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1985 Mercedes-Benz 240TD

1985 Mercedes-Benz 240TD

Published March 26, 2018 by Andrew

I’ve been using my 1983 Mercedes-Benz 240D with a 4-speed manual as my primary driver for over year now and really enjoy almost every aspect of it except for one big thing: It is ungodly slow. The North American spec 240Ds were blessed with a conservative 67 horsepower and 97 lbâ‹…ft of torque when new and after 35 years I’m going to guess it lost a few precious ponies. This results in me using the accelerator pedal as an on-off switch the majority of the time. Don’t get me wrong, around town the car is totally fine. On the highway? I’m traffic’s worst nightmare. If I am at the front of the line at a stoplight and the speed limit on the road is 55 mph, I might as well be hauling a car full of puppies to the pound because that is how people look at me. It takes somewhere in the 15-20 second range to accelerate to 60 mph depending on the grade of the road and Peggy in her minivan on her way to soccer practice has no patience for me.  Other than that, everyone loves the car. But what if the 240D was even slower? Say hello to the 240TD.

This German-import 1985 240TD up for bid in Arizona is equipped with everything my 240D has, including the same 4-speed manual gearbox, but with the extra weight of the wagon. You can see where I am going with this. Thankfully, this W123 estate is actually nice enough where you can pick and choose your 0-60 mph battles and not feel bad if you hold someone up for an extra second. Although at the current price, is it worth it?

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Petrol Blue 1978 Porsche 911SC Targa

Petrol Blue 1978 Porsche 911SC Targa

Published March 25, 2018 by Rob

I don’t normally prefer to post two cars from the same seller on consecutive days, but this seller has two very different 911s for sale and I like both of them quite a bit and for entirely different reasons. So, here we are. Yesterday’s 964 Turbo showed us a fairly pristine example of the 3.3 liter Turbo. It’s a model I probably don’t pay enough attention to focusing instead on the 930 that preceded it or the later 3.6 liter 964s. It came with a very high price tag.

Here we have something entirely of a different nature. This is a Petrol Blue 1978 Porsche 911SC Targa with Cork interior and 65,500 miles on it. It’s not pristine – though the mileage is fairly low – but the color combination is phenomenal and the added detail provided by the Targa roll hoop enhances the overall look. Compared with the 964, the price should be much more reasonable.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: Petrol Blue 1978 Porsche 911SC Targa on eBay

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Funny Fiber Double Take: 1974 Bradley GT II v. 1980 Aquila

Funny Fiber Double Take: 1974 Bradley GT II v. 1980 Aquila

Published March 25, 2018 by Carter

Kit cars don’t get much love on these pages. Well, to be fair, they don’t get much love, period. But kits cars do offer something; exotic(ish) looks on a pedestrian budget. And strangely enough, some kit car and limited-manufacture cars have begun to be considered collectable in their own right. So when I came across two unique Volkswagen-based bits, I thought “why not?”

So today we have two very limited production examples of fiberglass laid over a VW chassis. Which is the winner? Let’s start with the Bradley GT II:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1974 Bradley GT II on eBay

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1991 Porsche 911 Turbo

1991 Porsche 911 Turbo

Published March 24, 2018 by Rob

The other day I was discussing the appeal of the Porsche 930. Let’s now jump to its successor, the different but also similar 964 Turbo. The 930 appeals for its general lack of smoothness. Its lines are a series of angles balanced by wide curves with the 911’s distinctive round forward pointing headlights leading the way. The 964 carried on that tradition, even if it was an almost entirely new design. The engine too was a refined version of the 930’s 3.3 liter flat-six mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. There would be engine changes in its final production years, but in ’91 and ’92 there was certainly a lot of familiarity to be found under that new skin.

This has placed those turbos in a somewhat odd space. They are surely desirable, but I’m not sure we give them nearly the consideration we do with the 930. The same is true when we compare the early 964 Turbo with the later 3.6 liter models. Their relative appeal is understandable: the increased performance and relative rarity of the 3.6 models makes them increasingly desirable. The desire for the 993TT – the last of the air-cooled Turbos – remains higher still. So what do we do with these less frequently recognized Turbos? I guess we might as well take a look at one:

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1997 BMW M3 Sedan

1997 BMW M3 Sedan

Published March 24, 2018 by Carter

Just last night, a friend informed me he had “acquired an older BMW”.

“Willingly?”, I asked. He affirmed he had contractually agreed to this life changing experience. “What model?”, I furthered.

“A Z3”.

Now, supportive friend Carter probably should have nodded in approval. After all, the Z3 is great value for the money. They’re cheap to buy, cheap to maintain, and fun to drive. But what actually came out of my mouth was laughter. Not maniacal laughter, mind you, but just the uncontrollable mocking type that you immediately feel a bit bad about. Hoping to redeem the situation a bit, I prodded “Six cylinder…?” Nope. 4. I contained further laughter at this point, but I was grasping for straws. Meekly, I ventured “…..manual….?” hoping for some affirmation. “YES!” he happily retorted, glad to finally confirm a question of mine.

It’s actually a nice car, and it’s in great shape, and he paid almost nothing for it. But from the same period, BMW had some other affordable, fun to drive and even more potent options for enthusiasts. Take, for example, the M3 Sedan. Like the Z3, it was rear drive. Like the Z3, it has a manual, and they share some achitecture. But while the Roadster has a bit of a stigma that results in enthusiasts’ dismissal, the M3/4/5 has developed into a legend in its own right. Damn the fact that it didn’t have the more exotic Euro motor, if you want a cheap and pure driver’s car while still being able to comfortably transport 4 adults, they don’t come much better than this platform:

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