1981 BMW E21 323i Baur

BMW nailed the recipe for the 3-series from the start. What we have come to know and love today was originally launched in the late 1970s. The E21, which replaced the 02-series, was produced exclusively by BMW as a 2-door coupe, but if you wanted some open-top action, BMW dealers would offer a warrantied, sanctioned convertible conversion.

The work was completed by Stuttgart-based coachbuilders, Baur. Baur already had a reputation for producing convertible conversions; they’d already been offering this service to 02-series owners. So it was a natural development that BMW would seek a partnership when offering clients a topless E21. It is a partnership that would continue beyond the E21, with Baur not only producing their convertible version of the subsequent E30, but also working on the design of the first factory-produced 3-series convertible.

Less than 4,600 Baur TopCabriolet E21s were built. In truth, the design is more like a Targa top, which offers more safety than a traditional convertible, but as Porsche owned the rights to the Targa namesake, the name TopCabriolet entered the BMW vernacular.

This particular car is one of those Baur-converted cars. Built as an RHD 323i Coupe in November of 1981, it was immediately sent to Baur to be converted into a TopCabriolet. Today, the car remains in excellent condition. In 2011, the car underwent a 3-year ground-up mechanical and cosmetic restoration.

Any areas of corrosion were addressed, with corrosion chopped out and fresh steel carefully welded back in place. Once completed, the car was refinished in Henna Red, to set the fresh paintwork off, a set of genuine, and ultra-rare, 15” Alpina multispoke alloys was fitted. Another brand that, like Baur, is so intrinsically linked to modified BMWs.

The interior was, of course, not left alone, treated and cared for in equal measure to that of the exterior. The team at Windsor Upholstery were drafted to rework and retrim the original Recaro seats. Where the original foam had deteriorated, it was restructured, and the leather was replaced with beautiful Connoly hide.

They replaced the carpet too, with deep pile hand-finished black material that matches the original style, but like the seats, uses much higher quality materials. The original radio has been replaced in favour of a Blaupunkt unit that features USB and Bluetooth, but the original steering wheel and cluster remain. The odometer shows the car has covered just over 83,500 miles.

Despite starting life as a range-topping 323i, the decision was made to upgrade the car further. For this, a fully-rebuilt 2.5-litre M20, like what is fitted in an E30, was used. The advantage of this is that the base engine is the same, so no structural modifications are required.

Instead, this conversion results in an uplift of 30bhp, without compromising the handling dynamics of the original car. It’s mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox that was fitted with a new clutch during the restoration. The car rides on Bilstein B6 suspension, breathes through a stainless steel twin-exit exhaust, and, most recently in April 2025, was recommissioned with a new cambelt and waterpump, as well as fuel filter and fuel lines.

The restoration work was undertaken by BMW specialists Fritz’s Bits and is fully documented throughout the car’s service records. The recommissioning work was undertaken by London-based specialists JC Autos. The car’s heritage is backed up by confirmation of its authenticity from BMW’s homologation department.

If you’re looking for a genuine piece of BMW history, look no further. The combination of the range-topping 323i specification and Baur conversion makes this the ideal choice. It’s now ready for its next owner to love, drive and enjoy the sonorous 6-cylinder soundtrack. It has just over 83,500 miles on the odometer, and has had just 5 owners in its 44-year life!