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This one has been brewing in my head for some time, and required only two things; the right two cars. I think, in this case thanks to the help of our reader Martin, I might just have the right two candidates. While BMW enthusiasts love to tout the virtue of the boxflared M3, they often overlook the importance of the Quattro. The chunky, Giugiaro-designed Audi made it to the market with its bulging quarters a full 5 years ahead of the M3, yet the DTM star is arguably much better known than the all-wheel drive Rally champion. Both were certainly important to the development of their respective corporate brands; both have illustrious careers as race cars and both are considered by connoisseurs to be the best design of those that followed. Quietly, while the market-star M3 has soaked up the headlines, good condition Quattros have also been appreciating, and with far fewer of them produced than M3s they’re a more rare sight today. They’re also, generally, much older and fewer were taken care of in the way that the M3s were pampered. Add little factory support and an even worse balance of the number imported to North America – only around 10% of the total of North American bound M3s – and it’s a hard match up. Yet, today we have two overall great condition cars to consider. Who wins the boxing match? Let’s start with the odds-on favorite M3:
As I have mentioned previously, there are not many Mercedes models that I really lust after. Sure, there are models that I certainly wouldn’t mind driving if someone handed me the keys to them but very few that I really desire. The car you see here is one of those few, in fact it’s at the very top of the list. I would take this car over an SLS, C63 or even the new AMG GT any day because while those cars might be luxurious, pretty and insanely fast, they lack the uniqueness Mercedes and AMG were able to instill in the car you see before you. The 190E 2.5-16 was a rare car to begin with, but in 1989 Mercedes added the Evo I designation to the mix creating a new tier of rare for the brand. Only 502 of these fantastic machines were built and like the regular 2.5 liter equipped 190Es, none of them came to our shores. If you want to own what I consider the coolest Mercedes ever built, you’ll have to import one or move out of the U.S. I hear Portugal is quite nice almost year round.
465 lb-ft of torque, that’s a whole lot of twist. It’s stump pulling, Cummins diesel, father in-law impressing amounts of torque. The CLK63 AMG Black Series is more or less a street legal DTM car and it still baffles me that anyone with a valid drivers license and enough money can operate one of these vehicles. I know a couple people who have driven these cars and all of them get this particular look in their eyes when they talk about it, part fear, part respect, part lust. For a vehicle based on the rather bland C209 platform, the Black Series is a striking car that demands attention via its flared fenders and bonkers soundtrack.
Oddly enough the Black Series flies under the radar in the enthusiast community, it rarely comes up in conversation when discussing the most insane cars of the past decade. Perhaps it’s because Mercedes only built it for two years or because it came out around the time of the Audi S5. Though the S5 was much slower, I think it was a whole hell of a-lot better looking and the 8T3 platform interior was far ahead of that of the comparable Mercedes. The ergonomics of all the C209 coupes leave much to be desired, AMG goodies or not. I’ve been baby sitting a CLK 350 for the past couple weeks and the cabin completely disappoints me every time I get in it. The buttons feel cheap, many of them are exactly where I wouldn’t want them to be and the whole package seems to be phoned in overall. Â However, I’d be willing to put up with that lackluster interior in exchange for access to 507hp and I’m willing to bet you might be too.
Following on the heels of the 1990 BMW M3 we featured last week, here comes an even later model 1991 M3 for sale in New Hampshire. This car has slightly less mileage and has a rebuilt, blueprinted motor under the hood and wears the iconic Alpine White on the outside. Bidding is strong on this one, eclipsing the $30,100 that the M3 from last week fetched.
I have a confession to make. Speaking as a former owner of a BMW E30, I’ve fallen out of love with them. Blasphemy, right? Hear me out. I feel as if this car has become a bit of a hipster in the world of modern classics. It’s a fantastic car, with plenty of engine options and body styles to choose from, not to mention good roadholding abilities. But somehow the myriad of aftermarket modifications coupled with the M3 pricing craze that has trickled down to the rest of the range leaves me a bit unmoved. After piloting GCFSB co-manager Carter’s race prepped Audi Coupe GT this summer, it made me realize there are plenty of other interesting, more exclusive machines out there that can be had for much less money. Subsequently, my attention has shifted to some nineties rarities like the Audi S6 Avant and Porsche 968.
This E30 M3 for sale in California isn’t a clapped out high mileage example, but it has been used and is described as reliable. Perfect, then, for the person who might want to use one of these early ///M machines daily.
