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Another day, another crisp SC Targa found down in Florida. This one is a real head turner as it is covered in rather rare Schwarz Metallic paint. The ad says it can appear Slate Grey in certain light, black or even brown at other times. I think I saw  a 911 with this paint a few years back at a meet but didn’t realize it was so special at the time. Also could have been my eyes playing tricks on me, hard tellin no knowin I suppose.
Anyhow, I thought this ’79 Targa deserved some attention as it features not only a unique exterior but a very clean, very pretty Cork interior. This is certainly among my favorite color combinations for a 911, I think it works particularly well on this era. The leather on the dash and on the front seats is new and the Targa top has been reupholstered with OEM material as well. From a visual stand point this vehicle appears to need nothing and the mechanical side of the equation also seems to be balanced. Brand new tie rods and steering rack boots were recently installed, the seller notes that the A/C squeals at bit at start up but from what I’ve read that’s both rather common on these cars. Whether or not it is an easy fix is beyond me but if it was my car, I would keep the A/C off and the top popped to keep cool.
Four doors, three pedals and eight cylinders. Is there a more exciting combination for an enthusiast when it comes to a daily driver? Honestly I can’t think of one and of the small group of modern cars to offer this configuration, I’d say the E90 M3 is the top dog. In this modern age of turbocharged everything, it is highly unlikely that we’ll ever see another car like this one. A useable back seat and trunk mated with a 4.0L V8 already sounds old school and we’re only seven years on from when the car was initially offered. When BMW announced the whole M3/M4 plan and the news that the new cars would have a turbocharged six-cylinder, I wasn’t surprised. It’s just how things are going these days. The sports car market is completely over-saturated with vehicles that will surely delight their drivers but will they offer the same visceral connection as their predecessors? I don’t think so but ultimately that is for each of us to decide on our own. What I can say with absolute confidence is that the E90 M3 market is rapidly moving in a very wallet friendly direction, great news for those of us who prefer a screaming V8 soundtrack to the artificially enhanced aural experience of a boosted inline-6.
Over the past couple of years my affinity for the Targa 911 models has grown considerably. I’m sure that their position as the “value” model in the classic 911 market has something to do with that as I usually expect a reasonable price tag when I see Targa in the title of a listing. Of course, we’re getting to a point where even these models are commanding a premium due to the insanity spreading across the rest of the lineup. Honestly, I don’t think getting a Targa is settling as much as some 911 enthusiasts would have you think. In fact I’m quite fond of these models these days precisely because they’ve long been the odd man out within vaunted 911 family. Convertible 911s (with the exception of the Slantnose) have never been my thing and never will be, so the Targa is that nice middle ground where I can still get a bit of open air motoring without sacrificing that classic shape I lust after.
As depreciation continues to work its wonderful magic, there are a number of excellent cars falling into the sub $30k range which is the cap of what I consider to be reasonable at this point in my life. If you’ve got $30k to spend on a car then then the field is wide open, E90 M3s, 987 Caymans and the B8 S5 are all options. At that price point they’re most likely not the garage queen you dream of but clean, mechanically solid examples with relatively low miles are out there. I think this particular car is one of those examples, and with just under 70k on the clock it looks to have been well cared for. I guess that’s what starting life as a corporate fleet vehicle in California will do for a car.
Walking home from work the other day, I spotted an E39 Touring on the street, which happened to be a 525i with a 5-speed manual.…
