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Tag: E32

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Near-flagship status: 1988 Mercedes-Benz 420SEL vs. 1989 BMW 735iL

Near-flagship status: 1988 Mercedes-Benz 420SEL vs. 1989 BMW 735iL

Published May 9, 2015 by Paul

German manufacturers were riding high in the 1980s, solidifying their reputation as makers of some of the world’s best automobiles and introducing new models at a rapid clip. When it was introduced in 1980, the W126 Mercedes-Benz S-class was at the pinnacle of automotive technology. Almost a decade later, it was beginning to show its age but people still loved this car for it’s stately manner and stellar build quality. BMW took the executive car fight right to Stuttgart’s doorstep in 1987 with the introduction of the E32 7 series sedan. Larger and more powerful than its predecessor, this luxury sedan offered V12 power, eclipsing the 5.6 liter V8 at the top of the S-class range.

Today we’ll look at two of the lower-end models in the executive portfolio of Mercedes-Benz and BMW, both with under 30,000 miles on the clock. We’ll start with this 1988 Mercedes-Benz 420SEL for sale in Arizona.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1988 Mercedes-Benz 420SEL on Hemmings Motor News

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Tuner Tuesday: 1990 Alpina B11 3.5

Tuner Tuesday: 1990 Alpina B11 3.5

Published March 31, 2015 by Carter

While many celebrate the E38 as the highpoint of 7-series design, I prefer the look of the E32. Perhaps that, in part, is because I was lucky enough to live with one for some time – one of the rare ’88 5-speeds, it was a car that I always enjoyed driving and especially enjoyed looking at. Granted, you could rightly claim that the E32 was stylistically not much more than a stretched E34. Is that such a bad thing, though? To me, the design language transferred really well and the E32 was well proportioned, modern looking and yet immediately identifiable as a large BMW,and yet muscular flares and a slight tick up in the body line towards the trunk was a built-in spoiler. The E38 took this design and refined it even more, with sleeker lines and a more dramatic drop in front – probably one of the main reasons, along with some killer wheels, that people prefer the later design. But outfit an E32 with lower suspension, a deeper air dam and some killer wheels, and the design is pretty awesome. The stripes don’t hurt, either – nor does the top-tier name Alpina painted all over:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1990 Alpina B11 3.5 on eBay

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Tuner Tuesday: 1989 Alpina B11 3.5/1 – REVISIT

Tuner Tuesday: 1989 Alpina B11 3.5/1 – REVISIT

Published March 10, 2015 by Carter

The 1989 E32 Alpina B11 3.5/1 from January is back! After failing to sell in a reserve auction, the seller has moved to a no reserve format and with about two days to go, this rare 7 has crested $10,000. Last time around I guessed that the car would struggle to break past $12,000 – around where I thought the reserve was set. Where do you think it will end up?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1989 Alpina B11 3.5/1 on eBay

The below post originally appeared on our site January 27, 2015:

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1991 BMW 735i with 24,600 Miles

Published January 29, 2015 by Carter

I hold out a small amount of hope that somewhere, floating around the U.S., there is a pristine, low mileage and mechanically perfect Audi V8 quattro. Honestly, even though I prefer to find a 3.6 5-speed, I wouldn’t even be bothered if it was an automatic as long as it was the later 4.2. As with all the large luxury sedans from Audi, there are precious few that remain in good original shape with lower miles. A similar situation occurs with the same generation BMW 7-series; the E32. Like the V8 quattro, it was a big step forward in the sporting executive market for the company, yet crumbling residual values and expensive repairs on the V12 models have left precious few in good shape. In fact, the E32 almost seems to disappear in the realm of classic BMWs, such is the concentration on early models or the bargain performance of the E38 and newer examples. So when a lower mile, pristine condition E32 pops up, we take notice:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1991 BMW 735i on eBay

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Tuner Tuesday: 1989 Alpina B11 3.5/1

Published January 27, 2015 by Carter

Another week, another Alpina treat from our favorite new tuner seller from Japan. This time, unlike the mostly 5-series based models that have popped up for sale there is a E32 model on offer. The E32 was a big step up in terms of luxury and driving dynamics from the E23, fully modernizing the high end lineup for BMW. As they had with previous models, Alpina immediately had their hand with the new model and breathed their normal aftermarket life into the large executive sedan. That meant a turned up engine good for 250 horsepower (261 without catalyst) although that engine – from the E28 B10 and E30 B6 – was replaced with a 254 horsepower version in 1988 which was shared with the E34 B10 3.5/1. In addition, the normal suspension, wheel and interior treatments were complimented by some minor aerodynamic tweaks and exhaust upgrades to create a decidedly more performance oriented luxury car:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1989 Alpina B11 3.5/1 on eBay

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