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Motorsports Monday: 1960 BMW 700 Sport

Update 7/30/18: After being listed for sale three years ago at $34,500, this BMW 700 racer is back – now listed as a 1961, oddly, and with an opening bid at $32,500. It still seems very unlikely to sell but is neat to see!

Though Germany has gained a reputation as a nation of drivers, the reality is that in both pre and post-World War II periods, the average German couldn’t afford many of the cars that are synonymous with German engineering. However, the “German Economic Miracle”, in part assisted by the Marshall Plan as an attempt to avoid the pitfalls of what had created World War II in the first place (thanks, Versailles Treaty!) put Germany at the forefront of European economies as the 1960s got rolling. It was then that we saw the growth of the German automobile industry into what we associate it with today. BMW also grew during this period, from near collapse in the 1950s to a viable – albeit small – company in the 1960s. At least part of that success is thanks to the development of the 700. Rear engine, air cooled and powered by a BMW motorcycle “twin” flat-2, the body was penned by Giovanni Michelotti – responsible for some of the most celebrated designs from Ferrari, Maserati and Triumph. However, he’s probably better known by BMW fans for developing the Neue Klasse designs including the venerable 2002. To my eye, though, the simple BMW 700 in Coupe form was the best looking of the Michelotti BMW designs:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1960 BMW 700S on eBay

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Rare Spec: 2011 BMW 328i Sports Wagon

Update 8/30/18: The asking price has dropped from the original $32,995 to $28,995 now.

While it was Audi who cut their teeth in the fast wagon market, the S6 Avants we saw the other day were the end of an era for the marque in the U.S.. Sure, the A6 3.0T Avant carried on and was just as quick, but its sales numbers dwindled as the naughts came to an end, and it was removed from the market in 2011. The A4 soldiered on, but even its offerings were slashed – first to fall was the S4 Avant, followed by the normal A4. Today, you can only get the automatic 2.0T Allroad if you want a 5-door Audi.

It was BMW who picked up the reigns of big sporty German wagons in the 2000s, with V8-equipped E39s leading towards the E61. Not to be outdone, the E46 introduced American customers to the smaller 3-series wagon for the first time (though it had been around for 2 prior generations) and that continued with the E91.

However, even though BMW offered two wagons right through 2010, they were rewarded with minuscule amounts of sales. In 2009, the company sold 1,430 3-series Sports Wagons in the U.S. – accounting for only 2% of sales of the E9x here. It was just as bad for the 5-series with 878 sold, so the company dropped it from the U.S. lineup in 2010. Frankly, it’s amazing that BMW continued to sell wagons at all here.

But they did, and you could order yourself up a neat sporty wagon. It wasn’t an M3, true, but the N52K-equipped 328i produced 230 horsepower and could be opted in rear-drive, 6-speed manual configuration with the M-Sport suspension:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2011 BMW 328i Sports Wagon on eBay

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2017 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet

Anyone who has made their way over to the Porsche configurator knows there are a seemingly endless number of possible model permutations to choose from. I don’t know what the actual number is and don’t feel like counting (are we at 22 now?), but the one we see here, the Carrera GTS Cabriolet, seems one of the less frequently selected configurations. I don’t know how many there are, but I can’t recall seeing one very often. I’m also a little surprised it isn’t a Carrera 4 GTS, I guess because I expect Cabriolet drivers to be more likely to opt for an all-wheel drive 911. But I’m glad it’s only rear drive. To make it perfect I’d prefer the manual, but I’m not going to quibble much over the presence of PDK. It is after all a Cabriolet.

I have featured the Carrera GTS a few times and like them quite a bit. As the highest performance of the standard 911’s the GTS makes for a compelling package for those who don’t mind allowing Porsche to configure all of the sporting options for them. With PDK they can rip through 60 mph in almost 3.0 seconds. Should you find yourself on a lonely road, 150 mph comes up in under 20 seconds. I don’t know that you’d want the top down at that point, or at least not without wearing a hat.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2017 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet on eBay

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1983 Audi Quattro

There was a point where it was very hard to find a clean Mk.1 GTI anymore, and consequently the values on them rose sharply and quickly. Predictably, the moment that occurred a bunch of really nice examples popped up for sale and have continued to emerge as the car has finally been recognized as a classic. Now, couple that scenario with the racing pedigree of the Quattro and sprinkle in a dash of ///Mania into the mix and you’ve got a recipe for some very expensive cars.

With only 664 originally imported to the U.S. and a fair amount dead, balled up in rally stages or repatriated to the Fatherland, the remaining cars that do emerge generally fall into two categories: well maintained examples that fetch high dollars, or needy chassis for the project-minded enthusiasts. Although today’s car looks quite clean at first glance, it’s not a perfect example. Yet it does sport some very rare (and very polarizing) period Treser bits, a great set of Fuchs wheels and is awesome Helios Blue Metallic. At $25,000 – the lowest price we’ve seen on a recent Quattro auction, is this a deal or a dud?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1983 Audi Quattro on eBay

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Riviera Blue 1994 Porsche 968 Cabriolet 6-speed Manual

I don’t feature the 968 all that often. I do, however, tend to feature just about anything I come across in Riviera Blue. I simply can’t turn away from them. Here we have a 1994 Porsche 968 Cabriolet painted in that bright blue. This one also has the very desirable 6-speed manual transmission. Riviera Blue often is associated with the 993 and we rarely think much of it when it comes to other Porsches. But this 968 shows the color off almost as well and even if its sporting pretensions are not quite elevated to the same level as the last of the air-cooled 911s, I’m sure this one will have no trouble attracting attention in a crowd of Porsche enthusiasts. It looks in very good condition and the mileage even is pretty reasonable when we consider it is nearly 25 years old.

The 928 gets the vast majority of the love when it comes to Porsche’s front-engined machines and there’s very good reason for that. The 968 provides its own unique appeal and definitely creates quite an ardor among its fans. And relative to a ’90s 928 prices tend to be much more attainable.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: Riviera Blue 1994 Porsche 968 Cabriolet on eBay

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