RARE E30 Harge in storage for decades... tell me about this car!

[bimmerboy12]

Hey all, I was talking to a friend the other night and he was telling me about a car he has in storage. He is an avid collector of exotic and unusual cars and has Porsches, Saleens, Mercedes, Vipers, etc. but among them he was telling me about a BMW that says Hartge all over it. He bought it 20 years ago from a very wealthy BMW enthusiast who bought it in Germany and had it shipped here. I asked him to send me pictures so I could share with you all and get your input on the car. What is it, how rare is it, what's it worth? He doesn't want to sell it, but he wants to know more about it.
I enjoyed the pictures as I can tell this is special. The leather is perfect, and even the headliner and sunroof is leather. There is Hartge graphics and spoiler, side louvers, valve cover and strut brace. Notice the extra gauges on the passenger side dash. There is an extra fuel cell in the trunk. It has BBS wheels.
Your input would be greatly appreciated!
Brian

[reelizmpro]

gangsta

[travish325]

Holy interior batman

[e34john]

That interior alone is a million bucks.

need more info. You could probably decode the vin, any badges or serial numbers inside?

[IRON-E]

Very cool car, thanks for sharing.

[RagtopE30]

I now want a yellow leather wrapped steering wheel! Thanks alot!
Awesome car for sure.

[M-technik-3]

WTF happened to that poor interior. Looks like a H23 or an H26. 2 button clock and adjustable headlights are odd, normally don't see a car opted that way. The Zender cluster is impossible to read when mounted there.

BBS RA in 14x6 or 15x6-7 are more of a VW wheel but were sold aftermarket.

Interesting car but price is what it boils down too. I can't see offering more than 7K. IMHO. It's had too much D&W styling done to it.

[bimmerboy12]

OK, I will ask him to collect any serial numbers on the car, including VIN.
H26- does this mean 2.6? Did they do something to the engine besides the valve cover?
He sent me a video of the motor rapping up, it sounds sick. maybe high compression.

[blefevre]

Awesome find! The most important thing to do is don't change a thing and do not let him sell parts from it.

It is probably a custom Hartge of some sort as the wheels and steering wheel aren't what would be on a "standard car". Clearly the interior was full custom which explains the non-hartge steering wheel. The original owner probably just didn't want the Hartge wheels and used some BBS's.

People should be able to tell more about the engine. I think Hartge stamped the cylinder head when doing a full engine build.

As for the price. Man, that's a hard one. It should easily go for 10k plus in the current state.

I love, love that car. Definitely a piece of BMW tuner history.

[nickmcc92]

Just swap out the interior and you're good :)

[bimmerboy12]

WTF happened to that poor interior. Looks like a H23 or an H26. 2 button clock and adjustable headlights are odd, normally don't see a car opted that way. The Zender cluster is impossible to read when mounted there.

BBS RA in 14x6 or 15x6-7 are more of a VW wheel but were sold aftermarket.

Interesting car but price is what it boils down too. I can't see offering more than 7K. IMHO. It's had too much D&W styling done to it.

what is D&W? Im assuming this was all done by Hartge on a brand new model when they modded it right?

[e30m3s54turbo]

The interior sucks. It has zender side skirts. It is missing the Hartge four spoke.
No more than $4000 for it.

To see if it real Hartge. Check behind the cluster it should have a Hartge sticker. The Feds took the Hartge speedo. Check for the oil cooler. It should behind the chrome grill. It should have a Hartge sticker on it. Show some pics of the engine bay and pics of Hartge extended fuel tank. The guage pod on the dash tells me it a 1984 H26 190hp.

[bimmerboy12]

I have included pics of the extra fuel tank and engine bay. I think its safe to say its a real Hartge...
$4K? I would pay that in a heartbeat!

[Fusion]

D&W is an 80's aftermarket catalog full of boobs and weird and/or rare parts.



I don't think the side louvers are Hartge, rather Zender.
I bet there's still a bag of coke in that car somewhere.

[e30m3s54turbo]

That is a Hartge extended fuel tank. I use to have Hartge H26. If you Have any questions just ask. Good luck on the deal.