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Author: Carter

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1957 BMW 502

1957 BMW 502

Published July 8, 2021 by Carter

Recently I looked at a post-War oddity, the EMW 327.

1953 EMW 327

Although it was the BMW that wasn’t a BMW, the company itself was busy with its first post-War offering – and it was an unusual one in many ways. In 1952, the company launched the large 501 models. Under the hood was the 326’s inline-6 powerplant, but the new bodywork, ornate details, and large scale gained it the nickname “Baroque Angel”. In 1954, BMW introduced an all-new 2.6-liter V8, which increased horsepower to nearly 100; about a 40% increase over the initial 501 offering. The alloy V8 would be the first of the company’s history, but wouldn’t last long – BMW used it in the 50X series cars, but reverted to four and six cylinder engines until the M60 was introduced in the 1990s. At the same time as the new motor was rolled out the company introduced the 502, which was essentially an upscale version of the 501 with additional chrome and equipment. Improvements continued to stream in; a 3.2-liter V8, disc brakes, and even a late run ‘505’ upscale limousine carried the model into the early 1960s. The V8-powered versions were also claimed to be the fastest German production sedans in period. 501s and 502s were also built in multiple configurations, including sedans, coupes, and convertibles. Today’s sedan example comes from the middle of the run, and these are rare enough to see that it’s worth a look:

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1974 Porsche 914 1.8

1974 Porsche 914 1.8

Published July 6, 2021 by Carter

Instead of continuing on my trend of bashing you over the head with 924s you should buy, I thought I’d take a look at Porsche’s other budget entry model – the 914. Relatively unloved by all but those who own them, the 914 is an oddball in today’s market – values are literally all over the map. Perhaps that’s in part because of the array of options offered. Porsche threw several engines at the 914 to see what would stick; from the 1.7 liter flat-four through a 2.0 flat-six borrowed from the 911. Today’s example comes from the 1974 model year, which saw light revisions to the exterior and a new 1.8-liter fuel-injected flat-four enter service at the bottom of the range. But, as usual, it was the color that attracted me to this particular example:

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1979 Alpina B6 2.8

Published July 5, 2021 by Carter

Launched in 1978, Alpina’s B6 model took the 2.8L inline-six out of the big brother E12 528i and stuck it into the chassis of the E21 323i. Revisions from Alpina yielded 200 horsepower; pretty impressive for the period – but more was to come, as a new induction system in 1981 cranked it up to nearly 220 horsepower. For some perspective, the ‘high-performance’ L82 Corvette cranked out 220 horsepower at the same time. Coupled with Alpina’s aerodynamic revisions, improved suspension, and awesome turbine wheels – not to mention some fantastic interiors – it’s no surprise that these were popular; at least, by Alpina standards. The company sold over 500 of the model, though they’re relatively hard to find today. Today’s beautiful ’79 is number 66 of the run, and for good measure it’s been turned up more than a few notches.

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1993 BMW 850CSi Individual

1993 BMW 850CSi Individual

Published July 4, 2021 by Carter

I came of driving age during the reign of the E31, and I still remember magazines taunting that the M8 would soon be with us. Of course, it never came – at least, not until today. But we still did get an E31 breathed upon by the Motorsports division in the spectacular 850CSi. The heart of the CSi was a special ‘S’ motor. In this case, BMW Motorsport GmbH took the M70 and beefed it up seriously. Bored out to 5.6 liters and with compression bumped up and revised electronic programing, the resulting S70 took BMW’s V12 from 296 horsepower to 372 with 420 lb.ft of torque on tap. Macht schnell, indeed! But there were a host of other changes; offered only with a manual 6-speed gearbox, the CSi also got a quicker steering rack, Euro M5 brakes, shorter and stiffer springs, and M System II ‘Throwing Star’ 17″ staggered wheels. A new body kit made the elegant E31 look much more menacing, too. Europeans even had the option of 18″ M Parallels and, amazingly, 4-wheel steering.

In 1993, this car cost almost $110,000. Today that’s nothing, as you can spec a special-order M3 up to that amount. But back then? That was nearly the price of three M3s. These super coupes have never really come down in price, as like their contemporary the 928GTS, they have maintained an aura of unobtainium and sacredness to a generation of motoring enthusiasts. Today’s example is one of the more special ones out there, as inside and out it was finished by BMW’s Individual department – and boy, is it stunning.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1993 BMW 850CSi Individual at Auto Leitner

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2003 Volkswagen GTI 1.8T

2003 Volkswagen GTI 1.8T

Published July 4, 2021 by Carter

Yes, the Mk.4 GTI ushered in a more bloated body, subdued styling, increased safety, and a lot more weight. But, it also brought with it a lot more choice. While the VR6 continued over into early models largely unchanged, though a more potent 24-valve version emerged later. But the big news was the entrance of the turbocharged 1.8T into the lineup for me. More in keeping with the character of the original model, the peaky and punchy 1.8Ts grew in power over the production run, and they also offered the basis for a few special models; the European-market 25th Anniversary model, the 2002 337 Edition, and the 2003 20th Anniversary Edition.

Today’s car is none of those special models, but it carries a large amount of the same DNA in a more discrete standard package. It’s also got only 75,000 miles and is claimed to have lived with just one owner, and it’s completely stock. This might be the rarest GTI of them all.

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