Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
It always surprised me what comes out of the woodwork when looking at unusual color combinations. Most of the time I didn’t even think it was possible, but the old adage of anything is possible with enough money sure rings true.
Today, we have a 1999 Mercedes-Benz SL500 up for sale in London finished in Designo Purple over Designo Purple leather. Thats the name. Just Designo Purple.
Sometimes I feel for my fellow enthusiasts who live in the UK as just by the realities of the population, they have fewer choices in terms of cars. There are roughly 33 million cars in the UK, and while that sounds like a ton, it isn’t when compared to the US which boasts roughly 289 million. I know you are saying that of course, that makes sense, but my point here is that there aren’t as many options to choose from especially if you want a 23-year-old Porsche. However, if you wanted a 2000 Porsche 911 Turbo with a Nephtrite Green leather interior, you are in luck.
I’m always curious as to what the right-hand drive “discount” is. The reality is that unless you live in one of the 75 countries (I bet that is more than you thought) that utilizes right-hand drive vehicles, owning one is a real value killer. I know this first hand as I have a right-hand drive vehicle in my small collection and while it is fun driving it, I know that compared to an identical left-hand drive example, the value is less. I think that even holds true on some of the more desirable models and that seems to be the case with today’s car.
This 2001 Audi RS4 Avant up for sale in London is one of the 500 or so produced in right-hand drive specification. To be honest, unless you live in the UK, Japan, South Africa, Australia, or New Zealand, owning this doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. (Those 70 or so countries are not places you’d want to own an RS4 Avant.) However, this is a right-hand-drive car in a right-hand-drive country. Why is it so much less expensive?
Just one time I’d love to get the full story on how these crazy low-production cars actually ended up getting built. Did the board member in charge of production planning buzz off to St. Moritz for three weeks and the guys on the production line throw together some leftover parts until he got back? Then again, these are the Germans here. Nothing is done without a meeting, another meeting, a planning session, a meeting about the planning session, and then a very precise schedule about production but not before having a safety meeting. There is a method to this madness, and madness is what we got with today’s car.
This is 1998 Mercedes-Benz C55 AMG. Reportedly there were 59 of these cars produced, which were the then-W202 C-Class AMG but with the 5.4-liter M113 from the E55. Why only 59? Who knows. Although this one has something different about it that you can see through the windshield. It is in fact one of the very few right-hand-drive examples for the UK.
For many, the 997.2 Porsche 911 GT3 RS is the one to get if you want the best of the best in the GT3 RS family. It was the last GT3 RS with a manual gearbox, if you don’t count whatever family the 991 911 R falls in, and some say feels like the perfect size. Don’t get me wrong, I love the 991 GT3 RS and I’m probably going to love the not-yet-released 992 GT3 RS, but if you want a manual transmission, the buck stops here. Just 541 examples came to the US, but today’s car as you might have noticed by which side the steering wheel is located, isn’t one of those 541 cars. Also, it is Cobalt Blue Metallic.
