The E32 750iL is a bucket list sort of car. You know you probably shouldn’t buy one. But life is short and soon you will be dead. So why not? Everyone should own a V12 at least once in their lives. This may be one of the most affordable ways to do so, at least in terms of initial outlay. The E32’s design has aged well, and still commands an imposing presence when seen on the road today (an admittedly infrequent occurrence, since many now reside in junk yards). Taut, handsome, brutish and much more modern in appearance than the W126 S-class, the flagship was the 750. Available only in long-wheelbase iL form in the US, it was powered by the 5.0 liter V12 M70 motor also to be found in the 850i, good for about 300 hp. The engine itself is fairly stout. It’s the electrical components and control modules that will kill these cars. When they fail, they are absurdly expensive to replace. For that reason you can buy these cars very cheaply.
Month: January 2017
I want to start the New Year off with a car that’s quite special and one of the rarest models Porsche has ever produced for the 911. We’re all quite familiar with the legendary 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS. What most are much less familiar with is the precursor to those great machines. Prior to production of the RS the car needed to be homologated – this was the whole purpose of building the model in the first place – after which a few creature comforts would be added to bring the RS to either the Lightweight or Touring spec that became the typical production models. However, 17 owners chose to leave the cars as is, adding none of the options and built based off of those homologated models. These 17 were dubbed the RSH. They were very spartan lacking clock, radio, soundproofing, even the glove box lid and as such tipped the scales at a mere 935 kg, making them even lighter than the RS Lightweight. The RSH takes one of Porsche’s truly special cars and raises the stakes even further.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RSH at Jan B. Lühn
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Early buyers of the W126 in America had to make do with the relatively anaemic 3.8 liter V8 in the  380SEL. Thirsty and underpowered, it was a bit of a disappointment. Meanwhile, European customers were offered the better performing 500SEL, which was powered a 5.0 liter version of the M117 block good for about 240hp. Although MB USA eventually relented in the face of demand and brought the car over by official channels, early Euro-spec examples pop up for sale in the US every now and again, since many of them made it over to these shores via the gray market.