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Tag: 1997

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1997 BMW M3 Sedan Dinan

I’m a fan of the sedan version of the E36 M3 and often wondered why BMW declined to build a four-door version of the E46 M3 that followed. (At least one person has tried it – click here to read an account of a wild and very successful E46 M3 sedan home-brew build.) In the sedan, you get the same basic ingredients as the coupe - a revvy engine and dynamic chassis that’s fun to throw around yet easy to live with - with the added practicality of a rear set of doors, useful if you have family or friends to cart around. Even if the US-spec cars were a bit “neutered” in comparison with the more powerful version offered in Europe, the E36 M3 offers a nice, well-rounded package and remains relatively inexpensive, although nice condition examples get thinner on the ground every year. The M-Tech bumpers and side skirts look neat on the sedan body style, and remain subtle enough that passers by might just mistake it for a plain old 328i.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1997 BMW M3 Dinan on eBay

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Signal Green 1997 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet

Green is a bit of a theme for me this week and though it isn’t always the most popular exterior color on a car, Porsche has offered a few captivating shades that have stood out across the decades. One of those that has been available across multiple decades is Signal Green. Like many of Porsche’s offerings, over the years the color isn’t always the same, creating its own shifting desirability for Porsche fans, so knowing the paint codes and their availability can be a necessity for those hoping to acquire a paint-to-sample 911. On this Signal Green 1997 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet driven just 11,726 miles, we don’t get a shot of the paint code, but it looks like the version of Signal Green that was available during the early ’90s (code 22S), as we’d probably expect to find on a 993. It’s a slightly lighter shade of green than other variants of Signal Green and in the pictures here almost looks metallic (though it isn’t). One thing we can be assured of: it’s a rare color on a 993.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: Signal Green 1997 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet on Hemmings Motor News

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1997 Mercedes-Benz SL500 40th Anniversary Edition

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About a month ago I featured a 1997 SL320 40th Anniversary Edition. Today’s car is also a 40th Anniversary Edition — although a SL500 and not a SL320. With the smaller straight-six production being limited to 250 models, the V8 had twice that number (despite what the sellers ad says) with 500. The SL500 was only produced in Crimson Red Metallic with “Exquisite” parchment leather, some fancy floormats and EVO II wheels. Seeing as these don’t come up for sale often, let’s take a look at this R129 outside of Boston.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1997 Mercedes-Benz SL500 40th Anniversary Edition on eBay

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1997 Mercedes-Benz SL320 40th Anniversary Edition

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To continue on the theme of non-traditional colored R129s, today we have a SL320 that not only has a unusual exterior color but an inside has a color hereto unseen on the legendary Mercedes roadster. In 1997, decided to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the SL with a special edition SL320 and SL500. All painted in Quartz Blue Metallic, the 6-cylinder SL320 is more rare with only 250 examples produced while the SL500, those all painted in Crimson Metallic, had twice as many with 500 being built. Apparently Mercedes-Benz felt that special exterior color wasn’t enough to set these cars apart. So let’s find out what is inside this 40th Anniversary Edition for sale in Florida.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1997 Mercedes-Benz SL320 40th Anniversary Edition on eBay

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