Tag: Cabriolet

1994 BMW 316i Baur TC4

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Karosserie Baur in Stuttgart had a unique history of working directly with manufacturers to produce some pretty special cars. Most notably linked to the Baur name was a string of interesting but also-ran BMW 3-series convertibles. However, three of the most prized 80s German collector cars in the market today were also linked to the firm; first the BMW M1 after Lamborghini’s meltdown, and then Audi’s shortened Sport Quattro rolled through the special production line. Baur also constructed the special bodies of the Porsche 959.

However, Baur is linked most closely with offering drop-top BMWs to a market devoid of such options. First was the E10 chassis, with Baur chopping the top off of everything from 1602s to 2002s. Baur then moved on to the E21 chassis, offering the ‘Top Cabriolet’ TC1. The E30 also recieved the Baur treatment , but by that point BMW had released its own convertible model and the draw of the more expensive TC models waned, leading to a steadily disappearing market share. Perhaps the most unique was their last BMW creation. Based upon the E36 chassis, Baur released what it called the ‘Landaulet TC4’. It was effectively a 4-door E36 Targa (Porsche’s use of the Targa name was proprietary which prevented Baur from using it) and just over 300 were produced, making it one of the most rare E36 chassis configurations to see:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1994 BMW 316i Baur TC4 on eBay

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1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet – M491/M470

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Whenever I see very rare cars come up for sale more frequently I naturally become curious about what’s going on with the market. I mentioned a while back that I’ve felt like I’m seeing more M491 Turbo-look Carreras coming up for sale than in the past. For many of those cars it isn’t necessarily too surprising since the early years of the package’s availability saw quite a few of them produced. But the later G50-equipped examples are another matter. Even more rare are the final-year examples and it is those that I’m suddenly seeing for sale more frequently. Why? I don’t know.

Prior to this year I had seen only a couple for sale with the coupes almost impossible the find. Those coupes remain elusive, but following on the heels of the M491 Carrera Cabriolet I posted two weeks ago here we have another. This time the exterior is Grand Prix White rather than Black and there is added rarity as it was one of the even fewer that selected the M470 spoiler delete option.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet – M491/M470 on eBay

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2001 Mercedes-Benz CLK320 Cabriolet

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It seems that in my region of America that the seasons went summer straight into winter judging by one day it was 82 degrees and the next it was 44 degrees. That of course means that convertible season is over just like that unless you are a logical person that lives in an area where the weather doesn’t keep you glued to your bed when your alarm goes off in the morning.  If that is the case, I might have a cabriolet that probably isn’t the first model that pops into your head when someone says ”Mercedes convertible”, but that doesn’t make it’s not a worthy example. This 2001 CLK320 Cabriolet up for sale in Connecticut is probably one of the better C208s I’ve run across in a while and even though that the temperatures are freezing outside, I thought it deserved a closer look. It’s worth it if only just to look at these outstanding photos.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2001 Mercedes-Benz CLK320 on eBay

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1990 Porsche 944S2 Cabriolet

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Any time I see an ad stating that a car is the nicest one available I like to imagine it being from an extremely conscientious seller who has looked through all of the available inventory and come to that conclusion. He even frequently checks for additional listings just to make sure his car remains the best one available and if not provides an appropriate update. This probably isn’t what happens, but it’s funny to me and makes looking at cars more entertaining. Is this the nicest 944 S2 on eBay? It very well could be! It certainly looks pretty good.

As the days have begun to turn colder I’m starting to reminiscence about the days of sunny, warm weather driving, and that makes this Cabriolet even more appealing. It is the promise of joyful open-top cruising. There are a lot of Porsches you could spend money on in order to achieve that goal, but if you desire something from an older vintage the 944 and 968 seem to offer some of the most promise for fewer dollars.

Here we have a Baltic Blue Metallic 1990 Porsche 944S2 Cabriolet, located in Florida, with just 20,843 miles on it. I don’t know that the 944 is as pretty as a 968, but its lines are quite clean and classic and when looking good provide just the right elegance to balance its sporting pretensions. I obviously like 911s quite a bit, but the 911 Cabriolet’s lines don’t always seem to work as well as they do on Porsche’s front-engined cars. So if you want the top down a 944 could be both a less expensive and better looking option. Maybe even the better option.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1990 Porsche 944S2 Cabriolet on eBay

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1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet M491

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This is a car I feel I have to bring more attention, but I’ll admit I find the ad quite strange. Not strange in the sense that I think something fishy is going on, but in the sense that this isn’t really the best way to get maximum dollar for your car. It should sell fast though and maybe that’s the point.

This is a 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet with the M491 Turbo-look package. If you’ve been following along lately you’ll know that these are rare. Very rare. Once the 930 returned to the U.S. market in 1986 sales of the Turbo-look package went down rather quickly. That makes decent sense. We also must add to this that Porsche debuted its new G50 5-speed transmission for the 911 in 1987, thus making the last three model years of the 3.2 Carrera a little more special on today’s markets. By the time we get to the final model year in 1989 the number of M491-equipped 911s had become quite low. Granted, of the three available models, the Cabriolet was produced in the greatest numbers so this one isn’t as rare as these 911s get. Nonetheless, there only were 24 of them. Oh and it’s up for auction without reserve. Rare indeed.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet M491 on eBay

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Pascha Red 2018 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet

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It is not uncommon for us to come across Porsches touted by their sellers as “the most highly optioned 911 ever” or some such thing. The window sticker will be a full-page of optional extras and it’ll have a super high MSRP. The problem in many cases is that a lot of those builds aren’t really much more than a buyer checking off every box on the option sheet. It is indeed a highly optioned 911, but you might never know it unless someone sat you down to point out each option. They aren’t really all that special.

This 911 took a slightly different route to arrive at a similar result and I think it’s much better for it. Here we have a Pascha Red 2018 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet with an Espresso over Cognac natural leather interior with Houndstooth inserts. It also has the Sport Design Package, PCCB, and a host of other more standard options. Rather than going through and checking all of the option boxes, this buyer chose the most different options available. As such, simply by the number of options this probably isn’t the highest optioned 911 we’ve seen (though it can’t be far off), but by cost it would be pretty difficult to surpass it. The result is a Carrera Cabriolet with an MSRP of nearly $160K. That’s almost $60K in options! On a base Carrera!

CLICK FOR DETAILS: Pascha Red 2018 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet at Select Luxury Cars

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1990 Porsche 944S2 Cabriolet

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Like the Volkswagen Cabrio, the 944S2 Cabriolet isn’t a car that gets a lot of press on these pages. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have the makings of a classic. Like the Cabrio, it sold in small numbers in the tight times of the early 1990s; Porsche claims it sold only 2,386 in the United States. And it has a potent power plant in the revised 3.0 16V inline-4; pushing 207 horsepower and 208 lb.ft of torque, it was nearly as potent as the first generation Turbo without the inherent lag or accompanying bills. Yet it shared the same perfect weight balance with the rear-mounted transaxle, Turbo brakes and larger roll bars along with the integrated Turbo-look nose and tail. The S2 also received the new “Design 90” wheels that helped to bring it in line with late 928S4 and 964 models.

However, the 944S2 Cabriolet has always been overshadowed. First, for the sporting drivers out there, most will be seeking the clean lines of the S2 Coupe. Then there is always the more popular 911 Cabriolet, but it’s real competition is the later 968 Cabriolet. With more power, revised looks and a 6-speed manual, those late 968s are by most accounts the ones to get. But to me, that means that a clean 944S2 is a better value while offering you most of the experience of the VarioCam. Let’s consider this beautiful LM3U Velvet Red Metallic example:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1990 Porsche 944S2 Cabriolet on eBay

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2017 Mercedes-Maybach S650 Cabriolet

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At the beginning of this year I looked at one of the most exclusive and expensive cabriolets on the market with the 2017 Mercedes-Maybach S650 Cabriolet. Mercedes produced 300 of these cars and just 75 of them came to North America. To pay for that exclusivity, you had to pony up around $350,0000. Needless to say they all did sell, but now six months later if you want one, it might be a little difficult seeing as there are just that 75 of them out there and maybe even less because of exporters. Today, I found one in West Hollywood of all places with just 182 miles on it. The price? Well, that $350,000 MSRP isn’t going to cut it anyway. Not even close.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2017 Mercedes-Maybach S650 Cabriolet on eBay

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2017 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet

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Anyone who has made their way over to the Porsche configurator knows there are a seemingly endless number of possible model permutations to choose from. I don’t know what the actual number is and don’t feel like counting (are we at 22 now?), but the one we see here, the Carrera GTS Cabriolet, seems one of the less frequently selected configurations. I don’t know how many there are, but I can’t recall seeing one very often. I’m also a little surprised it isn’t a Carrera 4 GTS, I guess because I expect Cabriolet drivers to be more likely to opt for an all-wheel drive 911. But I’m glad it’s only rear drive. To make it perfect I’d prefer the manual, but I’m not going to quibble much over the presence of PDK. It is after all a Cabriolet.

I have featured the Carrera GTS a few times and like them quite a bit. As the highest performance of the standard 911’s the GTS makes for a compelling package for those who don’t mind allowing Porsche to configure all of the sporting options for them. With PDK they can rip through 60 mph in almost 3.0 seconds. Should you find yourself on a lonely road, 150 mph comes up in under 20 seconds. I don’t know that you’d want the top down at that point, or at least not without wearing a hat.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2017 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS Cabriolet on eBay

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Riviera Blue 1994 Porsche 968 Cabriolet 6-speed Manual

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I don’t feature the 968 all that often. I do, however, tend to feature just about anything I come across in Riviera Blue. I simply can’t turn away from them. Here we have a 1994 Porsche 968 Cabriolet painted in that bright blue. This one also has the very desirable 6-speed manual transmission. Riviera Blue often is associated with the 993 and we rarely think much of it when it comes to other Porsches. But this 968 shows the color off almost as well and even if its sporting pretensions are not quite elevated to the same level as the last of the air-cooled 911s, I’m sure this one will have no trouble attracting attention in a crowd of Porsche enthusiasts. It looks in very good condition and the mileage even is pretty reasonable when we consider it is nearly 25 years old.

The 928 gets the vast majority of the love when it comes to Porsche’s front-engined machines and there’s very good reason for that. The 968 provides its own unique appeal and definitely creates quite an ardor among its fans. And relative to a ’90s 928 prices tend to be much more attainable.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: Riviera Blue 1994 Porsche 968 Cabriolet on eBay

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