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Month: November 2014

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1988 BMW M3 Europameister with 17,000 Miles

Ah, the E30 M3. Already the stuff of legends before the recent price surge, the original small M that was a revolution on the race track has similarly revolutionized values of mid-1980s German cars. Not only has the E30 M3 increased monumentally in value, but in fact it has pulled up nearly the entire BMW lineup along with it. It’s not alone, though – other rare performance German cars have been ascending alongside it. From the Quattro to the 500E, once cheaply attainable and fun cars are suddenly the stuff of speculation. Is the trend sustainable? The early 911 would seem to indicate it is; after all, there are only so many E30 M3s left today and there are many more people that want them than good examples. Just the other day, I finally stopped with my wife at an example I had eyed for many years – 7, to be exact. In that entire time, it had never moved – it’s just sitting under some pine trees off the beaten path in the woods of Rhode Island. Why did I finally stop? Well, there’s a part of me that would love to have an E30 M3 – but there’s more of me that hoped I could flip it and get enough money to buy some cars that I could drive and enjoy off the proceeds. Needless to say, I didn’t walk away with it; as with many, the owner “knows what it’s worth” and is hoping to restore it to former glory once again.

When he does, there’s a fair chance it may hit the market just like this 1988 Europameister example. Originally a limited-production model of 148 examples built from October to December 1988 to celebrate the European Touring Car Championship of Roberto Ravaglia. Ironically, despite being named to commemorate a racing car, the Europameisters were mostly fully loaded luxury variants of the E30. Being one of the lowest production variants of the E30 M3 in great condition and with ridiculously low miles, you can bet it won’t be cheap – and it’s not.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1988 BMW M3 Europameister on eBay

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How rare? 2003 and 2004 Volkswagen Passat W8 4Motion 6-speed

We talk at length about the rarity of various cars, and when it comes to the W8 Passat 6-speeds, that’s more than just lip service. Only a bit over 450 6-speeds were imported to North America in sedan and Variant form, making them quite rare amongst any measure of car. But when you break down the color combinations that were available and especially factor in the wagon, you can get production numbers down to single digits in some configurations. Considering the sedan outnumbered the wagon over three to one, you’re more likely to find a 6-speed sedan than wagon, but today we’ve got one of each to look at. Which is the rarest of the rare?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2003 Volkswagen Passat W8 4Motion 6-speed on eBay

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1988 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa

I always wonder about the Targa. I have a sense of why it was never as successful as its Coupe and Cabriolet counterparts, yet I still consider it an interesting design and strictly on appearance I find it quite a bit more appealing than the Cabriolet. The full open-top motoring experience of the Cabriolet obviously provides something the Targa cannot. At the same time it does provide a compromise experience between the other two models. Perhaps there simply are not enough buyers interested in that compromise, though Porsche’s reintroduction of the model, after a few failed attempts at modifying the concept beginning with the 993, suggest some demand remains. For me though, the best looking of the Targa models came as the 3.2 Carrera. All of the proportions seem correct and in certain shades, like this Stone Grey Metallic 1988 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa, the lines are, dare I say, striking.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1988 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa on eBay

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