The BMW 1602 cabriolet built by Karosseriewerk Baur is a reminder that the most collectible classics are often the ones shaped by engineering compromises, not just styling flair.
BMW 1602 Baur Cabriolet History and Value
That matters because the story of BMW’s 02-series convertible is really a story about how tighter safety demands and structural limits changed what carmakers could sell. The original 1600-2 cabriolet, launched in late 1967 and later followed by the 2002 Cabriolet in 1971, sacrificed roof rigidity for open-air appeal. Baur shortened the wheelbase to reduce the need for heavy reinforcement, keeping weight gains to about 20 kilograms, but the car still drew criticism for flex and, in the case of the 2002 Cabriolet, arrived with more power, more weight and a price roughly 50% above the sedan. Production lasted only a few months, with about 200 units sold, before BMW and Baur moved to a safer, stiffer solution with a protective hoop over occupants.
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For BMW, the episode helped define a design philosophy that would matter far beyond one low-volume model: preserve the character of a car, but engineer around regulation and market realities. The revised Baur-converted 2002, built on the 1972 model year base, traded some purity of line for rigidity and rollover protection, showing how safety requirements were already reshaping premium cars years before today’s crash standards and consumer expectations made such compromises unavoidable.
For investors and collectors, the economics are equally clear. Low-volume failures can become high-value assets when scarcity, pedigree and survival rates converge. The short-lived 2002 Cabriolet was commercially weak but is now coveted because so few remain. That dynamic is familiar across the classic-car market: models that were too expensive, too niche or too compromised when new often become the most desirable later, especially when they sit at the intersection of BMW heritage and coachbuilt rarity.
The broader narrative is that BMW’s early convertible history was not a straight line of product success but an experiment in balancing image, engineering and safety. The Baur cars show why the market remembers some models not because they sold well, but because they exposed the limits of what the industry could build at the time.
| Entity | Gains | Losses |
|---|---|---|
| BMW collectors | ▲Rarity and heritage value | ▼Higher entry prices |
| Karosseriewerk Baur | ▲Coachbuilding legacy | ▼Commercial scale |
| BMW | ▲Brand history and prestige | ▼Early cabriolet rigidity flaws |
| Classic-car sellers | ▲Scarcity-driven demand | ▼Limited supply |
