I love the G-Wagen. From the military-spec W460 to the Kardashian-spec W463, I love them all. The do-everything utility SUV from Mercedes-Benz that’s brash but can also be handsome in its own sort of quirky way. Designed by a team who were only allowed to use straight-edge rulers, the G has been kicking around it’s same basic shape since 1979. Everything from tiny four cylinder diesels to massive twin-turbo V12s that are more valuable than the GDP’s of some small countries have been in this thing. Unfortunately, Mercedes never graced the US with it’s G-Wagen gifts until 2002 and unlike almost every other mass produced Benz, the G seems to depreciate to a certain point in the mid-$20,000 range and never go any lower. The dreams of picking up a 2002 G500 for $9,500 will be just that — dreams — unless you are conformable buying half a G, in which the other half was involved in a large fire.  So importers have loading up the ships with handfuls European-spec Gs, spray painting the under body with three coats of black paint to hide the rust, throwing them on eBay with vague photos and descriptions then hoping the winner has a bad back and can’t crawl under it to check it out himself. Today’s featured G doesn’t seem to be that case. A wonderful 3-door 280GE located in Delaware could be a great buy for someone. As long as they don’t enjoy using drive-thrus.
German Cars For Sale Blog Posts
I don’t see many W116s on the roads these days, although they do seem to be ubiquitous in certain kinds of Hollywood movies (usually those set in the middle east, in which they feature as the preferred ride of the terrorist bad guys). Produced between 1972 and 1980, the W116 was the flagship of the Mercedes lineup during the period and was the first car to be officially referred to as an “S-class.” Penned in the 1960s, the design looks remarkably more modern than it really is, probably because many of the car’s styling cues were carried over onto models built for a decade or two to come.
This particular example isn’t the range topping, high performance 6.9 SEL model. Instead, it’s a short wheel base, low mileage version of the ordinary 450. Nonetheless, it looks glorious and stately, which is exactly how an S-class should look.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1975 Mercedes-Benz 450SE on eBay
1 CommentI am baffled by this car. To be clear, not this particular car, but the GT2 RS model itself. 620 hp delivered from the rear engine to the rear wheels through a transmission that you have the pleasure of shifting yourself. Among modern supercars there aren’t many more that provide this same sort of attention getting power delivery and driver involvement. Super sticky tires and aerodynamics help keep everything pointed in the right direction, but there’s only so much aid they can provide should your right foot get a little over exuberant. I’ve featured a black GT2 RS previously and these remain one of the most menacing machines you’d be likely to cross paths with. Everything is about that aggression and I doubt any passersby would mistake this for your standard run-of-the-mill performance car. As the pinnacle of the 997 line it will be very tough for Porsche to top one of these.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2011 Porsche 911 GT2 RS on eBay
Comments closedFile this car under the “whatzit” category. At first I thought this modern day tribute to Porsches of the past must have been based on a 911. Wrong. This is a 944 in disguise, built by a Dutch firm called Heynsdyk. The company no longer exists, having gone into bankruptcy in 2012, but before that happened, they managed to crank out a few of these roadsters for anyone who was getting a bit bored with their Porsche 944. This 2500SF has the normally aspirated 2.5 liter inline-4 under the bonnet. For those who might not have been turned on by the 944 Cabriolet but sought some open top enjoyment with their well-balanced chassis, this car might be the solution.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1985 Porsche Heynsdyk 2500SF at E&R Classics
6 CommentsThe hot hatch may just be the perfect have your cake and eat it too automobile. And though many argue that they weren’t the originator and didn’t produced the best example in the market, Volkswagen’s GTi has been intrinsically linked with the moniker. It always raises an interesting question of which generation is best, and while there are plenty who would contend that the model never got any better than its original configuration, fans of each iteration of the venerable model abound. Like some others that read the blog, I came of automotive age in the midst of the Mk.2 model run. A Mk.2 Golf was also my second car, and as a result I have quite a soft spot for them. In the days before the internet, my knowledge of European models like the Golf Limited was non-existent, so at the time it got no better than the late GTi 2.0 16V. Wider arches, deeper bumpers, fog lights and the signature red striped quad-round grill setup coupled with some great colors like Montana Green. The roof mounted Fuba antenna was like a remote control pickup for fun, and capped with some awesome BBS RM multi-piece wheels and slick looking Recaros, the package might as well have said “Ferrari” on the front. But if the looks of the Mk.2 GTi were the best in the line, quite a few VW souls would point out that the fantastic sounding VR6 model that followed had the performance that really backed up the hot-hatch name. As a result, swapping the VR6 into the Mk.2 has not only become popular but almost a given, and VR swaps are nearly as prevalent as the ubiquitous S50/S52 in a E30 swap. This particular one has been dialed up a few more notches with a turbo, but channels the look of the 2.0 16V with some updates and a whole lot of black paint: