Rare '71 Beemer turning heads Bavarian sedan put automaker on the map Robert K. Rooney, For the Calgary Herald Published: Friday, September 12, 2008 For two decades, Ken Smith drove the same car. He always told people that he loved it too much to get rid of it. There was one car, however, that he could think of that would persuade him to change his mind. The machine that gave Smith so much enjoyment for 20 years was a 1973 BMW 2002. It had always been his intention, Smith says, to pass the car along to his son when the time was right. When the younger Smith moved to Ontario four years ago, his father decided that the 2002 should go with him. The family tradition of careful maintenance on the BMW continued in Ontario and Smith's son made a habit of searching out parts and pieces to keep the car in good shape. One day he found a mechanic who specialized in vintage BMWs and bought a fender from him. In the mechanic's shop was a car with a 'For Sale' sign on it and, when he saw it, Smith's son called Calgary immediately. Ken Smith's 1971 BMW 2800CS features an inline six with hemispherical heads and overhead camshafts. Although Ken Smith loved his 2002, he says he always conceded that, "I would trade it if I could find a 2800 or 3.0CS." What his son discovered in Ontario was a 1971 BMW 2800CS. A few phone calls later and the car was on its way to Calgary. BMW's 2002 series was really the making of the company. Well-built, good-handling and fun to drive, the Bavarian sedans made fans of nearly everyone who drove one. However, their styling was, well, idiosyncratic. In 1968 the company revised their two-door hardtop, and the result was very impressive. Most of the styling change was ahead of the cabin. The extended nose and revised grille produced a nicely-balanced profile that was both attractive and distinctive. Under the longer hood, BMW installed their so-called 'New Six' -- an inline six-cylinder engine with hemispherical heads and overhead camshafts. With a displacement of 2.8 litres, or 170 cubic inches, the engine achieved 170 horsepower or one pony per cubic inch -- a very impressive engineering achievement for the time. Only 1,167 copies of the 2800CS were built for North America between 1969 and 1971. Smith's car was brought into the country from California and, he understands, underwent three years of restoration before going up for sale. "He'd done pretty well everything to it that needed to be done, so I got it in pretty good shape," Smith says. "It's very, very comfortable to drive," he continues. "On the highway, when you put your foot in it, it has lots of oomph. It just takes off and keeps going. You could be doing 100 miles per hour in no time. "I only drive it when it's nice out," Smith admits. "We get enough good weather in Calgary that I don't have to drive it in the rain." A really hot day isn't always good either, since, for some reason, the car's air-conditioning system was removed during the restoration process. The BMW 2800CS is one of those cars that lots of enthusiasts know about -- but only from books and magazines. "It does draw some attention," Smith says. "You pull into a gas station to fill up and guys are coming over. People have never seen one before." Anyone hoping to maybe buy Smith's rare Beemer is going to be disappointed. He expects it will follow the same route as his '73 2002 and be passed along to his son. Not for a while, though. "This will be my toy until I'm gone," he smiles.

[ http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/cars/story.html?id=bf890969-722f-49f7-89dc-53423c94ed6b - source ]

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