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As a kid, I used to pour over the pages of Road & Track and Car & Driver and would sit in wonder looking at all the cars that were forbidden to US consumers due to ever increasing safety and emission regulations. One of the cars that caught my eye in the late 1980s was the BMW Z1. It was apparent from the outset that this was going to be a limited production model, but it had me scratching my head, wondering why BMW had not yet exploited the two-seater roadster market stateside. It wouldn’t be until the mid-1990s that the Z3 would arrive on the scene and even though it was initially powered by a four-cylinder engine, people lined up to purchase this diminutive drop top in droves. Now that the Z1 has approached 25 years of age, a few examples are trickling in to the United States, including this example for sale in South Carolina.
This DoKa was recently brought over from England by an importer that specializes in turbodiesel of all sorts. This 3-door pickup, originally some light-duty military vehicle – has been upgraded with the venerable 1.9-liter TDI, giving it a good amount more oomph than stock. The interior is all business, with seating for 6, a table, and and a stereo representing the luxury highlights. The exterior looks like a well-used military vehicle, with a few different drab greens and a serious canvas top that needs some work on its frame. Custom-fit gear boxes have rails inside to hold them, underscoring a T3 that is built for neither speed NOR comfort – just business. My eye is always on potential when I approach Vanagons/Transporters, however, and this TDI truck looks like it could suit a lot of different needs in its next life.
We’ve seen some great full-on Hartge automobiles here, and they’ve always struck me as an interesting (if not quite as desirable) alternative to Alpina. This 325is has no real Hartge provenance, but has had enough hard-to-find and period-correct pieces retrofitted to warrant mentioning. The factory original M-Tech II bodykit and cloth interior are nearly as desirable as the Hartge pieces, painting a picture of an owner who has spent a ton of time and effort sourcing parts to put together his perfect 325is. No doubt this is a gorgeous and carefully-composed love letter to the E30, but $21k is a lot of money for a 325is with 166k miles!
Say you want a certain level of audacity in your driving machine, but not too much. You’d like to retain a measure of apparent civility. What are you to do? Well, here’s one possible option: a Silver Metallic 1989 Porsche 930 Slantnose Coupe with a scant 17,800 miles on it. There really aren’t many cars with a more audacious appearance than a 930 Slantnose, at least when viewed through the lens of ’80s excess. Hood vents? Check. Side grills? Check. Enormous spoiler? Check. Crazy performance? Check. These pretty much have it all, which should be no surprise given where that slantnose shape was derived. The 935 always was insane. Yet this one sits in a very understated, but still appealing, Silver Metallic paint that tries its best to subdue the rest of the car. Completely obscuring those lines isn’t possible, but attention is surely diverted, even if only a little.
The 7 series might have a tradition of being one of the priciest vehicles in the BMW lineup, but like many luxury sedans, depreciation takes hold quickly. Thus, it’s not uncommon to see many clapped out examples of Munich’s finest flooding the used market, tempting those who might want a slice of the good life but who are ill prepared for the cost of their upkeep. Occasionally, you’ll find a one or two owner example that has been cared for the right way, such as this example for sale in Vancouver. A 26-year-old, twelve cylinder BMW with over six figures in mileage is still a scary proposition to some. However, if you must have one, this wouldn’t be a bad starting point.
