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While to me the E39 isn’t the prettiest 5 series BMW produced, what they did manage to accumulate was perhaps one of the best wheel lineups they ever fitted. Most ended up on the sport models, but from the Style 5 to Style 66, all of them looked great. I especially love the relatively unloved two-piece BBS made Style 19s that were fitted to early 540i sports, but the Style 5, 66 and 32 wheels that made it to other sport models are equally good. Of course, I had to throw in a set of Style 37 “M-Parallels” even though they’re most often associated with other models – and truth told, the Style 32 wheels here are actually optional E38 wheels. Nevertheless, they’re all awesome – which are your favorite?
If the Speedster from earlier today was a bit out of your price range, or perhaps you’re more interested in owning a 911 to *gasp* drive it, then the car featured here could make for a nice opportunity. Here we have a Black 1986 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet, located in Rhode Island, with the always lovely contrast of a Burgundy leather interior. Sadly, we get very few pictures of that interior, but what we can see looks in very good shape. Driver-quality 3.2 Carreras aren’t the excellent values they used to be, but are still attainable for somewhat reasonable sums and an example like this, with fewer than 100K miles, should still have a very long motoring life ahead of it.
Is the E34 BMW M5 destined to be a future classic or a cult favorite? It’s an interesting question, since if you go back only a few short years ago there was a general lack of appreciation of its fore-bearers. Certainly many considered the E28 a watershed design and important performance leap for executive sedans, but the refinement and luxury added to the E34 design for many doesn’t seem to outweigh the perceived softening of the M5. Plus the E34 wasn’t a watershed car or design, rather an evolution of the proven blueprint. BMW offers the E34 M experience in a different and more affordable form V8 in the 540i M-Sport, too – something that wasn’t really done with the E28. Then there’s the problem with it’s successor – the E39 represents arguably a much better deal and good examples are continuing to fall in price. That leaves the ‘last of the handbuilts’ in an interesting predicament. They should be worth more, since they’re a M5 and limited production, right?
When the W124 debuted in the mid 1980s, it was pretty much business as usual for Mercedes-Benz. First, the sedan made its debut, followed by an estate variant and a pretty pillarless coupe. Then, in the early 1990s, Mercedes revived an old idea and brought back the four place cabriolet. We would get our hands on this drop top W124 in 1993. It didn’t come cheap, at the cost of around $80,000. Then again, compared to an SL, two extra people could come along for the ride and enjoy open air Mercedes motoring.
We’ll take a look at a pair of two-door W124s today, starting off with this 1993 300CE Cabriolet for sale in Virginia.
Another rare, low-mileage, 964 and another very high price. This time, however, we have an auction in which the reserve has been met so we should be able to get a reasonable idea of the current market. After the 964 Speedster, Porsche fans would have to wait nearly two decades for another Speedster variant to appear and as the last of the air-cooled models the 964 is sure to remain a hit. Also, while none of the 911 Speedsters have been as stripped down as the original iteration of the 356, the 964 Speedster may be the closest of the bunch. Based on the narrow-bodied Carrera 2, the lines of this Speedster show a familiar resemblance to the original and remind us of some of Porsche’s earliest low-frills performance machines. The particular example featured here comes from a collection of Speedsters: a triple Black 1994 Porsche 911 Speedster, located in Arizona, with just 10,456 miles on it.
