Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
Sometimes green works, while other times it was a bad idea. Today’s car, a 2022 Porsche 911 Carrera finished in Python Green, might just miss the mark. It isn’t the color that is the problem, but rather everything else that was optioned, or rather wasn’t, that maybe causes this one to look a bit odd. We’ve seen green 992s previously and it very clearly can work, but whoever spec’d this one needed some design help. Let me explain.
“The what?”
Yeah, that was my reaction, too. As a fan of these pages, of course you’ll know that BMW has a long history of pairing with famous artists, but I have to admit that Futura 2000 was not on my radar. That’s Leonard Hilton McGurr, an American graffiti artist, who has dropped the 2000 since…well, maybe because we’re 23 years beyond Y2K. In any event, BMW employed the artist to design three special M2 Competition Coupes for the 2000 show circuit, and 500 special M2s were produced to commemorate that. What did you get? Essentially, these were stock all-black M2 Competitions that had the artist’s flair applied to the lower bodywork and interior trim. As these cars go, these are about as tame as you can get. The price? It’ll have you checking the calendar to see if it’s still April Fool’s Day…
Back in 2020, I took a look at one heck of a rare M Coupe. It’s not that you see them every day by any means, but this particular combination is very rare; just 52 M Coupes were produced in Dakar Yellow, 42 of which had black Nappa leather upholstery, and just 10 of those were ordered without a sunroof. The asking price three years ago was $47,000 – basically, a dollar per a mile on the odometer:
As you can see, it’s back! The ultimate sale price from that first post was $36,000, and then it sold again in 2021 for $44,000. Despite the mileage going up, the price has not gone down:
For some time, there was a giant gulf between European-spec cars and US-specification cars. Granted, part of that divide still exists today if the large assortment of cars that do not make it to these shores, but at least enthusiasts can rejoice that at last – for the most part – performance versions that are available in Germany are very close to the same that we receive here. One of the last notable cars to exhibit the large divide was the E36 M3; while Europeans enjoyed over 280 horsepower from the individual throttle body S50B30 in 1992, the later-released US-specific M3 carried an entirely different motor with some 40 horsepower less. Though the S50B30US is certainly a great motor by itself, the knowledge that the “better” version existed across the pond somehow took a bit of legitimacy away from it. Also differentiating the European versions were better floating rotor brakes, better glass headlights, better lower and stiffer suspension, and some neat interior options. Later Euro E36s got even more power and the optional SMG 1 transmission or a 6-speed manual – none of which came here.
But if you fall into “the US version of the E36 M3 is garbage†camp, you don’t have to scream at the internet for “forum cred” anymore as early versions of the Euro cars are now fully legal for import – though, that does not mean they are inexpensive. Today’s example goes to 11 with its Dakar Yellow paintwork, forged Style 24 wheels, Amaretta M cloth upholstery, manual Vader seats, and “slicktop” roof – enough to make most E36 fanatics weak in the knees:
It certainly seems like the overwhelming majority of 991.1 Porsche 911 GT3 examples are finished in white. That was the color the car debuted in at the 2013 Geneva Auto Show but actually wasn’t the press color, as that honor went to Guards Red. Still, it seems like every time I look for a 2014 or 2015 GT3 it is finished in white. I don’t hate that, but it would be nice to see some colors every once in a while. Well, today we have that. This 2014 example up for sale in Florida is finished in Amaranth Red Metallic. It wasn’t a paint-to-sample color, but rather an optional color along with nine other shades that rarely come up. I dig it.
