Our 2002 Baur Convertible came off the BMW assembly line in 1971 in its original color of Golf Yellow. However, due to the Baur conversion, it was sold and titled in Germany in 1972.

The car was found at a used car dealership during a trip to Germany by my parents, Michael and Jennifer, in 1985 (Photos of them inspecting the car - Right). They purchased the car in October of 1985 for $7,500 ($21,000 equivalent to 2023). The car was shipped from Homburg, Germany to Illinois, USA in November of 1985 and arrived in December. The cost of shipping was $1,700 ($4,800 equivalent in 2023). In the US, adding rear seatbelts, changing the windshield, addition of side-markers and door re-enforcements were required to make it street legal. Cost of parts and labor was $2,400 (~$6,800 equivalent in 2023). The work was completed in January of 1986.

Total purchase cost was $11,600 (~$32,600 equivalent in 2023).

The car lived in Park Ridge, IL for two decades. My sister (birth year 1986) is shown driving the 2002 with our beloved family friend. Another later photo shows my sister in the pilot cap being buckled in by my father, with my brother riding shot-gun in a booster seat (you’ve got to love the 80’s).

The car remains in our family today and travels between Park Ridge, IL and Fontana, WI. We have relied on two trusted mechanics, Sean at European Autohaus of Chicago, IL and Mark at Mark’s Motor Mechanics of Walworth, WI to help keep the 2002 healthy.

While we take special precautions with the car, we are proud to say that we still use it for every day tasks, including bringing home a Christmas tree in the 90s and taking our family to the airport in a blizzard when the daily driver had a flat tire in the early 2000s. It happily takes trips to grocery store and to grab ice cream on warm summer nights.

In 2021, it was used as the getaway vehicle at our wedding.