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Tag: 1977

1977 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9

1977 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9

Published September 19, 2019 by Andrew

The holy trinity of M100-powered Mercedes-Benz cars, the 600, 300SEL 6.3, and 450SEL 6.9, are not for the causal or faint of heart owners. The buy-in is expensive, the parts are expensive, the labor is expensive, everything is expensive. These are not cars you can stick in the corner of the garage under a cover with a battery tender hooked up only to drive it once a month, if that. They all use extremely complicated suspension systems that will leave you weeping if you walk out in the garage and see the car suddenly resting on its rocker panels. Despite support from the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center, lots of parts have been no longer available for many years and aren’t coming back, so your only hope it to pray that it doesn’t break and if it does, hope it can be rebuilt. There is a very small, but passionate group of owners of these cars in the M100 club, but their membership is decreasing as the years going on as younger generations aren’t interested in spending sometimes five-figures for routine repairs on these cars.

If you are brave enough to dip your toe into the world of dry-sump engine lubrication and doors heavy enough to slice your fingers clean off if they get caught in them, then the 450SEL 6.9 is where you want to start. Full disclosure, I own a W116 chassis, in non-6.9 trim, so I am a bit biased on these, but also extremely realistic as I’ve worked on a 6.9 extensively and lived to tell about. The hydraulic suspension system is sturdy, but again, very pricey if something goes wrong, and the same can be said for the 6.9 engine itself. The non-6.9 bits are some of the best materials you could ever ask for in a car, sans the god-forsaken US-spec HVAC, so it is for sure a give and take situation. Buy a well-sorted example and stay diligent with the maintenance, it won’t be so bad. However, buy a project and have fun explaining to your wife and kids why Santa won’t be visiting your house this year. Thankfully the car I’m looking at today, a rare European-spec 1977, looks to have all the major things looked after and is it relatively good health. The thing is, I don’t think the owner wants to let go of it. At least for not what I think it is worth.

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1977 Porsche 930 Turbo Carrera

1977 Porsche 930 Turbo Carrera

Published December 12, 2018 by Rob

I like a certain degree of completeness so why not go ahead and bookend things? This Black 1977 Porsche 930 Turbo Carrera resides at the other end of the 930 spectrum from the 1989 930 I featured on Monday. It isn’t from the first year of 930 production so this isn’t the perfect comparison, but since it is from one of the first two years when the 930 utilized a 3.0 liter turbocharged engine without an intercooler it still provides a glimpse into the model’s early days.

Looking at them both you could easily mistake one for the other. Their dimensions are the same even if the ’89 has gained a couple hundred pounds so you won’t notice much there. The most obvious difference is the rear spoiler. Porsche modified the 930’s spoiler in ’78 so as to accommodate the new intercooler that would feed air into the larger 3.3 liter engine. It has much more pronounced wings, which has garnered it the name tea tray compared with the whale tail of the 3.0 liter models. The fog lights too are different as they became integrated into the front bumper. We notice the same difference when comparing the 911SC and 3.2 Carrera.

While the outside is quite similar, the differences in the interior are much more apparent and show the evolutionary changes of the 911 in general over this time. We find a similar evolutionary development under the skin. Naturally power increased and with it came larger 4-piston ventilated disc brakes. The 930 now could stop as well as it could go. And, of course, in 1989 Porsche fitted the 930 with the G50 5-speed transmission, the biggest change these cars had seen since their displacement increase in 1978.

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1977 Porsche 911S Targa

1977 Porsche 911S Targa

Published September 4, 2018 by Rob

A couple days ago I featured a 911 that had undergone a bit of a transformation into what we might best describe as an off-roader. I thought it seemed like a potentially interesting project, but in its present condition seemed somewhat incomplete. The pricing also didn’t seem great all things considered.

Here we can look at something similar though nearly the opposite. This is a Burgundy Metallic 1977 Porsche 911S Targa and unlike the 911S Safari, as it was dubbed, this one appears in nearly original condition, was under long-term ownership, has very low mileage, and looks pristine. At its best, this is what a mid-year 911 can look like. As I noted in the Safari post, the general lack of desirability of these models makes them good candidates for unique projects. With this one maybe we’ll see just where the market presently lies for an original example.

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1977 Porsche 930 Turbo Carrera

1977 Porsche 930 Turbo Carrera

Published August 16, 2018 by Rob

This one checks a lot of boxes. I won’t call it perfect and there’s certainly some questions, but the car itself as it presents here should prove quite desirable. Here we have a 1977 Porsche 930 Turbo Carrera. I’m not 100% sure on the exact color since we aren’t told what it is, but I think it’s Signal Green. That’s a great start in and of itself since I love these early Turbos and that’s a great color for any Porsche. The interior is a fairly standard black interior, though it is fitted with sport seats. If you’re looking for one of Porsche’s very unique tartan or pascha interiors from this period, then this one won’t fit that bill, but a standard black interior isn’t bad either and everything looks in good shape. I should point out that this 930 has been fully restored; we aren’t looking at an entirely original example, but that restoration looks to have been of high quality. So while this isn’t one of those rare as-it-left-the-factory examples it still shows as an example that will transport you back to the days of its original production. We can only hope it’ll drive as good as it looks.

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1977 BMW 525

1977 BMW 525

Published April 14, 2018 by Carter

Update 4/14/18: After not selling last year for $7,300, this beautiful E12 is back up for $9,000 Buy It Now this Spring. Will Amazonitgrün Metallic be not only the sign of warmer temps, but also more money?

This probably seems strange at first, but to me this 1977 BMW 525 is the perfect counterpoint to yesterday’s Jetta. Like the Jetta, this Euro-specification 525 is on the low-end of the totem pole in the production scale of even the early E12 5-series. Granted, the introduction of the M30 into the E12 did up the power over the early E10 4-cylinder models; however, in 1977 this M30B25 produced 145 non-fuel injected horsepower – only 15 more than the 520i. The early 5s didn’t have much in terms of luxuries that we’ve come to associate with the benchmark sedan, either – they were fairly basic. But just like yesterday’s Jetta, this 525 located in Bulgaria is worth a long look because of the beautiful condition, which is enough to draw you back to a more simple time:

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