Will this be worth saving?

Well, the great thing on our hobby is that our cars or motorcycles are as unique as we are. When my mother in law asked me what sense the wreck in the garage has (Ford Eifel convertible from 1939 with the style, but not the price tag of a BMW, but similar condition then the BMW that started the discussion), my reply was that it keeps me sane and saves a lot on psychiatrist bills. If the pressure of my job follows me into bed, then I switch over and occupy my mind by the most unimportant thing in life.... my old wreck in the garage and I think about what color I will paint it (well after I figured out on how to fixed the wooden frame, and recreate huge parts of the metal work, the interior and so on). Great way to relax, because nobody request a business case or a return on project calculation.
Every one who doubts that one day it might be finished I grant a glance onto my Indian Sport Scout that around 25 years ago I granted a new lease of life despite that every one declared me mad.
Like in mountaineering the way how we get there is a big part of the enjoyment.
Conclusion, if you want to have fun and a challenge restore it, if you want to earn money with it, it's your business and not your hobby and it is your own business case that you have to make.
Frank

I have been collecting 'odd' cars and bikes in India, many of which were is similar condition. Rarely a 'common' car. So I have a junk Bantam, Buick 1927, 1933 Limo, 1937 Roadmaster which are terminal. Being ever an optimist and hopeful, I got ALL the missing mechanical parts for the 1927 Buick in India itself. It is a continuous effort, so many people are in contact and that is the pleasure of the hobby. I have a Triumph bike missing its side valve engine, I got the engine after about 25 years. It is a way to spend money as it becomes available, on a low cost car , for parts as they become available. Having a lot of fun.

If it is a rare car, every piece, however, battered or rusted needs to be preserved. At the very least it might serve as pattern for a new copy to be manufactured and a resource for future researchers. If you don't want it it might be exactly the piece someone else is looking for/.

There are a number of postwar Eisanach-built EMW's waiting to be saved for parts in Finnish forests and backyards, that would help to fix these BMW's. Also many complete projects are often oon offer with relatively low asking prices as for some reason a 340 EMW is not considered so sexy to most enthusiasts than some much more boring American car, such as a Ford from the same era. As the last few old gentlemen with many fine veteran cars eventually pass away i the forthcoming years, there will be more and more projects on offer and less interested buyers, who will then rescue an too old and too grey EMW, Skoda or Hansa?

I will rise my hat to all who are happy to tinker with the most rusty and uncomplete vintage heaps. I myself bought a rusty 1920's Fiat frame and some engines from under a tree and started collecting parts for it three years ago. Since then, I have been able to find ingredients for several cars, allthough I will have to make most of the body and it will be a long journey before my 1925 501 will run again. It may not be a perfect restoration but why should I care? All the concIn my opinion, in a perfect world, all nice old cars should be given a chance to run again. All the auctions, price speculations, concourses, restoration points, million dollar wrecks, etc. totally spoil our good honest hobby.

So, what to do with these sorry-looking BMW remains? There is a simple answer, just do it!

Who cares, are the doors and hood for sale?

Save it like it is. Stop the rust but don`t remove it. After that you have one of the last real "originals" and one of the very last "unrestored" prewar BMW`s .....

It is all about love and memories,

if you buy them for financial reasons, you should better forget it, if you buy it because you once grew up in such a car with your grandma sitting beside you with her perfume of violets and her addiction to pamper you with sweets and orange lemonade, you certainly have to buy it. If it is a BMW or not does not count. Most of us have memories on VW beetles, 2CVs or DKWs, and thats why prices go up. It is the remembrance of those days where apples and chocolate pies were bigger, lemonade was sweeter and real girls had freckles. Today apples don´t taste anymore, chocolate pie is unhealthful and freckles are either senile lentigos or probe to aesthetic surgery.
So, buy it and do with it what you need to do by heart.

Hot rod candidate!

If a prewar car has survived only as a wreck with lots of parts missing and requires an almost complete rebuilt, I'd advocate to just leave it as it is - as a memorial, maybe, if it's a rarity - or sell it to someone who needs the remaining original parts.

I don't see the point in "restoring" it, since the result won't be a true witness of a bygone era, but an almost new creation which is merely a reflection of a lost original.

It would probably easier to commission a complete copy without having to grapple with the few remnants of the original car. The result wouldn't be that much different. In either case it wouldn't be a historical artefact and hence it would lack the attraction of a true witness of the past.

You just wouldn't be able to say: This very car has survived the war, its worn leather seats brought people from to a to B in the 1930s, its discoloured hood once protected its original owners and its faded paint has been polished down to the primer coat over the decades.

That said, I respect the tremendous effort of those who undertake a complete "restoration" of such wrecks. I just find true survivors much more appealing.

No offence, gentlemen!

It's worth mentioning that the car came with parts from two original engines, and some other parts that where not included in photos!

Definitely restore it.Among my first cars, about '65 and preceded by a 319,the 326 was vey advanced for it's time and one of the most deightful 'drivers'I ever had. Besides the beautiful ride anb handling I was rendered ecstatic by the self adjusting brakes, i.f.s.,that delightful unique headlamp adjustment, ofcourse it,s looks and an 80m.p.h. top speed with acelleration to match.
All pre-war B.M.W.s are worth restoring and think of the tuning potential if you're that way inclned. A 328 head drops straight on.
I,m biased, and I make no apolgy.
Kind regards,
Jeff Jones

I can't spend £30m on a ferrari, nor do I want to !
I think the GREED that has been shown by the Exotica buying public, is akin to the "Kings New Clothes". They are conned by the "hype", that it is a ""Special"" car, and that they MUST have it.
Numbers of cars made, make a difference, 15m model T's, 13m VW Beetles (without emision control ! ). There is a FAN base there ! For these and all the intermediate cars.
Car Manufacturers come and go, usually because of economic reasons, not only because of Customer "Preferences". (Morgan, would not exist if they did not listen to their followers).
Nostalgia, isn't what it used to be !
People try to bring Marques back to life, that are now no longer, the same as people remember, but the new youngsters buy them and, cling on to that perceived heritage, whilst others, get parts remade for their classics, to the extent that small manufacturing plants spring up to service this new demand.
The joy of vehicle ownership, is in the Cameraderie of the Owners clubs, and the meetings and rallies which, bring them together.
A friend in my car group, went out to buy a parts Donor car for the difficult to find parts for another similar car.
It was only after it's purchase, and he was loading it onto his trailer to get it home, that he managed to open its door to look at the chassis plate inside, which showed that this car, was the "LAST" RHD Export vehicle of this particular Model made. But it had never been exported. So now the hunt is on for it's history.
That is what excites me about this hobby of ours. Oh, and the car didn't cost £30m

It is not always about saving a car to be restored. Some people purchase a very poor car to obtain needed parts. Sometimes a car is rare or has special history and if restored at high cost it becomes the only one in the world and is not a fake.