other What dealer originally sold your 02?

[Conserv]

For North America, where BMW did not have its own legal organization until BMW NA began operating in early 1975, I suspect we all need to distinguish a.) importer/distributor from b.) retail dealer. Since deliveries of cars to the U.S. -- they came by ship, not plane -- generally took 7 to 12 weeks (from date of manufacture to physical delivery of the car to the retail dealer), I am hesitant to believe that cars going to Canada could make it from Germany to Vancouver in 3 weeks! The "delivery" of which BMW Archives speaks is legal delivery of title, not physical delivery of the car.

Where there was an importer/distributor -- e.g., Hoffman Motors Corp. for the U.S. until the beginning of 1975 -- BMW Archives does not have specific retail dealers in its records. The exception to this would be where an importer/distributor owned its own dealership or dealerships, something we did not have in the U.S.: Hoffman signed up independent dealers to retail his cars. Although I'm not familiar with the Canadian organization(s), as you receive data from BMW Archives, you have to consider the realities of shipping a car manufactured in Germany to various locations within Canada.

Regards,

Steve

[Conserv]

Vancouver Auto....the first BMW in Vancouver if I remember correctly.

Manufactured Dec 21, 1971 Arrived in Canada Jan. 5 1972 Sold to: Dr. Gallagher, West Vancouver BC

VIN 2580042 Colorado Paint Code 002

Mike,

Even today, BMW cannot ship a car from Germany to Vancouver in 16 days -- assuming they got your car onto the ship the same day it rolled off the assembly line, which didn't actually happen. If your source for "Arrived in Canada Jan. 5 1972" is BMW Archives, I'd bet their actual language was closer to "delivered to," which is referring to delivery of legal title, not the physical car.

Best regards,

Steve

Edited January 22, 2016 by Conserv

[Conserv]

Almost all early BMW's were delivered to Hoffman Motor Corp. From there they went on to the dealership....

No, not physically delivered to Hoffman Motors, but legal title went to Hoffman Motors, even for European Deliveries.

Regards,

Steve

[RAS-2002]

My first 2002, (a 1973, Sahara #2585896). I purchased it new, on Dec 18, 1972 from Ridgefield European Motors in Ridgefield CT. Salesman was Helmut Erhardt. Sadly, it is now RIP.

My current 2002, a 1972, (Malaga #2584644) was originally purchased from Foreign Engine Co. in Everett MA. I took possession of it on Dec 18, 2012, exactly 40 years to the day after my first one.

It is now resting comfortable in the garage in NY (present outside temp is 9 degrees F...!)

-Bob

[jscaptura1]

According to the PO (I am the 2nd) She had said she bought the 1600 in Vancouver. When I did the record search a few years ago, the archives said it was imported to Hoffman in NY (Like most others) Could a car imported to NY be then delivered for sale in Vancouver? Now this was in 1985, I was 18 years old when I bought it & probably was not paying attention to what she said. She may have said she bought it & drove it to Vancouver. An interesting side note though, the headlights on the 1600 are flat, not convex like most that you see, it had these 2 little convex plastic bubbles on the outside of the lights that just kind of floated between the light & the grill. I of course, didn't like them & pitched them out when I bought the car. Anyone know if that is a clue as to whether it was a Canadian car or just a different option?

[Conserv]

According to the PO (I am the 2nd) She had said she bought the 1600 in Vancouver. When I did the record search a few years ago, the archives said it was imported to Hoffman in NY (Like most others) Could a car imported to NY be then delivered for sale in Vancouver? Now this was in 1985, I was 18 years old when I bought it & probably was not paying attention to what she said. She may have said she bought it & drove it to Vancouver. An interesting side note though, the headlights on the 1600 are flat, not convex like most that you see, it had these 2 little convex plastic bubbles on the outside of the lights that just kind of floated between the light & the grill. I of course, didn't like them & pitched them out when I bought the car. Anyone know if that is a clue as to whether it was a Canadian car or just a different option?

Although it's not likely a Hoffman-imported U.S.-spec car would then be sold new in Vancouver, I suppose it's theoretically possible. Perhaps Hoffman and the importer for Canada swapped cars (dealers within the U.S. regularly exchanged cars, but those were all within Hoffman's "territory").

U.S. cars had to pass through U.S. Customs and be delivered by the retail dealer with sealed beam headlights. But after delivery, anything could happen! Even in a fairly restrictive state such as Pennsylvania -- with semi-annual state inspections at the time my '76 was delivered -- I immediately swapped out my sealed beams for Cibie Z Beams, later changing to Marchal H4 lights. Apparently, no inspection station ever bothered to look at my illegal headlights. So after delivery to the original owner, there is no telling what sort of headlights might be on a car.

I'm not certain what you're describing, but perhaps your car, after passing U.S. customs, received European city/clearance lights. Although I suspect these were legal in Canada, they also occasionally appeared on U.S. cars which, like mine, skirted the law.

If you purchased the car from the original owner, did you possibly receive any of the service books with the car? Those are one of the best records of the delivering dealer.

Regards,

Steve

Edited January 22, 2016 by Conserv

[jmr_1602]

No, not physically delivered to Hoffman Motors, but legal title went to Hoffman Motors, even for European Deliveries.

Regards,

Steve

Haha. I knew I should've specified before they got on the boat. [emoji1417]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jscaptura1]

Unfortunately, I had no records from the PO. Again, at the time I had no idea what I was doing or buying and it never occurred to me that 30 years down the road there would be so much interest in it. Heck, I remember sending for parts by mail! Looking through the Roundel and trying to figure out what the exact parts were I needed! My My how times have changed! (Am I really now the old guy standing on my porch yelling at the neighborhood kids to get off my lawn?)

[Conserv]

I don't have images of many original window stickers, but here are the Ports of Entry (POE) and retail dealer name/location from those I have. This simply provides a sense of how the delivery system worked (these are chronological to the best of my knowledge, ranging from 1968 to 1976). Cars were trucked from the POE to the retail dealer.

San Francisco, CA; Hans Volkswagen Service / Sacramento, CA

San Francisco,CA; Marvin Benn's Foreign Car Center / Lafayette, CA

Elizabeth, NJ; Harriss-Connors Chevrolet / Chapel Hill, NC

Elizabeth, NJ; Nidaws Imports / Huntington, WV

Elizabeth, NJ; Kling Sales & Service / Honeoye Falls, NY

Elizabeth, NJ; Alfred's Foreign Car Service / Erie, PA

Elizabeth, NJ; Imported Cars of Worcester / Worcester, MA

Los Angeles, CA; BMW of Beverly Hills / Beverly Hills, CA

Los Angeles, CA; Hyde Park Motors / Los Angeles, CA

Elizabeth, NJ; Leonard Motors / Newton, NJ

Los Angeles, CA; San Jose Bavarian Motors / San Jose, CA

Portland, OR; Roth Volkswagen / Gresham, OR

Elizabeth, NJ; Bel(?)-Aire Motors / Staten Island, NY

Los Angeles, CA; Robert Ruehman Motors / N. Hollywood, CA

San Francisco, CA; Monterey Motor Car / Monterey, CA

Elizabeth, NJ; Dick Horrigan Volkswagen / Reading, PA (that's my '76!)

Portsmouth, VA; Tom Sweeney Imports / Cincinnati, OH

Portsmouth, VA; Borough Imports / Charlotte, NC

That's all I've got. I'd love to see more added to this list!

By the by, the last two are consecutively-numbers cars produced on the same date, April 23, 1976 (my 2742541 and a now-demised 2742542). Were they part of the same shipment? I suspect. But one was off-loaded at Portsmouth while mine was off-loaded at Elizabeth.

Regards,

Steve

Edited January 22, 2016 by Conserv

[Buckeye]

From BMW archives:

 

 

The BMW 2002 US VIN 2742702 was manufactured on April 27th, 1976 and delivered on August 9th, 1976

to the importer BMW of North America in Montvale, New Jersey. The original colour was Sienabraun

metallic (Siena Brown), paint code 009.

[adawil2002]

Steve,

 

Probably Elizabethtown, NJ.

 

Crooks Motors Old Saybrook CT, sold BMW, Mercedes and VWs

[DRedman]

my 71 was purchased from Ocean View Motors in Santa Monica, CA

[Conserv]

Steve,

 

Probably Elizabethtown, NJ.

 

Crooks Motors Old Saybrook CT, sold BMW, Mercedes and VWs

Thanks, Andrew,

Elizabeth, NJ has a large port on Newark Bay, adjacent to Newark Airport and readily accessible from New York Harbor. If you take the old Pulaski Skyway (Route 78) from New Jersey to NYC, you cross over the enormous holding yards for imported vehicles. Elizabeth is recognizable also by its odor: it's been a refining, processing, and manufacturing hub too long!

Regards,

Steve

[Conserv]

my 71 was purchased from Ocean View Motors in Santa Monica, CA

So I'll bet it's POE was Los Angeles!

Regards,

Steve

[Conserv]

...Crooks Motors Old Saybrook CT, sold BMW, Mercedes and VWs

CT, Andrew? Hmmm. We have an Elizabeth, NJ POE for a car going to Worcester, MA, so I'd guess Elizabeth, but could be wrong.

Regards,

Steve

Edited January 22, 2016 by Conserv