Every once in a while, a car pops up that I’d just love to know more of the history of. Case in point; today’s 2000 BMW 323i. This was the second year for E46 in the US, and frankly the very early E46 323i models were pretty plain. But that’s not the case today, and this one was special ordered from BMW Individual in Dakar Yellow. From there, it gets a bit stranger, because the ticking of special options didn’t seem to continue….
It’s hard to believe that just two years separated the end of 928 production and the beginning of the 996. Is there irony in the fact that the 928 was intended to replace the 911, and instead it was a water-cooled 911 that finally ended the reign of the air-cooled designs from Stuttgart? Perhaps. And in many ways, the 996 was immediately hated for it. It was too soft, too round, too….well, flawed – whether it’s from the exterior design, the interior quality, or the engine woes. But isn’t that what a 911 is all about? Maybe the 996 is the most 911-ish 911 there has been. Chew on that.
While you ponder my proclamation, let’s look at a pretty tempting example. Because let’s face it – flawed though it may be, the 996 is still a 911, still makes great noises, and still turns heads. But one thing it won’t do, generally, is break the bank – making them really appealing. And that’s exactly what we have here – a Guards Red 2000 Carrera 4, replete with the Aerokit and Sport Design wheels that make it an early Euro-spec GT3 clone. Sure, it doesn’t have the chops to back it up – but then, it’s also under $25,000:
To say the the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen Cabriolet is a unique vehicle is an understatement. How many other hand-made two-door SUV with four-wheel drive, three locking differentials, and a power-operated top are there? They are extremely rare given their quirkiness, and as you might have guessed, extremely expensive. With the addition of the power top in 1997, this suddenly became an ultra-luxury vehicle despite it’s farm truck-like ride and dated technology. Given they were never officially offered by Mercedes-Benz for the US market, the demand far outweighs the supply. Even in markets they were offered, production was very limited. The result is a six-figure price tag and the wealthy willing to pay. This 2000 G500 Cabriolet up for sale in Chicago follows that trend, but I’m afraid this one is a little out of line.
Are you a ‘want your cake and eat it too’ kind of person? If so, you probably appreciate performance wagons. And why not? They offer practicality, are (generally) much more affordable than sports cars, and can literally fly under the radar. With their numbers dwindling in the open market, it’s always a great time to look at one from our past. Enter the E39 Touring.
There were several configurations that the 5-series Touring was available in over the years, but the ‘big stick’ was the 540i with its 286 horsepower M62. Sure, the N54-equipped E61 was faster and available as a manual. But if you wanted a really classic BMW setup, the 540iT was about as good as it got for US-bound BMW wagons. As a result, many have been turned up by their owners and drafted into M5 clones. Such is the case here, with this Sienna Red Metallic E39 sporting a host of Dinan bits, E39 M5 bits, and a 6-speed manual swap for good measure.
The transition from the W124 Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe to CLK-Class coupe, which for all intents and purposes is an E-Class coupe as well, was a very clear evolution. It was an abrupt switch from the old-school Mercedes feel into a new modern age with softer styling and softer materials. Of course the wrench thrown into this is that while the W208 looked like a W210 E-Class both inside and out, it was actually built on the W202 C-Class chassis. You’d never really know this and Mercedes did a really nice job of covering that up, but none the less, the new-era of Mercedes was here. It was a very fresh design for the time and while impressive for its day, signaled a very clear end to philosophy of over-engineered and over-built coupes that Mercedes was known for since basically the beginning of the automobile. Times change and you need to adapt, and this is what Mercedes did. Just looking at the front end, you went from squared off and boxy look with headlights that were literal rectangles, to a set of ovals that were split apart into two different lights. A massive change in direction for sure, but it was new, and people bought them.
However, this also signaled the time where a Mercedes-Benz wasn’t really considered a car you kept for years on end, but rather a lease special and a race to get out the door with the lowest monthly payment. Twenty years later, this is still true across the entire model range with the exception of very few niche models. So where does that leave these now old cars? Nearly worthless, basically. There is no nostalgia for a 2000 CLK or 2001 S430. Any example that is more trouble than it is worth is scrapped without a second thought and only the nicest examples still remain. Today, I came across this CLK430 example in Philadelphia that still does maybe have some appeal to it. Outside of the terrible aftermarket grille, of course.
The M Coupe has moved from cult legend into one of the most desirable M products produced. Late production S54 equipped models have recently topped $90,000 at auction. Add in a rare color and great condition, and they’re all the more desirable. While not quite a 1:1, the M Coupe is like the Porsche 964 and has gone from being ugly duckling to the market darling, and the S54 models are the RS America of the lineup.
For most of us, that means if you want a ‘Clownshoe’ you’ll need to look towards early production when they were equipped with the venerable S52. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as lower running costs and higher production numbers mean much lower asking prices. Take this 2000 in Dakar Yellow, for example. First off, only 2,180 S52 M Coupes were sold here. Of them, 52 were Dakar Yellow II – so you know this one is special. But even more telling is the number when you consider slicktop models, of which this is one. Just 342 were delivered sans sunroof, and only 14 of those were Dakar. Just ten shared the black Nappa leather seen here. So this one is a very low production number car with interesting options and, in this case, fairly low mileage. What does that mean for the price?
Update 10/18/19: This super supercharged 540iT sold for $11,100. Deal!
BMW’s continual refusal to bring the most powerful form of its its Touring/Sports Wagon historical lineup has been, as a 5-door enthusiast, pretty frustrating. That’s left Audi in the 2000s and Mercedes-Benz more recently to thoroughly dominate fast 5-doors, with the brief Cadillac interloper. But just because you couldn’t get an M5 Touring over here didn’t mean you couldn’t at least get M performance.
For that, though, you had to turn to fabled California tuner Dinan. No stranger on these pages, Dinan’s well-thought mods and clean execution earned his company a place in the revered showrooms of new BMWs. Cheap? Certainly not. Just the supercharger alone on this particular 540i was $16,000. But you get what you pay for, and the result when Dinan blew on the M62 was a claimed 400 horsepower. So this 540iT has the chops to back up its M5 looks:
While Mercedes-Benz is the go-to for protected dignitaries, executives and everyone else who has a potential mark of their back, they’re not alone in offering upgraded armor to their lineup. BMW also entered the game with their “Protection Package”. This turned the 7 into the ‘ultimate surviving machine’ by adding bulletproof glass front, sides and rear along with armor behind the body panels and no sunroof. A claimed 44 were sold here, making this one of the most rare variants of any BMW imported:
For as many crazy colors as Porsche produces, Mercedes-Benz will once in awhile surprise you with something that you wouldn’t expect. I say “once in awhile” meaning almost never, because at the end of the day these are very serious Germans who make cars in very serious colors like silver, black, and everyone’s favorite, beige. However, today we have color that is quite wonderful. This 2000 SL600 up for sale in The Netherlands is finished in Aquamarine Blue Metallic with a navy blue top and of course a tan interior, because they wouldn’t want to go off the deep end or anything. It has just a hair of 26,000 miles and just like everyone else for sale at this dealer, is nearly flawless. However, that usually comes with a higher price tag and this one is up there. Way up there.
”Purple rain, purple rain. I only wanted to see you, bathing in the purple rain.”
When it rains it pours, and apparently it is raining purple. Last week I looked at a very rare 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300SE painted in Bornite Metallic and as luck would have it, another purple Mercedes pops up only this time it is painted in Almandine-Black Metallic. Now don’t let the word ”black” fool you, this car is purple. Interesting thing is, I actually looked a W220 S430 painted in this color about two years ago and was quite smitten with it. However, this 2000 CL500 up for sale in California, I am in less than in love with. I think the color is fine, it is just everything else is wrong with it. Literally everything.
