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Hard to believe we are in the middle of August, but we say that every year like its some kind of surprise that the calendar moves. Soon we’ll be heading into fall with cooler temperatures and, eventually the dreaded “W” word. What won’t be cooling off anytime soon is the demand for really nice R129 Mercedes-Benz models. I think the day is finally here for this generation of SL-Class and some recent results for nice examples only back that up. For now, it seems like its the second facelift cars with the SL1 and SL2 packages that are in most demand, and wouldn’t you know, that is exactly what we have up for sale today in Arizona. This one finished in the always fun Amber Red Metallic checks in with 65,000 miles and surely looks the part. The asking price of course reflects that too.
When I really sit and the think about it, the W123 Mercedes-Benz chassis is not the most beautiful thing ever to roll out of Stuttgart. Especially considering they were producing some of the most beautifully styled coupes only a few years prior and basically every year since the start of the company up until this point. The W123 was total functionality, and did its best to look good as an afterthought. See one randomly parked among today’s blobs of cars? Sure, you can call it handsome. It’s making the best of what cards were dealt. The big bumpers are there to take a 5-mph impact. The squared-off taillights with a wavy design? Mercedes-Benz consulted a team of optometrists to study which taillight design is easier to be seen by the eyes in the dark and wet. Those taillights are what went on the car. The list goes on and on. Mercedes built a car with the intention to last forever and it sure is doing a good job so far.
This 1982 300CD up for sale in Los Angeles can be one of those “forever” cars. Enough miles to not think one second about not driving it in fear of devaluing the car, but not so many that its ready for taxi duty in the Middle East. The condition is bordering on outstanding, and the price? Well, its not cheap, but thankfully not too crazy.
I can’t say I’ve seen something like this before. This 1988 Porsche 911 Turbo started off innocent enough, but was converted to a Speedster body and I really don’t know how I feel about it. I actually enjoy the standard G-body Speedster quiet a lot and thankful that Porsche actually produced it. But this? My mind is struggling to process it. I think I know why.
I think it’s becoming pretty clear to everyone that the reality of owning a “new” car that was recently produced for a really long time is slim. Unless you own some factory diagnostic software and tools, or get really cozy with an independent shop that does, the weekend warrior at home in the garage will be a thing of the past. Even with something like an oil change requires software to reset the service intervals, and changing a battery? That literally needs to be coded to the car. No more slapping a new one in and calling it a day. Because of all this, I think the demand for relatively simple cars will grow greater and greater. A perfect example of that? Of course its a W124 Mercedes-Benz E-Class. This example up for sale in Maine is no low-mileage garage queen, but nice enough to make you think is. The thing, the price certainly reflects that.
Modifying a modern Porsche is a tricky thing for a few reason. First, it is really expensive as you might expect. Second, a lot of times it is really hard to improve on what Porsche gave you in the first place, at least cosmetically. The devil is in the details and rightfully so, but you never tend to see major changes without really going off the deep end. Today, this 2005 Carrera S has a fair amount of cosmetic modifications, but not too many as to upset the purists.
