The BMW E30 3 series has become a kind of German 1950s Chevrolet in a sense. With a thriving aftermarket scene, plenty of enthusiasts have undertaken projects to reinvent this compact executive car in their own right. From M3 clones to V8 engined barnstormers, the sky is the limit. With many of the Touring models eligible for US import, this has given enthusiasts a whole new canvas with which to work, as well. It’s not too often that we see the convertible variants breathed upon, but this particular 1990 325i Convertible from our reader Chris in Northern Virginia has had an upgrade to the M50 inline-6 from the later E36 3 series, along with suspension, steering and brake upgrades to handle the increased power.
Month: January 2015
Just the other day, Paul looked at a 1985 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16V in Germany, commenting on how in spite of a long race history in the DTM, prices on even very clean examples of these venerable W201 sport sedans have not increased anywhere as close as the BMW M3 or even the Audi Quattro. For enthusiasts, that’s a good thing since it’s one of the few affordable super-sedans of the 1980s that’s left. Performance from the 190E fell in between the Audi and BMW in most conditions, but today a pretty clean example can be had for only a fraction of the others:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1985 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16V on eBay
2 CommentsYesterday, Nate wrote up a clean and well modified 1976 Scirocco; with some great BBS wheels, the right Euro touches and a 2.0 16V motor, it was one great looking package. Amazingly, as rare as the first generation Scirocco is to see, there was another that popped up at the same time. However, this one takes a very different path to the modifications; instead of clean and OEM it looks straight out of a tuning magazine from 1983 replete with lightning bolts in blue and pink down the sides. I fully expect to hear Duran Duran blasting from the radio when a car like this pulls up. Can it pull off the ’80s stereotypical look and still be a winner?
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1977 Volkswagen Scirocco on eBay
2 CommentsWe’ve given the E39 touring a lot of love here at GCFSB, but the E34 is a classic, handsome longroof that would still serve the purposes of a family man who likes a little old-fashioned German luxury. Today’s black-on-tan example looks pretty darn good for a 20 year-old car, having covered roughly 5k miles per year. It may not be the sportiest of BMW wagons, coming with the 4-speed auto mated to the 2.5-liter M20, but it’s a great hauler that is a step up from the ubiquitous Volvo 240 alternative.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1995 BMW 525i Touring on eBay
Comments closedI was always remorseful that Mercedes-Benz decided not to send it’s W202 C-class estate to the US market. This was a very handsome five-door that was a star amongst taxi drivers the world over. I still see a good number of these trolling the streets in various cities abroad, such was durability of this car. Even during a trip to Lisbon last year, there was a line of W202 diesel estates waiting outside of Portela International Airport. And yes, if speed was your thing, Mercedes-Benz offered an AMG version of this estate, just to make you long roof fans a bit more jealous of other automotive markets. This final year C43 AMG Estate for sale in Switzerland was brought to our attention from our reader Richard in Zurich. With just over 20,000 miles on the clock, this is a dream come true for those into the Youngtimer scene.