Minneapolis Street Sighting: BMW E23 733i

While most older American cars are is slightly beaterish condition, they are easy to come by, even in the rustbelt. Foreign cars are harder to come by, but they're often in slightly better condition then their American counterparts. While Japanese cars are rarer than freakin' hen's teeth in Minnesota, German cars seem to pop up everywhere, just not as often as Americans.
Mercedes are extremely common here when it comes to Germans. Day-to-day, I encounter maybe 20 or so pre-1990 Benzes, usually diesels in various sates of disrepair, from riced-out to just plain beaters. BMWs, on the other hand, like to play hide and seek with me. Spotting a pre-1990 BMW is a hassle here, and usually when I find one, it's in an area I am hesitant to shoot in for various reasons.
When this example popped up in my neighborhood, I was ecstatic. Not only was it a pre-1990 BMW, the 7 series has always been the top-dog "mainstream" luxury car as far as I'm concerned, despite the styling atrocity that the new one is. The first generation 7 Series made its US debut in 1977, and was produced till 1987. Seeing as this example is a 733i, it's a 1977 to 1984 model, probably an earlier one if the wheels are any indication. Unlike rival Mercedes, BMW did not bring their V8 luxury saloon over here until 1993. If you wanted a V8 luxury saloon, you had to go to Mercedes.
This example was pretty clean. The tan (or more politely, 'off-beige') paint seems factory original, and no too faded, despite being more than 30 years old. The exterior trim is all complete, showing no signs of typical aging. Even the often-faded roundel is still in place, and shows most of its colors. Out back (no Subaru), the model designation is still in place, letting folks know that this old gent is no Chevy or Ford. The rolling stock, too, surprisingly is left unchanged. A good thing, because most of the older cars I see here sport cheap aftermarket crap that fails to look good.
Unfortunately, as with most of my car spottings, I didn't take any interior shots. A real shame, because from what I recall, the interior was just as nice as the exterior. No serious upholstery rips, the dashboard looked clean, and the overall condition was good for a car of this vintage. Now, if only it can hold out another 30 more Minnesota winters, it'll see museum days. If only..