fast back roads driving, you may want to set the big armchairs aside and find some period-looking bucket seats. The door trims are off and will need refinishing, although the part that is visible in the listing’s trunk shot does not look half bad. The rear deck is showing a fair amount of surface rust and will either need treatment or refinishing.

On the mechanical side, there are some interesting things to note – master cylinders and brake calipers have been rebuilt, as has the front suspension, and there are new shocks all around. Most interestingly, the engine is a 1969 2002 unit with fuel injection parts from a 1972 2002tii – so what would you call this car? BMW 2000CSi? Fabbing up a badge like that would raise a lot of eyebrows at your next BMW show. And more importantly, you’d have performance and power that would be largely on par with cars like the Alfa 2000GTV, Fiat 124 coupe, and others.

Oh, and here’s the part that will put most people off. Retrofitting European lights helps quite a bit – even though the car is quirky from this angle, it’s certainly one of the earlier efforts to fair the headlights into the overall nose of the car. Just think, this design approach only became mainstream roughly 20 years after this car was built. It’s also good to see that most of the (small) rust spots on the nose have already been treated. So, while a full restoration on this car could be cost-prohibitive, what would you do to compromise between enjoying the drive and the look?

Tags: 2000cs, BMW, coupe, e9, Feature, german, model 120, neue klasse, under $2000

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