For a car manufacturer with a history spanning over 100 years, it’s fairly impressive that historians and enthusiasts still regard the 600 as one of the most notable models from Mercedes-Benz. This was a landmark vehicle not just for the company but the whole automotive scene. It was one of the most expensive and complex vehicles of its day and as such, anyone who was anyone seemed to own one, from movie stars to dictators. These cars are highly valued today and many that come up for sale have been treated to lavish restorations costing thousands of dollars. This 600 SWB for sale in Illinois, however, is a driver quality car, showing the wrinkles of age as it closes in on 200,000 miles. But it wears its patina in a dignified manner in which only a Grosser Mercedes can.
Month: January 2015
Thirty years have passed since the introduction of the W124 Mercedes-Benz E-class range. This is a car that had big shoes to fill, as the W123 range was beloved the world over for its quality, durability and rock solid diesel engines. Arriving in the middle of the 1980s, this new mid-sized Mercedes designed by Bruno Sacco brought the company’s traditional styling hallmarks into a new era. This car would spawn coupe, cabriolet and estate variants as well as introduce four-wheel drive as an option and a few high performance V8 variants. The W124 would carry on into the mid-1990s, succeeded by the W210 E-class with its radical four-headlamp front profile.
Since we’re in the middle of winter in many parts of the US, we’ll start off by looking at this 1991 300E 4Matic for sale in California offered at no reserve.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300E 4Matic on eBay
5 CommentsI have been looking for a 912 to feature for awhile now, but most of them have appeared worn out and tired. That’s never too surprising given that, as Porsche’s entry-level model, the 912 was a car that was bought and driven until it needed replacing. They were hardly garage queens or collectibles. So you can imagine my excitement when not only did I come across one that looked in rather nice condition, but it’s in a fantastic color AND a Targa! We rarely see a 912 Targa and while the market can be somewhat indifferent toward the Targa in general they’re always an interesting sight. Here we have a Lemon Yellow 1969 Porsche 912 Targa, located in California, with 134,600 miles on it. Like for the 911, in 1969 Porsche shifted the rear wheels by 57mm in order to extend the wheel base of the 912 and provide better balance to the rear-engined chassis. 1969 was to be the last year of 912 production as it was being replaced by the 911T, and while it would briefly reappear for the US market in 1975 as the 912 E for the most part it is these early models that capture our attention.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1969 Porsche 912 Targa on eBay
1 CommentWhile there are a lot of Porsche enthusiasts who love to head to the track, the reality is that few can afford to support the costs of a GT3 Cup car or even Cayman S, as illustrated in my last post. Even a modestly prepared car can be an expensive undertaking. As a result, for some time the biggest bang-for-the-buck has been the Porsche 944. Robust, tunable and naturally well balanced, the cult-classic 944 has taken to many different forms of motorsport; autocross, circuit racing and even the occasional rally. But today, while I’ve got a fairly typical 944 Turbo track build, we also will look at an odd place for the 944 to turn up; the drag strip:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1986 Porsche 944 Turbo on eBay
Comments closedFor German car fans who love racing, it doesn’t get much more exciting than Porsche’s long history of endurance racing. Indeed, Porsche’s venerable 911 seems intrinsically linked with racing – undoubtedly, part of its mystique. However, true factory racing Porsches have always been pretty expensive when new and still are so. Watching yesterday’s coverage of the 24 Hours of Daytona had me cringing as the multi-hundred thousand dollar Le Mans class 991 Porsches took each other out, attacked Opossums and exploded crankcases. It wasn’t a great day for Porsche at a track where the company has had an impressive string of successes. So, today I decided to take a look at two racing Porsches as an homage to their first rate engineering, their enduring appeal and incredible performance: