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As Paul noted nearly a year ago with his post on a 2002 Touring, they’re quite rare to see in the United States with very few imported and kept running. However, while perusing Ebay.de looking for cars for our “Party Like It’s 1989 Week”, I came across a very cool 2002 Touring that has been given the Turbo look and is ready for completion. With a host of upgrades and fresher bodywork and paint, this may be a worthwhile project for the right person to import even if it’s been legal to do so for nearly two decades! There isn’t much time to jump on this auction but it was simply too cool to pass up!
For anyone who desires a ’60s Porsche with classic 911 style, but would prefer to save quite a bit of money, the 912 offers an alternative. While they’ll never be as popular as the 911, they remain a car of relative simplicity and in comparison with most any modern car the performance differences between the two are not significant. There are even some who would claim the 912 was a better handler than the 911 due to its better balance gained from having less weight over the rear wheels. Either way these cars provide another option for classic motoring and since few but the most pristine examples are prized by collectors, they can generally be driven without worry over any possible depreciation. The car featured here is a 1967 Porsche 912 Karmann Coupe, located in California, that has seen a bit shy of 90K miles.
The mid-1990s were a turning point for Mercedes-Benz. Not only was there a change in model nomenclature, but more daring styling began to take hold and a wealth of new models, such as the SLK, CLK and ML class began to appear. The E class Cabriolet was the first four-seater convertible in Mercedes’ lineup since the demise of the 280SE in 1972. While thoroughly modern underneath, this was one of the final holdouts of 1980s design, barring the G-wagen, in the company’s lineup. Today, the W124 Cabriolet is the most highly prized E class of the time, alongside the high-performance 500E/E500. It may be in the middle of winter from where you are reading this, but now may be a great time to pick up a drop-top E class.
The day has finally arrived. It is now the year where R107s of all kinds are legal for entry into the US, no matter where they came from. For me, this has my eyes set squarely on one very specific model: the 1989 300SL with the 5-speed manual gearbox. The final years of the R107 SL saw but one model in the US market, the 560SL with the 5.6 liter V8 engine. Those that have driven them know these are competent cruisers but aren’t the most all out sporting of machines. For 1986, Mercedes revived a storied name when it dropped the M103 inline-6 under the hood: 300SL. For those not in need of the power (or fuel economy) of a V8, this was an attractive option and was offered with another feature not available on US-bound R107s: a 5-speed manual gearbox.
As a preview to our week of celebrating 1989 vehicles eligible for importation stateside, here is a very low mileage 1989 300SL for sale just south of Cologne, Germany that is equipped with a 5-speed manual. It also has a few other options like heated front seats and the rear Kinder seat that you don’t normally see on the US market 560SL model.
The same neighbor that I’ve written about pampering a sweet, sweet 1996 911 Turbo daily drives an E46 Touring that I covet. Even as just a plain 325i, it is simply attractive and seems to be a great mix of entertaining and useful. While his rare drives in the 911 must be a revelation, the ability to have fun every day in a great wagon must be nice. Thought automatic, today’s 325xi adds all-wheel drive to create even more versatility. With just 54k miles, this could make a great DD for years to come.