Press "Enter" to skip to content

Tag: 1978

This site contains Ebay partner affiliate links, which may earn us a commission at no additional cost to you.

Tuner Tuesday: 1978 Mercedes-Benz 350SL Euro-Spec Lorinser

Published December 9, 2014 by Carter

While there are some great tuners from the 1980s whose designs seems classic and timeless, there seem to be many more whose designs are massively polarizing. For every spectacular Ruf, AMG and Alpina that’s out there, there seem to be an equal or greater amount of Gemballas, Stroseks, DPs, Koenigs and Tresers. The modifications they undertook were expensive and generally outrageous. It also seems that often they were discarded by their deep pocketed builders once they were no longer in fashion – if they ever were. But even if they weren’t the most attractive, they’re still cool timepieces to look back on a decade that defined excess through conspicuous consumption. I can’t help but wonder what the trends of today are that we’ll look back upon with the same attitude as we judge the 1980s. One of the tuners that seems to skirt between garish and great is Lorinser – not so wild as the Testarossa vented Koenigs, but generally I’d say not as good looking as the AMGs, either:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1978 Mercedes-Benz 350SL on eBay

Read Our PostTuner Tuesday: 1978 Mercedes-Benz 350SL Euro-Spec Lorinser
Comments closed

1978 Porsche 911SC Targa

Published November 26, 2014 by Rob

We will conclude what has become Targa month with an example that reaches back to the beginning of the 911SC model run and a car that reaches back to my own personal history with the 911. Here we have a Black on Black 1978 Porsche 911SC Targa, located in Pennsylvania, with 50,833 miles on it. My dad owned a 911 quite similar to this, differing only in that it was from 1979, and in many ways the aspects of the 911 Targa that appeal to me surely stem from many of those early experiences. I have begun to really enjoy the Targa in lighter shades as I’ve seen more of them, but a basic black on black model still ticks all the right boxes and, frankly, looks really nice. The 911SC wasn’t the first Targa produced, as they had been made available beginning in 1967, but during these early years of 911SC production the Targa was the only open-top option available. They were perhaps a peculiar design, but spoke to Porsche’s desire to meld performance with a driving experience that was both less confined while also meeting basic safety standards for roll-over protection.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1978 Porsche 911SC Targa on eBay

Read Our Post1978 Porsche 911SC Targa
4 Comments

1978 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 Euro-Spec – REVISIT

Published November 21, 2014 by Carter

The stellar looking two tone 1978 European specification Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 with unique Ronal Racing 3 piece Turbos is back on eBay, this time with a “Buy It Now” of $30,000. That puts it about about a condition 2 price level by Hagerty’s valuation guide, which overall seems pretty appropriate. Appreciation of these big Benz models is growing and it’s expensive to repair one to properly sorted level. Period mods can go very wrong, but somehow I really love the look of this car – it may be the coolest 6.9 I’ve ever seen. What do you think?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1978 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 on eBay

The below post originally appeared on our site July 2, 2014:

Read Our Post1978 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 Euro-Spec – REVISIT
Comments closed

Tuner Tuesday Ruf-off: 1978 Porsche 930 Slantnose v. 1987 930

Published November 11, 2014 by Carter

Just as AMG is synonymous with early tuned Mercedes-Benz models, Ruf seems to be inseparable from the Porsche 930. It’s almost cliche to upgrade the 911 Turbo to Ruf specs; but they’re the go-to tuner for all things air-cooled. But for every Yellowbird that an enthusiast wishes they had created, there are many more pretenders that bolt on some Ruf parts and claim they’re Ruf-converted cars. Does that make them more valuable? Probably not, in general – faster, yes, but as we saw with last week’s 1979 930, although well executed more people are looking for either real Ruf cars or all-original examples. Today I have another two “Ruf” cars to face off – which wears the mods better and which is a better deal?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1978 Porsche 930 Slantnose on eBay

Read Our PostTuner Tuesday Ruf-off: 1978 Porsche 930 Slantnose v. 1987 930
2 Comments

1978 Porsche 911SC Coupe Restomod

Published October 25, 2014 by Rob

There is something very sexy about a well executed 911 restomod. On one end of the spectrum we have the half-million-dollar works of art created by Singer, while on the other end we have examples developed by individuals that come through in various levels of quality and performance. In either guise the combination of modern performance and classic design has become a sought after marriage for those who prefer the unique styling cues found in vintage automobiles, but don’t want to compromise on performance. The example we see here strikes a nice balance that is neither over the top nor overly basic; it presents as a well-executed transformation providing a modest bump in performance along with a step back to the original design. This restomod began life as a 1978 Porsche 911SC that has received a carburated 3.2 liter flat-six sourced from an ’84 3.2 Carrera. The exterior was restored to the original long-hood 911 design while the interior has been thoughtfully put together to provide a vintage feel that complements the alterations to the exterior. With any design such as this you’ll want to spend some time talking to the builder to fully understand the car, but you can rest assured that you will rarely come across another example like it.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1978 Porsche 911SC Coupe Restomod on eBay

Read Our Post1978 Porsche 911SC Coupe Restomod
2 Comments