Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
There’s something about Alpine White on a BMW that looks just right. This M3 Coupe for sale in California sent to us from a reader of ours, Jeff, is super clean and has covered just over 63,000 miles. Short of the ultra-rare lightweight, this one is close to E36 M3 perfection.
Pablo over at flüssig magazine tipped us off to a rare 924GTP for sale in Germany, a template for what would ultimately become the 944. Sit back and enjoy another history lesson courtesy of our water-cooled Porsche guru.
The ‘P’ stood for prototype…this car was the 944 prototype and secrecy had to be kept for two more weeks; the 924 GTP, chassis 924-006.
Under the hood, the engine was pure Porsche. Their first water-cooled four cylinder engine Typ 944/71 (internal designation Typ 949), derived from half of the 928’s V8 but of completely new design, displacing 2.5 liters (2,479cc). Utilizing dry-sump lubrication and placed into the engine compartment at a 45 degree angle, this large capacity was obtained with huge 100 mm bores and a relatively short 78.9 mm stroke. But there was something a bit different going on above those bores…an all new sixteen valve head coupled with a KKK K28 exhaust driven turbocharger breathing in through an air to air intercooler.
Let’s talk about the cylinder head since it bears special mention here. This was a one-off design by Dipl. Ing. Hans Metzger, and although you might think, “ah, so that’s the one that they used for the 944S!”
And you’d be wrong.
With a resident water-cooled Porsche expert now a part of our team at GCFSB, I approach the cadre of 924, 928, 944 and 968s out there with a bit more deference. While some may seem affordable, the more well-informed know they can be anything but when it comes to upkeep. Find the right one and care for it, though, and you’ll be rewarded with infinite motoring pleasure. Those who have run them will no doubt agree that the line “buy the best one you can afford†applies and if there is a better 1991 928S4 than this one for sale in Texas I have yet to find it. This example is almost fresh out of the box with under 6,000 miles and the stunning Coral Red paintwork makes for a decidedly different look.
By the time the 1990s were coming to a close, the writing was on the wall for the BMW 8 series. This was never a volume seller for BMW and while it lasted until 1999 in some markets, the last year in the US market would be 1997. Available in its twilight with the 4.4 liter V8 or the 5.4 liter V12, this example, purchased by Tom Cruise for Nicole Kidman, carries the twelve cylinder lump under the hood. Under 200 850ci coupes made it stateside in its final year, making this one very special Bimmer.
About eight years ago, I had the chance to visit the Mercedes-Benz Museum outside of Stuttgart, Germany. Of all the exhibits, the one that intrigued me the most was a car transporter with models from the early 1980s on it, including a W123 230E sedan in the same metallic blue as we see here on this well-preserved 1984 300D. We’ve poured over the qualities that make these mid-sized Mercedes sedans, coupes and estates great throughout the years, but rarely do they come as showroom fresh as this one for sale in California.