Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
A about a month ago I wrote up a M6 roundup, covering the many nice examples for sale. They range greatly in price and condition these days, so it’s really best to do your homework, find the one you like and try to get one with a solid maintenance history over a few less miles. But occasionally one pops up that you just say “Wow!” to, and this one is pretty high up here. With a reported 40,000 miles, this European-spec 1985 M635CSi is just jaw-dropping:
Just yesterday, Paul revisited a lovely green 1986 560 SL and reminded us that these cars are at the bottom of the market in terms of classic Mercedes-Benz convertible ownership. It was only a few years ago that the W113 was priced below $20,000; now getting into a good example of that car will set you back the best part of three times that amount if not more. While in my opinion the W113 was a much prettier car than the R107 successor, there’s no denying the presence and value these 1970s and 1980s drop-top Benzs offer. Yet, few of these cars were modified like the sedan counterparts; those that have are usually AMG cars. But today there are two different versions of the R107 that have been modified, showing the alternatives to Affalterbach crowd:
Okay, I’m a little early. I wanted to celebrate hitting 2,800 “Likes” on our Facebook Fanpage with a BMW 2800CS, one of the prettiest cars BMW made. While we’re close, we’re not quite there – but hopefully this post and others help inspire people to read our page. In any event, the car. The 2800 took the basic formula of the New Class 2000CS and added slightly different styling touches and a larger motor. With around 170hp on tap, it was pretty powerful in its day and unlike many of the more recent coupes, was a relative lightweight. It was also quite pretty, one of the more timeless designs BMW produced. It managed to both be futuristic and classically proportioned, and really the 2000 and 2800 set the tone for BMW coupes for the next 20 plus years through the end of the E24 6-series production. This particular example presents well in classic light metallic blue, though it’s not its original color:
Last night, I posted a clean Corrado VR6 with some questionable wheels on our Facebook Fanpage. These Corrados, perhaps even more than their GTi cousins, seem to draw out the watercooled tuning crowd and go through many different mutations. Also like their cousins, it’s pretty rare to see them in stock condition, especially good stock condition. Well, today proves that point, so to speak; this Corrado is definitely not stock, but it certainly looks pretty interesting, so I thought it was worth a look. Plus, it’s been supercharged – a different sort of forcing induction than the VR6-swapped Turbo GTis from the other day. Painted fetching BMW Laguna Seca Blue, this Corrado looks ready for the show circuit:
When people think “E28”, they immediately think “M5” – those two combinations of letters and numbers are both magical and intertwined in the history of performance sedans. Indeed, like the original GTi defined the hot hatch segment and has always been at the forefront since, the M5 has similarly defined fast executive sedans. However, I’m going to let you in on a little secret – 20 years on, it’s pretty expensive to own and run the S38 motor in the M5. There is no doubt it’s a screamer, but for most people, a warmed over 535is is probably a better option; they look nearly identical to the M5, they get better fuel mileage, around town they’re practically as fast as the M5, and critically they’re usually had in good condition for less than half the asking price of the M5 and are cheaper to run, to boot. On top of that, you could get them in colors other than black – not something everyone wants, but for those not really into the Model T scene it’s a welcome addition. Today’s 535 is a excellent case in point; looking quite catching in red with Euro bits complementing the original shape of the E28 and with a very inviting looking black sport interior, this 1987 535is sure is a looker: