Shark Soup: 1987 BMW L7 E23

The E28 generation BMW 7-series was released in 1977 as the first BMW to wear the 7 designation and as a replacement for the aging E3 New Six platform (aka the Bavaria).  The changes were more evolutionary than revolutionary, but the Paul Bracq designed shark nose shape is certainly more modern looking than the New Six, in part because it has a higher beltline, and smaller greenhouse. Today's E28 is described by the seller as an L7 (which added some fancy leather upholstery, a power sunroof, and top of the line options...but the seller also says it is a manual, which was not available with the L7 package.  No pictures means you'll have to brave the coronavirus to find out. Find this 1987 BMW L7 E23 offered for $1500 CAD ($1,087 USD) in Vancouver, B.C. Canada via craigslist. Tip from Erik202.

Bracq Fivespeed: 1984 BMW 733i

This next car is a continuation of our Bracq Friday spectacular from yesterday -- a festival of the best stuff from French born automotive legend Paul Bracq.  The E23 7-series was released in 1977 as the first BMW to wear the 7XX designation and as a replacement for the aging E3 New Six platform.  The changes were more evolutionary than revolutionary, but the Paul Bracq designed shark nose shape is certainly more modern looking than the New Six, in part because it has a higher beltline, and smaller greenhouse. Find this 1984 BMW 733i offered for $5000 CAD ($2.33 USD...I think...actually $3776 USD) located in Edmonton, AB, Canada via kijiji.net.  Tip from Erik202.

One Owner: 1983 BMW 733i E23

I've always dreamed of opening my own high end car restoration shop, along the lines of what Icon does with FJs, Eagle does with Jaguar, or what Singer does with Porsche...but I would restore nothing but shark-nosed BMWs. All of those inexpensive 6-series, 5-series, and 7-series are begging to have their bumpers tucked, modern conveniences added, and body lines adjusted to perfection.  Unfortunately, this past weekend I spent most of Saturday in the garage hacking up a piece of box steel to replace a broken link in my garage door...so...no DT Restoration Shop yet.  Find this 1983 BMW 733i offered for $8,900 near Albuquerque, NM via craigslist.  Tip from FuelTruck.

Clutch Your Shifter: 1984 BMW 733i E23

The E23 generation BMW 7-series was released in 1977, right in the middle of the malaise era, but it was far from a floating slow boat that induced thoughts of suicide, particularly with a manual gearbox.  Domestic cars might have offered luxury in the form of a vinyl top or complete isolation from the road, but the German version of luxury involved a properly fast ride with no cup holders.  Find this 1984 BMW 733i offered for $8,900 in Manchester, NH via craigslist.

Manual Labor: 1979 BMW 733i E23

The E23 7-series was released in 1977 as the first BMW to wear the 7XX designation and as a replacement for the aging E3 New Six platform.  The changes were more evolutionary than revolutionary, but the Paul Bracq designed shark nose shape is certainly more modern looking than the New Six, in part because it has a higher beltline, and smaller greenhouse.  Find this 1979 BMW 733i E23 offered for $3,500 in High Falls, NY via craigslist.  Tip from Lou.

5k: 337k Miles Young: 1985 BMW 735i E23

The E23 generation BMW 7-series help to cement BMWs reputation in the late 20th century as the builder of fast Q-ships available with a manual gearbox.  Its shark nose styling can be attributed to our favorite mustache enthusiast and car designer -- Paul Bracq, and this next example is the reason why they call these things bulletproof.  Find this 1985 BMW 735i offered for $6,500 in Pacific Heights, CA via craigslist.  Tip from Kaibeezy.

5k: E23 Manual: 1979 BMW 733i

The E23 generation BMW 7-series was released in 1977 as a replacement for the aging E3 generation "New Six" which was badged based on engine displacement.  The 7-series further cemented BMWs legacy as a builder of fast Q-ships and its shark nose styling can be attributed to our favorite mustache enthusiast and car designer -- Paul Bracq.  Find this 1979 BMW 733i offered here on craigslist for $3,000 in Louisville, KY.  Tip from FuelTruck.

1k: Cheapy23: 1981 BMW 733i

 Former Iron Chef and current Croc(tm) enthusiast "Molto" Mario Batali once said: Just because you eat doesn't mean you eat smart. It's hard to beat a $1.99 wing pack of three at a fast-food restaurant - it's so cheap - but that wing pack isn't feeding anyone, it's just pushing hunger back an hour.  Mario could have been talking about cars, because sometimes a cheap car only pushes the need to ride the bus back a few hours.  Like this 1981 BMW 733i with a busted fuel pump offered for $650 in Spokane, WA via craigslist.  Tip from Oldsmobuick.

5k Flash: Turbo EuroTrash: 1982 BMW 745i E23

The 745i was a turbocharged brute of a luxury sedan from BMW before it started building M-cars.  It was only available in mainland Europe, so you can only get grey-market imports here in the USA, and price will be a premium.  However, a few extra dollars gets you a 3.2 liter turbocharged inline-6 making 252 horsepower and 276 ft-lbs of torque mated to a 4-speed auto in the E23 shark-nose 7-series body.  Find this 1982 BMW 745i sedan for sale in Ramsey, NJ currently bidding at $5,103 reserve-not-met with 1 day to go. Bidding stalled at $5,100 reserve-not-met the last time this thing came to auction....hope the seller drops the reserve.

5k: Turbo Cornhusker; 1986 BMW 735i e23 Turbo 5spd

We've featured a few e23 BMW's in the past, but most are either Euro imports with the 5spd or 745i turbo versions with the automatic gearbox.  Imagine our surprise when DT regular Andy L sends us the following note: "Howdy.  In response to your E30 sleeper, here is Nebraska's challenger...Maybe a little more rough, but cheaper."  Find this 1986 BMW e23 735i turbo 5spd for sale in Lincoln, NE for the pauper price of $4200 via craigslist.

5k: 1982 BMW 735i E23 Euro 5spd

 The e21 (correction, E23 - DT regrets the error) generation BMW 7-series sedan was the uber-sedan labeled as 7 and is still a stately and cool today as it was from 1977 to 1986.  The 735i model was powered by an inline 6 cylinder engine and boasted some serious gadgets and sophistication for the era, but was not available with manual transmission on this side of the Atlantic.  Thankfully, the 735i was available with 5spd manual in Europe and someone imported this 1982 BMW 735i and it is now for sale in San Diego, CA from dealer who specializes in Cereal, Marshmallows and one-owner original cars on ebay for $5,807 buy-it-now.