The W124 platform E500 - the product of a joint venture between Mercedes and Porsche – has established itself as a firm favorite among enthusiasts lusting after brawny, fast German steel. Hewing close to the late 80s/early 90s super-sedan recipe - big engine, understated exterior, room for four to travel in comfort with effortless rapidity - these brutes have been rising in value of late, with asking prices on mint, low-mileage examples reaching into the $30k plus territory. Over the summer, Paul and I saw a couple of 500Es hanging out at Katie’s Cars and Coffee, the same place, in fact, where a week later a 380SL would rather infamously collide with a Ferrari 458 Speciale. I hadn’t seen a 500E in the flesh for a while, and I was struck by just how muscled and hunkered-down they look. At the time, Paul said to me that “hunkered-down” is exactly how they feel to drive too. I have to take him at his word; sadly I haven’t had the pleasure.
Month: September 2016
I’m going to break away rather abruptly from looking to find 911s we can all aspire to in order to look at a 911 we can aspire to in a different sort of way. More along the lines of peak aspiration I guess you’d say. For buyers for whom the standard 911 has proved too soft or too refined – basically too suited for the masses – Porsche has offered their RS model. It hasn’t always been available, especially during the company’s leaner years, but when available the Carrera RS (along with the later GT3 RS) has offered the sort of pared down high performance that few buyers desire and even fewer would actually purchase. For the 993, Porsche took this ethos a step further offering a Clubsport option for the RS. The package effectively deleted everything from the interior that was unnecessary, including the carpets, and then welded in a full roll cage to provide extra degrees of rigidity and safety to the chassis. In what I can only assume was a strange twist of comedy, the original purchaser of this 1995 Porsche 911 Carrera RS Clubsport asked Porsche to put the air-conditioning back in the car. While we might surmise that request was because the owner wanted to actually drive the darn thing and thus needed at least that small bit of comfort, this RS sits with fewer than 20K miles on it. If we want to look on the bright side, I suppose it makes a very rare car even rarer still.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1995 Porsche 911 Carrera RS Clubsport on eBay
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Welcome back to Fail Friday: Where once good cars can hopefully get the help they deserve. Today’s vehicle is a result of what happens when people just simply have too much money. It’s not the fact that it’s the ultra-rare W463 G500 Cabrio, it’s the fact that someone decided to turn it into a driving Salvador Dali gallery. I have lots of questions and not a lot of answers so let’s try to sum up this surreal G-Wagen located in Germany.
CLICK FOR DETAILS:Â 1998 Mercedes-Benz G500 Cabrio on eBay
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I guess I couldn’t stay aware from pretty and interesting 911s for very long – not that there’s anything wrong with that. While I sit inside awaiting our 48 hours of rain to cease why not take in the oceanic feel of this Cobalt Blue Metallic 1991 Porsche 911 Carrera 2 Cabriolet. Last week I featured an Amethyst 964 fitted with a white leather interior and in that case the interior didn’t really work for me. The contrast seemed too strong – though some commenters did enjoy it so there was appeal. Here we have a similar white leather interior, with similar black accents to that Amethyst Carrera, and I think the combination works extremely well. The contrast seems just right and the overall feel that these colors project fits the ethos of a Cabriolet to good effect. It certainly does not hurt that Cobalt Blue is such a stunning exterior color.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1991 Porsche 911 Carrera 2 Cabriolet on eBay
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Another week, another Mercedes with a bunch of strange things that I try to make sense of. This handsome 1978 350SE located in Tennessee caught my attention with its slim euro bumpers and other little details that makes this car stand out from the rest of the pack. So let’s take a look at what makes this W116 so special and a little bit odd.