The seller of this van affectionately calls it “Big Ugly” after 15 years of rough and tumble ownership. There’s plenty of blemishes and rusty seams to make it not just a clever name, but if you’re not too worried about aesthetics this van has a lot going for it. A Westy kitchenette is installed and fully functional and it runs well. He says it needs a few coolant hoses and possibly other things he doesn’t know about, but if you purchase Big Ugly at the Buy It Now of $12,350 he’ll take it in and get them done along with up to $2k of any other repairs. Bidding is currently closer to $5k right now, so maybe some haggling needs to be done on the phone. Anywhere in that range, it’s a lot cheaper than 95% of the Syncro vans you see.
Month: April 2016
We’ll step back from the dizzying heights of the Carrera RS to have a look at a more standard Carrera. That shared name is important as it helps link the performance pedigree of each model, even if each truly represents rather different performance standards. While the Carrera RS resurrected the Carrera name, that name would quickly disappear once again, found only on the limited production Carrera 2.7 and 3.0, which shared a similar ethos to the original RS. For the base 911 we were back to the 911 and 911S, both of which suffered from emissions restrictions. It would not be until 1984 that we would see the Carrera name once again, and this time Porsche had no intention of utilizing it for a single special model and then retiring it. The Carrera would be the standard moniker as it has remained to this day. About the car here: this is a Platinum Metallic 1984 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet with Burgundy leather interior and just under 85K miles on it. This would be the first year of the 3.2 Carrera Cabriolet and only the second year of 911 Cabriolet production in general. For those looking for an early 911 Cabriolet there aren’t very many earlier than the 3.2 Carrera.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1984 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet on Ruyl Classics
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Well here’s something we don’t see every day: a 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS Touring up for auction on eBay. Given where the starting bid has been set, I suspect this auction is intended to serve more as an advertisement of this 911’s availability rather than as a true attempt at a sale (though I’m sure if someone wants to meet the likely very high reserve then the seller will have no qualms selling the car). The Carrera RS is probably the most iconic 911 Porsche has produced and given the stature of the 911 itself that makes the Carrera RS one of the all-time greats in the automotive world. They were the first in what has become a long line of RS models produced to meet racing homologation requirements, all of which have been to the benefit of Porsche, and 911, fans across the world. It would be nearly two decades before Porsche released the Carrera RS again, this time as a 964, which provided the original RS a broad spectrum within which it could operate and attract attention. Naturally, they are highly sought after and very expensive. They almost never come up for sale outside of prestigious auctions so this provides us a rare treat.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS Touring on eBay
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Classic color combinations manage to find a place in our consciousness where they stay firmly rooted so as to capture our attention at every appearance. Though the combination we see here probably would best be known through the British automobile industry, under the guise of British Racing Green, it still manages to possess the same allure when attached to a German marque. The combination of a non-metallic Green over a Tan interior is one I particularly enjoy and one which we have seen many times over the years. For Porsche, the color of choice in its early days was Irish Green and it looks particularly good here on a long-hood 911. However, classic or not, green Porsches tend to see less demand. That may not necessarily apply as readily to Irish Green since it’s fairly well regarded, but in general fans of a green Porsche can many times get them at a reduced price. The love simply isn’t always there. Whether that will be the case here, we’ll have to see with this Irish Green 1972 Porsche 911T Coupe, located in Connecticut, with 106K miles on it.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1972 Porsche 911T Coupe on eBay
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In my search for an E46 M3, one thing became quite clear – finding uncommon colors in good shape was very difficult. When you start to look at the color breakdown of the 2001-2006 M3s imported, it soon becomes clear why. According to the M3 Portal, some 5,853 coupes were ordered in Titan Silver Metallic – basically, one out of every 5 coupes in the U.S. is this color. A further 4,700 are Carbon Black, about 3,400 are Black and and nearly 3,000 are Silver Gray. See where we’re going? A full 60% of E46s were either silver-gray or black, and a further 10% were eaten up by Alpine White or Steel Gray. So only 30% – about 7,500 in total, broken up between the eight stock colors, with a minority – only 321, or just over 1% – being special ordered through BMW Individual. Some of the Individual colors are just about that, with about 30 different shades being selected. For example, there is one Malachite Green Metallic E46 M3 kicking around the U.S. somewhere. But today’s color was a much more popular selection, though it bookends E46 production. Available on the E36 and back by popular demand on the new 3-series, Estoril Blue Metallic certainly looks great on the lines of the E46, and this is one of a reported 58 imported in this color: