The E21 has never been quite as popular among enthusiasts as later iterations of the 3-series. Produced between 1977 and 1983, the E21 was the successor to the beloved 2002 and the first in the line of BMW’s compact sedans to carry the “3-series” designation. Available only as a two-door sedan (and eventually a Baur cabriolet conversion, produced in very small numbers), the Paul Bracq-led design contains a number of classic cues: the steeply raked front nose and kidney grilles, the four round headlights and the “hoffmeister kink” in the C-pillar among them. Even when stymied by the dreaded, US-spec diving board bumpers, as here, these wedge-shaped cars have a quirky and charming look that embodies the best of early BMW styling.
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As my family moves on to its ninth Mercedes-Benz, I was reminded the other day of my grandfather’s 1972 280SE. This was a rather unusual car for the day in Philadelphia, but reflected a bit of his taste as a diplomat for the Portuguese government. These were stately cars that compromised little. I’ve always preferred the look of the W108/W109 as opposed to the befinned W111 that preceded it and this late model 280SE 4.5 is no different. The W108 would only be sold in the US market for 1973, as the rest of the world had already moved on to the W116 S-class. For sale in New York, this isn’t the most perfect W108, but it certainly holds a lot of promise.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1973 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 4.5 on eBay
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It’s time again for Fail Friday! Welcoming you into July is a wonderfully horrible 1969 Mercedes-Benz 280SL. Normally I wouldn’t speak such ill of the great Pagoda but I can’t hold back on this one. It’s not an outrageous price or aftermarket exterior modifications that qualify it for Fail Friday, it’s the unspeakable acts of interior homicide that have been committed. Before you click the ”Continue reading this article →” I need you to be prepared as to what lies inside this SL.
CLICK FOR DETAILS:Â 1969 Mercedes-Benz 280SL on Hemmings
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We’ve often lamented on these pages about when enthusiast cars used to be more affordable. Pick your poison; there were days you could buy a pretty sorted E30 M3 for under $10,000, a clean 911 in the teens, a pristine W113 Pagoda for under $20,000. At least for the foreseeable future, those days have left us, and enthusiasts on a modest budget need to pick and choose between the few remnants of a once vibrant sub-$10,000 market. I’ve spent a fair amount of time predicting and watching the ascension of the 944 turbo – the understated, underrated giant killer from Porsche. It’s been no surprise to see soaring values on clean 944 turbos, so you’d be forgiven for thinking that once again another classic has been priced out of sight. But if you’re willing to prioritize driving over shows, there are still some great deals to be had out there:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1985 Porsche 944 Turbo on Omaha Craigslist
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I’m not sure what it is, but lately I’ve fallen out of love a bit with most BMWs from the last 15 years or so. I think a lot of it is the continual business travel abroad that I do, always seeing and riding in interesting Italian, French and miscellaneous machines that we can’t buy new here in the US market. In my drive to be different, I usually buy my clothes outside of the US, but sadly, I can not do this with cars. What to do then? Create something yourself, such as this 1976 BMW 2002 with the 2.7 liter inline-6 eta engine swapped in for sale in California. It’s rather interesting that someone decided to swap in the longer stroke economy engine, as it’s not the usual go-to engine for a 2002 swap. But the overall package is quite pleasing.