[cover photo by Dave LaChance for Hemmings, used by permission]
As most of you know, our friend, Roundel Technical Editor and Tech Talk writer Mike Miller, passed away in March. A few days ago, I received an email from Satch Carlson. It read:
“Let me introduce you (if you don’t know her already) to Lisa Binder, Mike Miller’s perpetual fiancée. She has been faced with the daunting task of sorting things out after his death, and has to sell one (or more) of Mikey’s cars, but she is at a loss as to how to go about it, what things are worth, etc. etc. I told her that you are the man, as they say. Can you help? Your suntanned amigo, Satch.”
After receiving the email, I spoke at length with Lisa, who is Mike’s beneficiary and the executor of his estate. The car she’s looking at selling is Mike’s lovely iconic Madeira (wine red) 1977 320i. It will be my privilege to help her. Not surprisingly, the best path may be Bring a Trailer, which requires heaps of photographs and information to craft a detailed description, neither of which we have yet.
However, since Lisa is heading up to Mike’s home in Scranton this week in her continuing effort to deal with the disposition his estate, she will there be with the car. So I thought there was an opportunity to float the car here to BMW CCA members before it gets a wider audience, and funnel interest and questions to her.
This article from the #70 June 2011 issue of Hemmings by Dave LaChance contains an interview with Mike where he describes the car and its restoration. Mike bought it in 1986 (nearly 40 years ago!) and stretched its restoration over a several-year period. He set it up as a rally car. This included the addition of a roll bar, which in turn caused the deletion of the back seat. If you knew Mike, you know he was meticulous about everything he did, and the Hemmings article shows both the metalwork and the carpeting of the former back seat area. The article also notes that the engine retains its original K-Jetronic injection, but was rebuilt with 9.3:1 pistons (up from the stock 8.8:1), and with a Schrick 284-degree cam. Also installed in the car is a special Metric Mechanic-built “rally overdrive” Getrag 245 gearbox “with closer second and third gear ratios, and a taller 0.77 fifth gear in place of the 0.80 stock gear,” a Stahl 1 3/8-inch header and an Ansa free-flow exhaust, and an early brass-tank radiator instead of the later plastic-tanked one. Lisa adds that the car has twin gas tanks for extra range.
The second photo below shows the car in Mike’s garage taken a few weeks ago by Lisa , who says that the car is in excellent condition and runs and drives great. Below is the photo from the Hemmings piece, in which Mike is quoted as saying, “It leads a pampered life.” While I don’t yet have enough information to support swearing on a stack of bibles that the car is in the same condition that it was when it was photographed for the Hemmings piece, anyone who knew Mike knows that it probably is. Through new photos and talking with Lisa and Mike’s other BMW friends in Scranton, I’ll figure that out as part of helping her sell the car.
The car as photographed in 2011 for Hemmings. Thanks to Hemmings and Dave LaChance.
The car today. Looks-a vahry nahce to me.
Again, this is an unfolding situation. I’ll get more information and additional photos and make them available when I can, but if anyone has serious interest in the car, contact me at rsiegel@roundel.org and I’ll forward your contact info to Lisa.
—Rob Siegel
____________________________________
Rob’s newest book, The Best of The Hack Mechanic, is available here on Amazon, as are his seven other books. Signed copies can be ordered directly from Rob here.
Tags: 1970 320i Mike Miller
