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I will get this out of the way from the jump: it’s unlikely I can do justice to this 911. I love the color combination and its overall appearance from the contrasting orange/black exterior to the ducktail to the contrast of the tan and black interior. The entire package fits my tastes particularly well and the more I look at it, the more I like it. I’m strongly attracted to orange cars, a color that certainly does not suit everyone. But when I first came across it I wasn’t sold on the interior. I tend to prefer a black interior on an orange car, but I’ve turned 180 degrees from that initial impression and now prefer this over an all-black interior. It’s vibrant, it’s aggressive, it’s got classic 911 lines. The model itself is a US-spec 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 Coupe. Were this the European Carrera 2.7 featuring the MFI engine of the Carrera RS then we’d be looking at a seriously hot commodity. As it stands, the US model comes at a significantly lower price point, though the Carrera still commands a good deal more than a similar condition ’74 911 or 911S.
In the annals of S-class history, the W116 of the 1970s doesn’t get too much respect, with exception of the mighty 6.9, one of the largest engines ever to find a home in a post-World War II Mercedes-Benz. If you’re not after one of these thirsty beasts, perhaps target one of the lesser engined variants, if you could consider the 450SE “lesser” engined. This short-wheelbase 1974 example for sale in The Netherlands spent most of its life in France. Looking resplendent in Silver-green metallic over a rich and inviting velour interior, I think it’s about time we start taking this seventies S-class a bit more seriously.
A few weeks back I featured a really nice Pastel Blue 1970 Porsche 911T Targa that I called one of the most beautiful Targas I had come across. Here we have a very similar color combination, but from a slightly later period. Even though this Mexico Blue 1974 Porsche 911 was only built a few years after the aforementioned Targa its look is fundamentally different and I struggle to call it beautiful in the same way the Targa was. Such is the nature of the shift to impact bumpers in 1974. This 911 remains, however, quite captivating and while it isn’t in the pristine shape of that 911T the condition appears quite good and given its likely much lower selling price it could make for a fun and eye-catching driver to be enjoyed without any worries over its long-term value.
Upon seeing this BMW Bavaria, I thought perhaps Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ BMW 3.0S was back up for sale again. For years, Mrs. Onassis tooled around Manhattan in one of these sedans. The 3.0S was the more luxurious version of what we see here. Importer Max Hoffman had convinced BMW to build a special model for the US market, with fewer options than other variants in the lineup but with the largest engine available. So what we’re looking at here is the forebear to many modern BMW performance sedans, a template that is going strong to this day. This Bavaria for sale in Florida is an older restoration and is equipped with the 3-speed automatic. Not the optimal combination for enthusiasts but fewer BMWs of this vintage come at a lower cost of entry.
I’ve featured a few modified Porsche 911s of late, something I’ve shied away from to a degree in the past due to their extremely high prices, and it has been interesting to see the variety of builds even if the referents to which those builds refer tends to remain static. Similar approaches and executions leading to different results, though all desirable in my opinion. Here we have another one, which, like yesterday’s 911E, may struggle with price given that the 911 that served as the foundation for this build is itself a fairly valuable commodity and even in non-original form that tends to generate varying notions of the car’s worth. The seller here appears to understand that dilemma given his statements in the ad, but whether that means a reasonable reserve follows is something we will have to wait and see. Let’s get to the basics: here we have a Light Yellow 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe, located in Phoenix, with 112,500 miles on it. This 911 has seen quite a few modifications including the replacement of the original 2.7 liter engine with the 3.0 liter flat-six from a 911SC. But even that engine has not remained in its original form as it has been built with a variety of components from later 911s and is mated to a 915 5-speed from an ’86 Carrera. Power is claimed to be at 290 hp, a very substantial increase from where this car began its life, which should make it an extremely capable performer that can run with a wide variety of high-end machines.
