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This Baur BMW E30 Convertible Is Now a V8 Pickup Truck

Most people know that BMW’s E30 3 Series models were built in a lot of body styles for that time. You could have a coupe, convertible, sedan or even a touring model if you wanted to. However, few people know the history behind each one of them.
BMW E30 Baur Pick-Up 18 photos
Photo: eBay
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The convertible seems to be the most interesting one as BMW went to a coach builder to design it and put it in production. Baur is the name of that company and they are the ones responsible for how the E30 Convertible turned out.

Since the ‘targa’ name was already trademarked by Porsche, a different one had to be used. Their ‘Top Cabrio’ model (TC2 for short, following in the footsteps of the TC1 model which was the E21 3 Series) was built by BMW but developed by them.

It featured a soft top that could be folded in the boot. Over 10,865 such cars were built in Europe and 3,561 in South Africa and they ranged from 316i to 325iX versions. The most popular choice was by far the 320i with 2,538 units sold but the cheapest model was still the 316i.

That’s what the owner of this E30 used for his project car. However, his plans were different. He wanted a pick-up instead of a convertible and proceeded to modify it to his needs.

After he got rid of the soft top and modified the rear bench to have a bed instead of seats he proceeded to turn his ride into an M3. In order to do so, M3 fenders (front and back) and bumpers were added to the mix. Things were looking up but the small 1.6-liter engine under the bonnet seemed a bit out of its league now.

That wasn’t a problem. The man turned a convertible into a pick-up, an engine swap was nothing for him. The thing is, instead of going for the S14 engine from the E30 M3, he went for something a bit bigger. His choice? A 4-liter V8 from a BMW E34 540i.

The 286 HP unit was mated to a 5-speed stick shift along with a new steering system from an E36 M3 and some new brakes from an M5. Everything else had to be modified as well afterwards, like the suspension, exhaust, instrument panel gauges and even the wheels. It didn’t matter anymore though, as his project was coming to an end and started turning heads.
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