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Month: May 2015

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Wednesday Wheels Roundup

Wednesday Wheels Roundup

Published May 20, 2015 by Carter

Boy, it’s been too long since I did a Wednesday Wheels – amazingly, it seems like late January was the last wheel roundup. But it’s something I love and with the sun shining and most of the potholes on their way towards repair in Rhode Island, I can finally shift my attention from snow chains to summer tires! Today I returned to my favorite subject; BBS wheels, with a roundup of some of neat ones that appear. There are the eponymous 80’s semi-aftermarket wheel choice, the BBS RSs many manufacturers offered at the dealer. This is a set of 16×8 and 9s for a 944 Turbo. Equally neat to see are the the 4x100mm BBS RM wheels; not as prevalent as RSs yet with a similar look, these were the perfect fit for the 16V GTi in 1991 and 1992. If you were looking earlier, you might have been interested in some BBS Mahle wheels; these are a pretty early Mercedes-Benz specific set that would look great on a SL. In more modern times, BBS was still a great option – Volkswagen specified the RXII 2-piece model for the Jetta Wolfsburg 1.8T, and again the BBS RC seemed to be the go-to option in the mid 2000s for a great looking performance wheel – this set is for an Audi. What’s you’re favorite and why?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: BBS RS 16×8,9 Wheels on eBay

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1973 Porsche 911E Coupe

1973 Porsche 911E Coupe

Published May 20, 2015 by Rob

Perhaps like a neglected middle-sibling, the mid-range model of any car can live a somewhat precarious existence. Lacking the comfort or performance (depending on what sort of car we’re talking about) of the top-of-the-line model and more expensive than the entry-level model, that car in the middle can sometimes seem neither here nor there. They’re stuck and sometimes go unnoticed. For much of the 911’s life there was only the entry-level 911 or the high-performance 911S, but for the early cars we had another option: the 911E. First released in 1969, the E took many of the aspects of the 911T and simply made them better. It featured a mechanically fuel-injected flat-six engine, similar, though with less power, to that of the 911S, rather than the carbureted engine of the 911T. In addition, a more comfortable strut suspension was made available along with ventilated disc brakes, while the interior was upgraded to improve comfort and refinement. By the time we arrive at the final model year in 1973, all 911 engines had increased to 2.4 liters and featured Bosch fuel injection with the E and S being mechanically injected and the T eventually using the CIS system that later 911s would employ until 1984. During its brief run the E served as the refined, luxurious, counterpart that was to balance the decidedly sporty experience of the S and the more basic experience of the T for buyers who wanted more from their 911, but leaned toward the luxury side of the spectrum. The example we see here comes from the final model year: a Sepia Brown 1973 Porsche 911E Coupe, located in California, with 87,000 miles on it.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1973 Porsche 911E Coupe on eBay

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1985 Mercedes-Benz 380SE

1985 Mercedes-Benz 380SE

Published May 20, 2015 by Andrew

Having recently written up a number of performance oriented vehicles I thought it might be a good idea to switch it up and do something different. I’ve had my eye on this super cruiser down in Naples, FL for some time now and honestly I’m surprised that it hasn’t sold already. The W126 is an absolutely timeless chassis, an 80s icon known around the world for its luxuriousness and durability. This example is finished in rare Glacier White paint over Dove Grey leather which cranks the Euro luxo-barge vibe up to 11. Personally I love it, more often than not you see these in black or grey, both of which are handsome but I much prefer this look.

This being an ’85, it represents the end of the first cycle of the W126 run in the States. The 3.8L V8 isn’t the most exciting power plant fitted to chassis, I’d have to give that honor to the M117 5.6L V8 found in the 560 SE that we didn’t get. Still, it is a capable motor that was able to move the hefty 380 SE up to a comfortable cruising speed with ease and isn’t that really the purpose of a car such as this? In a way I enjoy the fact that this was the only choice for U.S. buyers who wanted more performance than the 300 SD offered with its oil burning inline 5. Made things simple, you either got a diesel W126 because you truly didn’t need the power or you got a gas W126 because you did. Sure a whole lot of people snapped up grey market W126 cars during the 80’s and enthusiasts of my generation have benefited from the availability of federalized 500 SE and 560 SE models but clean ones are few and far between. So when you come across a clean example of a 380 SE like this one, it might be time to start arranging travel to Florida.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1985 Mercedes-Benz 380 SE on Cars.com

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2004 BMW M3 Individual – REVISIT

2004 BMW M3 Individual – REVISIT

Published May 20, 2015 by Carter

The search for what I’d consider to be the ideal M3 continues; my bank account may not reflect it, but I’m one year closer to E46 ownership – at least, in theory. And for those of you who follow my posts, that means my pool of candidates is reduced to something in a shouty color. So when this BMW Individual Dakar Yellow M3 popped up, it seemed to fit the criteria of cars I’d drool over – but at the same time, it looked familiar. Sure enough, last May I wrote this very car up. It’s pretty unique outside of the special shade, as a “slicktop” with no sunroof and with very low miles (less than 500 accrued since last May), this is a neat package. I like, too, that the seller has lowered the price to $28,500 and fitted some ZCP BBS wheels instead of the expensive but ugly (in my opinion) HRE wheels featured last time around. There are even better photos showing how vibrant the color is. The drawback? For me, still the SMG transmission is the one item that is the deal-breaker. Otherwise, though, this is one cool package!

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2004 BMW M3 on eBay

The below post originally appeared on our site May 21, 2014:

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2000 BMW M5

2000 BMW M5

Published May 20, 2015 by Rob

I think many of us know that in the world of performance coupes the Porsche 996TT is incredibly tough to beat on value. What about sedans? Where does the buyer in need of proper rear seating and a decent trunk look for performance value? The place to start almost certainly is the E39 M5. These also happen to be my personal favorite of the breed. With the E39 you get 400hp mated to a 6-speed manual transmission and a shape that seems almost perfectly proportioned for a sedan. These are aggressive appearing without being comically so and seem to have had all of the extra fat trimmed away. While later M5s would showcase improved performance the design has never appealed to me and the current models seem huge by comparison. Best of all, these days an E39 is about as reasonably priced as they likely will ever get. A really low-mileage example may command a decent premium, but for a driver-quality car they’re darn hard to beat. Here we have just such a driver-quality example: a Black on Black 2000 BMW M5, located in Arizona, with 56,610 miles on it.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2000 BMW M5 on eBay

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