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Month: November 2014

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Tuner Tuesday: 1988 BMW 535is Turbo

Published November 25, 2014 by Carter

When did the BMW tuning crowd become the new Volkswagen tuning crowd? I must have missed the memo, but it appears that it certainly went out. In my search for modified cars, I come across quite a few; it seems that for every well modified car, though, there are a few examples that leave you wanting for more. More attention to detail, more refined taste, and in some cases more money spent. That money doesn’t have to be spent poorly – we’ve seen, for example, cars which aren’t the best examples but have great photographs somehow be more desirable than good examples with bad photos. Heck, in one Volkswagen post I even pointed out how the seller was at a car wash (and photographed the car there being washed – a new, and also completely pointless, Volkswagen tuning crowd trend) but then failed to vacuum the car out. Well, it would seem that some of the hallmarks of the Volkswagen crowd are spilling out into the all-too-popular 1980s BMW bandwagon. List out loud the details of this E28 and you’ll have the enthusiasts drooling; Zinnoberrot 535is with black leather, Brembo brakes, M-System II throwing stars, Bilstein and Racing Dynamics suspension, Alpina cam and cluster, and a custom 400 horsepower M30 under the hood. But in this case, I don’t think the result is greater than the sum of the parts:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1988 BMW 535is Turbo on eBay

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Motorsports Monday: Porsche 911 Twin Turbo Cup Conversion

Published November 24, 2014 by Carter

I’ve certainly been a big fan of the Porsche 911 Cup; today, it strikes me as not only one of the best deals going in racing Porsches, but perhaps the best all-around deal in the Motorsports world. The success of the 996 and 997 Cup chassis has to come close to the E30 M3 as one of the most raced and most winning German designs in history. They were so successful that they built a lot of them, making them today slightly devalued in the world of track cars. We’ve even seen full-blood, turn key factory race 911s up for auction below $50,000; simply staggering when you consider the original purchase price. Of course, also staggering are the running costs of the Cup cars; 40 hour engines are the max, and Porsche Motorsports recommends transmission refreshes as 20 hours. The costs add up; rebuilding your 996 or 997 Cup running gear will cost you between $15,000 and $30,000 – presuming nothing big is broken. Okay, so the purchase price is only the tip of the iceberg. But what if you took some of the aspects of the Cup design and incorporated them into the even faster and cheaper to run Turbo model?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: Porsche 911 Twin Turbo Cup Conversion on eBay

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Motorsports Monday: 1974 BMW 2002

Motorsports Monday: 1974 BMW 2002

Published November 24, 2014 by Carter

The BMW 2002 might just be the quintessential German race car. A squat 2-door sedan, it’s chunky looks match well with wide tires in a lowered race stance. The upright nature gives the driver great visibility, while short overhangs mean there’s not much to bash you and you judge where the front of the car is well. The engine is simple but effective; a torquey inline-4 that can be turned up for more juice if you’re willing to spend a little – or a lot. Of course, the manual gearbox and rear drive are enthusiast favorites. Plus, the 2002 wears the appropriate German national racing color – white – so well, it’s sometimes almost cliche but still looks great. The M-colors, though not age appropriate, always suit the design well, and of course you can just slap a set of Minilights on there. Our friends at Fast In Fast Out have a reoccurring Monday theme on Minilites, and my submission for the most frequent but never overused application of them is the 2002:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1974 BMW 2002 Race Car on eBay

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1971 Porsche 911T Coupe – RS Tribute

Published November 23, 2014 by Rob

There are some cars I come across that are so visually arresting that I start thinking about featuring them before even delving much beyond the basic details of the car. I would say this is one such car. The color. The execution of the design. Everything about the overall aesthetic at work here is remarkably beautiful, but also properly conveys the sporting pretensions lying behind the car’s genesis. As one of the most highly regarded 911s of all time the Carrera RS design has been mimicked by builders for many years and as values for an original RS have shot into the stratosphere the impetus for undertaking such projects has only increased. When executed well these RS recreations can themselves become highly sought after, though always for much less money than the original, with the added benefit that it is a car that can be driven and enjoyed as these cars were intended. This all brings us to the car we see here: a Gemini Blue 1971 Porsche 911T Coupe, located in Oregon, that has been built as a tribute to the great Carrera RS showcasing many of the exterior details of the original combined with a period-correct interior that leans toward performance.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1971 Porsche 911T Coupe on eBay

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1998 BMW 540i Dinan

Published November 23, 2014 by Nate

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Tavarish’s recent Jalopnik post regarding the performance bargain available in the E39 540i solidified many of my car-brain’s transient thoughts. The 540i is a serious looker, with the E39’s grace and nearly all of the M5’s aggression. They are plentiful around the interwebs, but this example caught my eye with a host of Dinan upgrades, low mileage, and a 6-speed transmission. The Dinan supercharger pushes power slightly above the S62’s with plenty of drivetrain and chassis modifications to keep up. It may not quite trigger that special ///M response, but it will get you 99% of the way there while costing half of what a similar M5 would. At just over $10k, you’ll be hard pressed to find more performance per dollar, let alone in a car that looks this good.

Click for details: 1998 BMW 540i Dinan on Craigslist SF Bay Area

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