Warning!
We have 15 years of archives. Links older than a year may have been updated to point to similar cars available to bid on eBay.
This site contains Ebay partner affiliate links, which may earn us a commission at no additional cost to you.
I have a couple of 3.2 Carreras to feature today, both of which are interesting in their own way and in very good condition. The bidding for each also happens to be at nearly the same price, though I expect we will see that change as each auction moves toward its conclusion. First will be this really pretty and rare Venetian Blue over Linen 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa, located in Iowa, with only 25,700 miles on it. For the most part, the 3.2 Carrera has avoided what can best be termed “insanity pricing,” i.e asking prices that are way above market. Typically, we see this phenomenon with the 993, especially the Turbo, but also with a few other rare models (there’s someone trying to sell a 911 Speedster for more than $800K, if anyone’s interested). This Carrera is beginning to step into that territory, though it isn’t quite there. We certainly cannot begrudge sellers too much for hoping to capitalize on an escalating market, especially with very low-mileage examples, but there does come a point where buyers who may have had interest will begin to look elsewhere. Still this is a fantastic looking Carrera Targa and one that I am sure will garner significant interest.
Yesterday, a reader suggested that 2016 might be the year of the E28. It’s not a bad prophecy to make, after all, since we’ve seen all 1980s cars increasing in value, and the E28 is certainly a fan favorite. Handsome styling, good build quality, more than adequate performance and classic tail-out BMW handling make it a practical choice for a classic BMW. Over the past few weeks, we’ve looked at some neat options outside of the natural choice M5; there was the Euro-bumpered Dinan 3.9 1988 535i that everyone seems to think is overpriced. Yesterday I also checked out a 1983 Alpina B9 3.5, one of my favorite unsung heros of the E28 lineup. Nate looked at a ultra-clean all-original 1985 535i that just sold for $12,000. Paul considered a lightly modified 1988 535is that everyone loved but failed to find a buyer. And even last month we looked at a rare option, when Nate checked out a right hand drive M535i. When this 533i popped up, I was almost certain we’d seen it before; it was a near clone of a car we looked at back in 2012, but it’s not the same car. Is this a good potential candidate to express your E28 love, then?
We’ve had the pleasure of looking at some pretty cool European and Japanese market Alpinas lately, and another two popped up that were worth considering. One is a B9 3.5; we’ve seen a few of these from the same seller, and this one looks as exceptional as the seller’s previous offerings. Interestingly, where the seller previously had listed the cars on reserve, this time they give us an entry price. The second example is a bit more of a mystery; an Alpina liveried E12, it looks more like an assemblage of parts than an actual original Alpina car. Let’s start there:
The BMW E3, or “New Six” was the grandfather to today’s modern 7 series. This was a car that helped BMW emerge from the brink of collapse post World War II and bring it towards the prosperity it experienced in the 1980s. While the stablemate E9 coupe is fairly sought after in today’s market, the E3 has flown a bit under the radar. This 1977 3.3 LiA is a late model build, as 1977 would be the last year for this model. The baton would then be passed to the E23 7 series would then take the top spot in the BMW range. While this is a right-hand drive model, this car was too nice to pass up for a feature, sitting pretty on Alpina rims in a handsome hue of Anthracite metallic.
I’ll just come right out with it: I really don’t like the styling of the Z3. Never have and presumably at this point never will. And it isn’t even something specific, but rather the entire package. So, back in the late ’90s, when BMW announced they would be releasing the Z3-based M Roadster and M Coupe I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect nor whether I’d like it. I did. The M Coupe is a wonderful design in its own ridiculous looking way and the M Roadster seems to fix whatever styling problems I had with the Z3. It’s funny how more power and a better suspension can work its magic, right? They are still peculiar looking cars with odd proportions, but those curvier and more muscular looking lines fill out the body nicely and bring the entire package together. Some designs were just meant to be pushed to their extreme and the Z3 clearly seems like one of those. With better styling also comes better performance and even the early models with their lower-power S52 engine still pack a nice punch. This striking example is a Dakar Yellow 2000 BMW M Roadster, located in California, with just 20,446 miles on it.
