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Tag: 1979

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Walter Payton’s 1979 Porsche 930


Update 10/28/18: This 930 sold for $324,500.

If you grew up in the ’70s and ’80s, or were an adult, or well, basically if you were alive and paid any attention to sports you will be well aware of Walter Payton. The long-time running back for the Bears and widely considered one of the best of all time, Payton was magic to watch on the field. He combined quickness with strength, hurdling and stiff-arming opponents out of his path. He also was a prolific receiver and upon his retirement lead the NFL with the most career receptions by a non receiver. While the Super Bowl winning ’85 Bears would go down as having one of the best defenses in NFL history, it was Payton who lead their offense as one of the tops in the NFL. He retired in 1987 as the leader in career rushing yards and all-purpose yards (both of which have since been surpassed) and passed away much too young from a liver disease in 1999.

This is the first sports car he purchased for himself after establishing himself in the NFL: a Silver over Black 1979 Porsche 930 that will be up for auction with no reserve this Saturday at the Mecum Auctions Chicago. This 930 has never left the Payton family as it was passed down to his son Jarrett after Walter’s death. It was one of the few cars Payton did not sell off and is reputed to be one of his favorites. It sits with only 9,950 miles on it. For the 930 collector and serious Bears fan it would be a must have addition to the garage.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: Walter Payton’s 1979 Porsche 930 at Mecum Auctions Chicago

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John Lennon’s 1979 Mercedes-Benz 300TD

I feature famous owner Mercedes-Benz from time to time with the scale of their ”famousness” ranging from Rowan Atkinson, Clark Gable, Bono and even Elvis. Personally, I just don’t believe that these names do a lot, or anything, for the values of the cars outside of it being just a cool side note. Maybe with some of the Elvis cars it might move the needle at little, but his star is fading as the years go by and the people who truly remember him are also fading away. Today, I have a car that you could argue is on the A-list when it comes to celebrity cars. This is John Lennon’s 1979 300TD. You might remember him as the co-founder of the The Beatles, the most commercially successful band in the history of popular music. His fame was tremendous until the day of his murder on December 8, 1980 and judging by how much media attention he and his family still gets just by throwing his name into Google, is still quite relevant.  You would guess that maybe this car, a car that he owned until his death, is probably going to bring big money, right?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: John Lennon’s 1979 Mercedes-Benz 300TD at Worldwide Auctioneers

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1979 Mercedes-Benz 300CD

Last week I checked out a cherry 1985 Mercedes-Benz 300CD that was had a few small issues, but I felt was worth the money. Sadly, it looks like the seller cut the auction short so we didn’t find out what the final selling price was. Today, I ran across another 300CD, but this one is a few years older and a little different. This 1979 up for sale in California uses the non-turbo OM617, which is a fine enough engine in itself, doesn’t have any rust and by some kind of miracle, has a functioning air condition. It also has a nice touch with the European headlights and the best part? It has quite the attractive price tag.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1979 Mercedes-Benz 300CD on eBay

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1979 Porsche 911SC Coupe

Last week in my write up of an Ipanema Blue Metallic 911 C4 GTS I mentioned the way certain colors can come in and out of style rendering previously undesirable colors desirable, or vice versa. I wasn’t sure whether that would apply to Ipanema Blue, but I do think it applies to the car we see here: a Tobacco Metallic 1979 Porsche 911SC Coupe, located in Georgia, with a Brown leatherette interior – it looks like Cork and the seller has referred to it as cork-like so perhaps it is Cork – and 144,639 miles on it.

Brown cars were not uncommon during the late-70s, but it seems they quickly went out of favor because we almost never see them from any marque once we’re well into the 80s. A few automakers have tried to resuscitate the color, especially with much darker metallic browns that in most lighting appear black, but in general the public isn’t clamoring for a brown car. That, of course, can hurt an older car like this one, but any time I’ve come across a 911 like this I wonder whether we’re missing out on something unique. It’s not bright and vibrant; these are colors with a natural earthiness that doesn’t necessarily suit a performance car. Yet, they can be very good looking under the right lighting and I really like Tobacco Metallic on a 911. I previously featured one that remains one of my favorite 911s I’ve come across. They’re a little unusual, but quite captivating.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1979 Porsche 911SC Coupe on eBay

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1979 Mercedes-Benz 300SD

I love a really well-kept Mercedes-Benz W116. Maybe because I own one, but I can’t be alone in feeling this way. These cars feel as solid as anything when everything is sorted and won’t cost you a ton of money to buy and maintain one. All the gas-powered W116s are fine cars and the first ever production turbo diesel car to go on sale in the United States in 1978, the 300SD, was a gem as well. I have a hard time justifying ever selling my 300SD because for the money, nothing can replace it equally and frankly, there is nothing wrong it. So when I see these W116 300SDs come up for sale now and then I always take a closer look to see how other owners treat theirs. Today’s 1979 model for sale in Oregon has me envious and jealous thanks to a few OEM upgrades.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1979 Mercedes-Benz 300SD on eBay

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