Tag: 2012

2012 BMW M3 CRT Sedan

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Continuing on the theme of lightweight, Europe-only specials of a fan-favorite chassis, here’s one I’m willing to bet a fair amount of you aren’t aware of. BMW launched several special variants of the E9x chassis, and we saw some of them – the Lime Rock Park Edition being the most notable – but in total BMW produced a hard-to-fathom 28 special variations of the E9x Ms. As a result, you’re forgiven if you didn’t remember all of them!

CRT stands for “Carbon Racing Technology”, but perhaps ironically it was BMW’s carbon-intensive road cars that led to the model. Spare cuttings from the carbon passenger cells of the i3 and i8 models were recycled and molded into body pieces for this special M3 sedan, while motivation came from the M3 GTS’s upgraded S65B44 V8. Stroked to 4.4 liters and with a lightweight titanium exhaust, the enlarged V8 was rated at over 440 horsepower (20+ over a standard S65B40), while torque was up 30 to 325 lb.ft at a lower 3,750 rpms. BMW produced a total of 68 cars, of which 67 were sold to the public, all in identical Frozen Silver Metallic with Sahkir Orange accented interiors:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2012 BMW M3 CRT Sedan at Speedart Motorsports

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2012 BMW 135i M-Sport

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Update 1/17/19: This 135i is listed as sold at $18,000.

A few months ago I took a look at one of the best affordable driving packages from BMW in recent times – the E82 135i. The model I looked at was rare for a few reasons; clean, original 135is with a 6-speed manual are fairly hard to find, and on top of that the particular example was outfit in Alpine White and with the M-Sport package, plus it had the even more infrequently seen beige Boston leather interior. It was also fairly loaded and had lower mileage – all in all, a hard package to replicate.

2013 BMW 135i M-Sport

Well, I’ve come pretty close today. In some ways, this car may actually be a bit more desirable. Let me explain why:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2012 BMW 135i M-Sport on eBay

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2012 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS

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When I previously featured an Ipanema Blue Metallic 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS it was one of the few times I’d seen the color come up for sale. Here we have another nearly identical 911. Same year and same model though optioned slightly differently. Hilariously it is priced $1 above the asking price of the previous example I featured. It’s Price is Right bidding on eBay!

Let’s get to those different options because they’re not insignificant. Most importantly this Carrera 4 GTS is equipped with PDK rather than a 6-speed manual. That’s a big deal on the 997 GTS. We’ll get to that in a moment. The other significant option is that this one came with the Aerokit Cup. It’s an interesting choice that certainly provides a little more raciness to the exterior. There are a few other optional differences but other than Sports Suspension, which the other GTS had while this one does not, they are mostly minor and not much to get riled up about.

Ipanema wasn’t a terribly popular color for the 997. It’s why we don’t see a lot of them. But bright colors seems like they are back in style on 911s so maybe it’ll see a surge in popularity.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS on eBay

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2012 Porsche Cayman R

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It’s always interesting to see a somewhat unusual build on any car and I think this one qualifies. This is a paint-to-sample Speed Yellow 2012 Porsche Cayman R. That it’s one of the few PTS Cayman R produced in itself makes this a pretty unique and desirable car. This one takes color to another level by adding a set of Guards Red painted wheels. Contrasting red and yellow in such a way certainly isn’t the typical setup and most won’t find it that desirable, but if we think of the Cayman R as a track car, which we probably should, the colors work just fine. They’re bold and bright and attention grabbing, just the sort of thing that any track car needs. I don’t know what sort of track use this Cayman may have seen, nor whether that was the intention of the original owner when choosing these colors, but it at least provides a possible reason for how this came together. I kinda like it!

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2012 Porsche Cayman R on eBay

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2012 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS

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Rare color or undesirable color? It is a question that presents itself pretty much any time I come across a Porsche in one of the many less common colors Porsche has produced. Of course, in some cases a color may be undesirable during its period of production and then become more desirable years later as preferences shift. Yellows and greens kind of come in and out of favor in this way, likewise the many variants of brown from the late-70s and early-80s suffer under a reversal in popularity.

In the case of the car here, an Ipanema Blue Metallic 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS, located in Washington, we may have one of those situations. Available in the final years of 997 production, we see very few 911s painted in this color. Anecdotally it isn’t difficult to find stories of buyers getting nice discounts to take them off of a dealer’s hands after sitting on the lot for too long. Though a standard color offering its rarity does seem related to its desirability, or lack thereof. We haven’t moved far from its original production date so I’m not sure enough time will have passed for preferences to have changed. However, Ipanema Blue isn’t too far removed from a variety of lighter blues Porsche produced in the ’80s and those cars don’t seem to elicit much derision. So is it a color that might become more desirable or one that, like quite a few colors over the years, will fade away to be forgotten?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS on eBay

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2012 Porsche 911 Targa 4S

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Let’s stick with the general theme of the last couple days and continue looking at variations of blue over red. Here we have another fairly interesting version of that combination and one that is quite unique to find on the 997. This is a Dark Blue Metallic 2012 Porsche 911 Targa 4S, located in California, with a full Carrera Red leather interior, PDK, and just 18,136 miles on it. Being a 997 this is the new Targa design (or is it now the old design? Perhaps old-new?) that debuted on the 993 Targa. It showcases a large sliding glass panel rather than the removable central top with integrated roll hoop of previous Targa models. I’ve stated before that it isn’t my preferred Targa design and as most are aware Porsche themselves seem to agree since the 991 has reverted to the original removable roof. I guess we’ll find out in the coming years whether Porsche reverts to the 993 design or sticks with the original. (Or removes the Targa from the lineup entirely.) New design or old, the Targa still provides the same increased openness, but without going to a full Cabriolet, and should have appeal to those that like a bit of sunshine and wind in their hair.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2012 Porsche 911 Targa 4S on eBay

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2012 Porsche Cayman R

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I really don’t feature the Porsche Cayman often enough. It’s not that I don’t like them, I like them a lot. I think they just fall into that world of newer machines that we see so many of that it becomes easy to pass them by for more rare alternatives from earlier years. The same happens with the 911 since I’ll feature very few of the water-cooler models and when I do it is almost always the 996TT or GT3.

When I come across a Cayman R the decision is much easier as these possess the sort of rarity and performance that immediately makes us take notice. The R provides a glimpse of everything the Cayman could be and serves as a precursor to the current GT4. As a lightened and more powerful version of the Cayman S, the R takes an already well-balanced machine and turns everything up. Creature comforts are a little more limited though for those who like A/C and a radio they can be added back. Even still the R makes for a wonderfully fun drive and hell I think they look pretty great too!

The one we see here comes in a really pretty Basalt Black over Red combination and sits with just 12,000 miles on it. The asking price is quite high, but the option list is quite extensive so if you’re looking for one that checked a lot of the boxes this may be it.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2012 Porsche Cayman R on Rennlist

Year: 2012
Model: Cayman R
Engine: 3.4 liter flat-6
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Mileage: 12,000 mi
Price: $75,000

The car is black with red full leather and has a manual transmission, bucket seats, sports exhaust, sport chrono among many other options. Currently has a little over 12,000 miles and I am the original owner.

It’s never been tracked/auto-crossed or in an accident, and always garaged. All four rims are clean with no curb rash. Attached are some pictures as well as the build sheet. One thing missing from the build sheet is the rims painted in black (the dealer swapped the original silver rims with another Cayman R).

I’m asking $75k FIRM which I know would be higher than most for sale but think it’s reasonable given the low miles, combination of key options and overall extensive build sheet (original MSRP just a shade under $100k). Car is located in the San Jose, CA.

Given its high price we shouldn’t be surprised that this Cayman R has been up for a couple months. It looks in fantastic shape and I really love the color combination. There is a second Cayman R more recently available. It has a few more miles and asks for fewer of your dollars, but it looks in equally excellent condition. The options list isn’t as extensive, but there are some nice choices made there as well. I don’t think either would be a bad choice.

I chose this one because I’m a sucker for a red interior, especially when paired with a black exterior. The long options list might make this one a slightly tougher sell, especially given that the R, at heart, aspires to be a more spartan car. Quite a few of those options appear to involve getting a wide variety of items covered in leather and given how much I enjoy the look of this interior I suppose I can’t find too much fault there. And that’s where this will make sense: for the buyer who would spec an R similarly and desires one that’s added in many details to help distinguish it from the rest. A lot of this stuff may not make you go faster, but perhaps you’ll feel better, and get just that little bit more enjoyment, during each drive.

-Rob

2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster

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To all our American readers, Happy Thanksgiving! To all our readers outside the United States, sorry you have to work today but hopefully today’s car makes up for it. The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG was the spiritual successor to the legendary 300SL that was produced from 1954 to 1963, mainly because of it’s distinctive gullwing doors and blistering performance. When the SLS launched in 2010 it not only wowed people with its design but with it’s power that launched this car to 60 mph in the mid-three second range.

Of course like the original 300SL, a roadster would soon follow for the SLS, which is what today’s car in California is. I like to think of the roadster versions of the 300SL and SLS like when Michael Jordan quit basketball and went to play minor league baseball. Jordan built his legacy and fame in basketball so much that you literally had tens of thousands of people following him around just to watch him strike out in Birmingham, Alabama. That’s what happened with these cars – you take away the gullwing doors and it’s just another Mercedes roadster, just like Jordan was just another minor league baseball player. But it’s the past reputation, along with how great a driver’s car they were in the first place, that kept these models in demand and values on par with the original. Go check out values for a 300SL Roadster, they are usually in the $1,000,000 to $1,400,000 range, right where the gullwing cars are. The same is happening with the SLS, with the Roadster prices side by side with comparable Gullwing cars. Logic would say the whole point of this car was the doors and it would carry a premium over the Roadster, but I think that would be true if Mercedes-Benz mailed it in on the rest of the car — which they clearly didn’t.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster on eBay

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2012 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG

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red1

I don’t feature a lot of newer AMG cars. It usually takes a really special example of what is already a special car for me to take a second look. What we have today is one of those cars. This 2012 E63 AMG for sale in California takes an already extremely fast W212 and adds a little extra power with some special options. So let’s take a look at what this Affalterbach rocket has to offer.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2012 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG on MBWorld

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2012 BMW 335is

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As popularity of the BMW 3-series doesn’t seem to be waning much even with the death renaming of the 2-door variant, finding a slick coupe to set up apart from the BMW crowd can be difficult. Outside of the obvious M3 choice, the ZHP models like the one Craig wrote up on Friday are certainly highly prized and priced. When it came to the E46’s replacement, there was no ZHP package offered – bummer. But, late in the run BMW did roll out a very special package with an even more storied connection to the 3er. In 2011, BMW reintroduced the “is” moniker to the top-notch 335 2-door. The new 335is differed from the regular production run in many ways. Replacing the N55 motor was the trusty N54, just like in the 1M. BMW remapped the engine to deliver 320 horsepower and 332 lb.ft of torque channeled through a short-shift 6-speed gearbox or you could opt for the dual-clutch DCT 7-speed from the M3 for repeatable 5.0 second runs to 60. Because it was turbocharged, you also have a 7-second overboost function that gives you another 40 lb.ft in passing situations (or, to show off). The 335is helped to mitigate this additional power with a revised cooling system and heavier-duty motor mounts. The additional cooling meant no fog lights for the coupe, though oddly they could be had on the convertible 335is. Typical M adornments outside meant revised front and rear bumper covers, and the 335is wore unique Style 313 forged wheels measuring a substantial 19×8 in front and 19×9 out back. There were also discrete 335is badges under the side indicators to let drivers beside you know you were in some obscure BMW model besides a M3:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2012 BMW 335is on eBay

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