Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
The BMW 320 IMSA racer we featured Monday got its fair share of attention, but if you are a fan of the street variety E21, check out this nicely preserved 1981 320i for sale in South Carolina. The car has been repainted in its original Cosmos Blue Metallic and comes with records for the entire life of the vehicle. If you’ve been searching for the right E21, this is one that deserves more than a passing glance.
Just when I think I’m aware of every Mercedes-Benz model to leave the production line, another one comes along and has me scratching my head. Such is the case with this 260SE for sale near Mannheim, Germany. This is a 1988 model, so it’s legal for export to the US. It’s also optioned like few S class sedans we saw on these shores at the time, with a blue cloth interior and sans electronic climate control. It won’t be a speed demon, sharing the same engine as the 190E 2.6, but for those interested in around town cruising more than highway blasts, it would be a sufficient choice.
Zero to 60mph in 6.3 seconds. The standing quarter mile in 14.6 seconds. Top speed of 142 mph. You’d be right in thinking that I could be describing a luxury car from the present day, but Mercedes-Benz achieved this performance at the end of the 1960s with this car: the 300SEL 6.3. Slotting the M100 V8 from the recently introduced 600 Grösser limousine under the hood of the W109 S-Class created one beast of a sedan, one that could go head to head with muscle cars of the day yet still carry a few well-heeled passengers to the opera after it was done handling its business at a drag strip or stoplight. This 1969 300SEL 6.3 for sale in Michigan was sold through the European Delivery program and is currently on it’s fifth owner, having had a partial restoration back in the 1990s.
The 1988 Porsche 911 Carrera Club Sport we originally featured last year has been relisted once again with a Buy It Now price of $175,000.
My favorite generation of the 911 is the 3.2 Carrera. This is the 911 that spanned much of my formative years and bridges the gap neatly between the vintage and modern era. Those are just two reasons these cars draw me in. There was a lot of choice to be had across the range, with normally aspirated and turbocharged flat sixes, Coupe, Cabriolet and Targa bodystyles and even the resurrection of the legendary Speedster name in 1989. However, there is one 3.2 that, in my opinion, trumps them all. It happens to be one of the rarest 911s ever. The Club Sport.
Even amongst some 911 enthusiasts, this model is a bit of a dark horse, due to the fact that only 28 were ever sold in the US market. But for those in the know, all they need to hear are those two magical words and their radar is up. This was a lightweight special with a blueprinted engine, sport suspension and more aggressive brakes. There were also some factory deletes such as air conditioning, radio, rear seating and front fog lights. This Club Sport for sale in New York is one of two sold in silver metallic and is the only one to be manufactured with an electric sunroof.
The E21 might have been the first BMW badged as a 3 series, but it is one of those rare instances where its successor became wildly more popular than the original. But, given that E30 prices are on the move, perhaps the E21 will become the new affordable BMW classic. This particular 320 is an early one, as production commenced in 1975. The E21 wasn’t the most visible BMW in motorsport, but it did make appearances in both the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (DTM) and Group 5 racing, where it would succeed the 3.0CSL. The E21 was also active in IMSA, and this particular 1975 320 was the first of its kind to win a race in that series.