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Month: June 2015

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Wednesday Wheels Roundup

Wednesday Wheels Roundup

Published June 17, 2015 by Carter

Today I have a few more rare sets of wheels to check out. On the bigger and newer front are some brand new OZ Racing Superleggeras for Mercedes-Benz or Audi fitment. They’ve never even seen the road, but are a stellar deal at only $900. A much more expensive but equally large set of Speedline Alessios for BMWs are next; at $3,300 they’re staggeringly expensive but quite impressive looking on that E34. Next we travel back in time to when 13″ wheels were something that was the norm; equip an early A1 Volkswagen or 2002/320i BMW with these BBS RA wheels, though, and it’ll be sure to standout even with small rubber. Lastly are a set of the ATS made Porsche 924 Weissach Edition wheels; they’re slightly different than the normal ATS wheels that were optioned onto the 924 because the Weissach had machined faces and graphite inserts instead of being all silver. These need some work, but would make an early 924 or Audi look pretty special if so equipped. Both of the smaller wheels are pretty affordable at less than $500. What’s your favorite?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: OZ Racing Superleggera 5×112 18×8 Wheels on eBay

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1994 Mercedes-Benz E500

1994 Mercedes-Benz E500

Published June 17, 2015 by Paul

It’s no coincidence that two of my favorite German performance cars emerged from the same factory. Both were blessed by the engineers at Porsche, even though neither of them wore the famous Stuttgart crest. One of these cars was the Audi RS2 Avant, which wasn’t sold on US shores. Shortly before production of this super estate commenced at Zuffenhausen, production was ending of another supercar in disguise, the Mercedes-Benz E500. Formerly known as the 500E before Mercedes’ nomenclature switchover in 1994, this sedan pushed the limits of what people thought was possible with a luxury sedan. I haven’t driven one in many years, but I can still remember slipping behind the wheel of this beast and being blown away. This 1994 E500 for sale in California represents the end of the production run for this special E-class. This one has covered a fair amount of miles but from the looks of it, could easily pass for half its age.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1994 Mercedes-Benz E500 on eBay

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1990 BMW 325i Touring

1990 BMW 325i Touring

Published June 17, 2015 by Andrew

Here we have a BMW 325i Touring imported from Japan to Canada with the intention of doing a full restoration. The seller states other projects have now taken over his time and he has to let the car go. Perhaps this is the case, it very often is but perhaps the seller also decided the juice was not worth the squeeze. The car needs a dash replacement due to it being cracked, the front passenger seat is badly ripped, one dent is mentioned and though I’m sure there are others and as you can see in the picture above there is a rust hole just in front of the drivers door. Now most of these issues are not major ones that’ll drain your wallet but those kinds of things will happen down the road.

The seller notes that the odometer has stopped working and the car has roughly 102,000 miles on it. That’s relatively low compared to most of the E30 Tourings I come across and yet many of those are in better condition. Makes me wonder what kind of life this car lived prior to arriving in Canada. Also the seller doesn’t mention inclusion of extensive service records or any kind of recent work which leads me to believe that that aforementioned bigger issues will indeed be popping up in the not so distant future. And yet, I’m still intrigued by this car because after all, it’s a Japan Spec E30 Touring in Lazurblau Metallic with a grey cloth interior!

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1990 BMW 325i Touring on eBay

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S-Classic Showdown: 1979 300SD v. 1977 450SEL 6.9

S-Classic Showdown: 1979 300SD v. 1977 450SEL 6.9

Published June 17, 2015 by Carter

For some time, the W116 has been stuck in no man’s land value wise; not as new or attractive as the W126 that replaced it, and not as classic a design as the W108 series had been. It’s not that it’s an unattractive car at all, but unfortunately it’s bookended by arguably better looking models and unfortunately – outside of some real stunners – the value of Mercedes-Benz sedans falls below coupes and convertibles. For a classic Mercedes-Benz enthusiast on a budget, then, the W116 offers a lot of vintage Mercedes-Benz build quality and longevity on a budget. There are plenty to choose from, too – lest we not forget this is a S-Class Mercedes, so the price was stratospheric when new and even lightly used. Option out a 6.9 to the tune of around $50,000 in 1980, and you’d have the equivalent buying power of nearly triple that amount today – roughly $143,500 in 2015 money. And they were laden with top-end technology for the time; recently I covered a series of Volkswagen Rabbits, where everything outside of the tires was an optional extra. In the S-Class, you had electric nearly everything, electronic climate control and in the case of the 6.9 you threw in hydropneumatic suspension. These were, and still are, impressive vehicles, many of which were maintained to a high level yet are available for a fraction of their original investment. Today I’m taking a look at the slowest and fastest of the bunch – a 300SD and a 450SEL 6.9. Which is the classic S-Class that woos you?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1979 Mercedes-Benz 300SD on eBay

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Tuner Tuesday: 1986 Alpina C2 2.5

Tuner Tuesday: 1986 Alpina C2 2.5

Published June 16, 2015 by Carter

It’s somewhat amazing that a small tuner like Alpina managed to turn out nearly as many variants of the venerable E30 chassis as the factory did. Alpina developed a total of 11 variants of the 3 series that I can figure out, and with the Japanese specials there may have been even more. The C2 was the top-tier model of the small Alpinas until the introduction of the M3, which effectively negated the entire point of the C2. It was a bit quicker and cost less than the Alpina, and consequently the small tuner upped the ante by slotting in the larger M30 motors to really take performance to the next level. But the early cars are still quite potent; in 2.3, 2.5 or 2.7 form, the C1 and C2 had between 170 and 190 horsepower, and with only a reported 160 built between all the “C” models, they’re certainly much more exclusive than the M3. The same seller as earlier’s AMG has turned up with a late C2 2.5 from Japan; wearing gold Alpina decor over the Alpine White exterior, this is one shining gem of an E30:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1986 Alpina C2 2.5 on eBay

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