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.
Okay, hang on folks, this is a long one – what’s the most class, speed and style that you can get for $10,000 these days in German motoring? I’ve lined up some of the examples of just how much you can buy – which is your favorite?
As much as the E30 M3 has become a wild vintage success story, and as much I’m proud of the E28 M5 for being a “buy now!” list-maker, the true David that took down Goliath when it came out and will continue to do so until the end of time is the indomitable Mk1 GTI. It looks right, it goes right, and for all the hype, it’s still available. Today’s has some highs and lows, low-mileage and lots of love being the prior, some cosmetic needs for the latter, but overall it is getting some extremely hot bidding because people know it is a diamond in the rough. With a paint job and some interior work, this would be one of those GTIs that is reaching above $10k. If the bidding stays low enough, the buyer will end up with a triple threat: a fun project, a legendary daily driver, and a great investment opportunity.
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.
In many popular women’s magazines there are style sections in which two celebrities are shown wearing the same dress with the simple question “who wore it better”? Often it’s quite obvious; one of the celebrities is as you’d expect – glamorous, perfectly polished and just out of the gym. The opposing look is typically a tad overweight, over jeweled, looking like the subject in question has just been out on the town for the 43 consecutive night with minimal personal hygiene. Looking through cars this week, I was reminded to this comparison when I ran across two yellow M3 convertibles. Both E46, both 2004 – same motor and interior, with light modifications; but there is where they separate. The first is a manual BMW Individual Dakar Yellow example, while the second is a SMG-equipped Phoenix Yellow example. Which wears the yellow shade better?