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Month: September 2015

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Tuner Tuesday: 1979 Alpina B6 2.8

Edit 7/11/2017 – This car is back on the market from the same seller with a reserve auction

Vuarnet shirt, stone-washed high-wasted jeans, neon Wayfarers, legwarmers, Wham!‘s “Make It Big” album playing on your Walkman, a tennis lesson scheduled for later in the day with someone named Chad, Tad or Chaz, and a BMW 3-series; they’re immediately identifiable as a product of the 1980s, even if in this case they were made in the late 1970s. Take a moment to consider the seats in this Alpina; made by Recaro, they’d look as at home on Bill Cosby’s back as he lectured Theo as they would on the race track. But just as those trends from the 80s have been revisited by the “Hipsters” of today, there’s another class I’ve dubbed “Yupsters”, wishing to relive the glory of Wall Street and every club from the Breakfast to the Country. They’re interested in the BMW 3 series, and the major resurgence of the small executive sedan has become ironic in its own right, from the “Respect Your Elders” stickers plastered on cars not much older than the creatures driving them (who, even more ironically, typically don’t know much about history), to the hypocrisy of everyone being different by all owning E30s. The only things missing from the entirely predictable plotline are a Harold Faltermeyer soundtrack and a cameo at the local show by Steve Guttenberg. To me, the 3 series that comes out of all of this smelling like roses is the E21; relatively forgotten and overlooked due to less availability, sport and cliche, a turned up E21 is nonetheless a beautiful thing when properly done:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1979 Alpina B6 2.8 on eBay

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1989 Porsche 930 Coupe

Through the Porsche 930’s nearly fifteen years of production it saw a number of incremental changes but few with enough significance that we separate out those years from the rest. However, there were two such events. First there was the move from the original 3.0 liter turbocharged flat-six to the 3.3 liter flat-six that would power the 911 Turbo even through much of the 964’s life, a span of around fifteen years itself. That increase in displacement also brought with it the introduction of an air-to-air intercooler and revised rear spoiler. The second major change was the utilization of a 5-speed manual transmission made available only in 1989, the final model year of 930 production. While 911 Turbo values in general have continued to climb, it is the cars that exist on either side of these boundaries that command the most attention and, thus, the most money. Here our focus is on that final model year equipped with the 5-speed manual. For many this is the 930 to have not just because of the more stout transmission and extra gearing, but it is the most refined of the breed benefiting from numerous years of upgrades to enhance its drivability. Also, it is the last Turbo surrounded by the classic 911 design as the 964 would debut later that same year with all-new styling. The example here is a Forest Green Metallic 1989 Porsche 930 Coupe, located in Montreal, with 38,094 miles on it.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1989 Porsche 930 Coupe on eBay

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1992 BMW 318i Individual Convertible

I’ll be honest, I don’t particularly enjoy summer. I was happy that I was sent to South Africa for half of the month of August for work, as their winter season is much more agreeable with me than the hot and humid east coast summers here in the US. Now that fall is right around the corner, its the one time of year I would thoroughly enjoy a convertible. This 1992 BMW 318i Convertible is one of a few treated to the Individual program, with Neon Green paintwork, color matched basketweave alloys and M-Tech interior.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1992 BMW 318i Individual Convertible on eBay

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Motorsports Monday: 1993 Porsche 968

On paper, the 968 should make a great race car. Out of the box, the transaxle configuration meant that as with all of the 924/944 lineup which preceded it, the 968 had nearly perfect weight distribution and balance. The boxy flares of the 944 had been smoothed slightly but were still quite capable of containing very large amounts of sticky rubber. The 968 was available with a 6-speed manual transmission; one more cog to exploit that power train than had previously been available. And while nearly all examples lacked the magical turbo script, the upgraded 944 S2 motor with VarioCam meant that the torque-laden and largest post-war 4-cylinder produced in normal production runs churned an impressive 17 horsepower more than the boosted variant had in 1986, with 237 horsepower on tap. But for whatever reason, track worthy 968s are much more rare to see than 944s; perhaps it’s the residual value they still enjoy in some regards, or perhaps its the flexibility of tuning the Turbos for more boost. Whatever the reason, it’s neat to see one pop up, such as this PCA/NASA example today:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1993 Porsche 968 on eBay

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1995 Mercedes-Benz E320 Cabriolet

When talking import convertibles from the 1990s, the conversation has to start with a Mercedes-Benz. Whether it’s the SL, E-Class, or even the SLK, Mercedes ruled the luxury droptop market from the day MC Hammer told us we couldn’t touch this, to the day we all realized computers could in fact count past 2000. Neither Audi, nor BMW had a competitor for the SL or E-Class, the closest competition came from Sweden in the form of the SAAB 900 convertible. As is usually the case with SAAB, the car was popular within a niche market, whereas Mercedes’ convertibles cemented themselves in pop culture again and again. As wonderful as the R129 SL is, I’ve always favored the W124 cabriolet over it, and I never much cared for the SLK. Among the many great drop tops to come out of Stuttgart, I’d place the ’92-’97 E-Class in the top five. It perfectly embodies what Mercedes was all about when they were at their best, comfort, luxury, understated style. Nothing about the W124 cries out for attention, the design simply draws you in because it’s timeless. Mercedes hadn’t offered such a car since the ’71 280SE, and the return of a two door, four seat convertible was welcomed by consumers with open wallets. Now here we are 20 years later and the W124 cabriolet is still turning heads, still commanding a pretty premium. This Brilliant Emerald over Parchment leather example look to be a very solid example, but is it worth classic 911 money?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1995 Mercedes-Benz E320 on eBAY

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