Feeling blue that all of the affordable classic options are quickly becoming, well, not so affordable? There are still bastions of value if you’re willing to overlook the flash of the big names and instead just focus on a clever, unappreciated car. The E21 might just be the most unappreciated BMW ever brought to the United States, but most of that reputation is thanks to a relatively soft M10 engine allocation and one of the worst applications of federally mandated crash bumpers. Move on up to the M20 and the associated European trim and the story changes quite a bit. Suddenly, you have a 7/8ths scale M635CSi on a very affordable budget:
Tag: Rial
The C107 is to me a very strange car, yet I’m often compelled to look at them. They’re certainly not the prettiest or best proportioned Mercedes-Benz product and the attempt to make a Grand Touring coupe out of a roadster was perhaps a bit too ambitious. Yet sometimes I see one and am captivated by the look; long, low and with a tremendous amount of presence, the C107 demands attention even if it’s not the best looker. This is especially true of the European versions, which had the trifecta of being more powerful, a little bit lighter and were all-around better looking. Throw in some period wheels and a body kit from a respected tuner and the results can be great as shown by this first model year Euro example:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1972 Mercedes-Benz 350SLC on eBay
1 CommentThere was a period in the mid 1970s where it appeared that safety nannies like Ralph Nader were going to bring about the death of the convertible. Consider, for a moment, that in 1965 Americans bought nearly 500,000 4-seat convertibles – but by the late 1970s, Detriot had completely abandoned what had been a very successful market. Today, it’s German firms that are the leaders in convertibles sold in the U.S. – no surprise, really, when you consider the number that are available. From the Eos and Beetle to BMW’s 3,6 and Z series, along with plenty of Mercedes-Benz models and Audi’s TT, A3, A5 and R8, there’s no shortage currently of options with air above. Go back to the early 1980s, though, and there were really only two. You could pay a lot of money for a Volkswagen Rabbit Cabriolet, or you could pay a ridiculous amount of money for a Porsche 911 Cabriolet. In response, many aftermarket tuners offered to take the top off just about everything from the S-Class Mercedes to the Porsche 928. Baur was one such firm, offering a drop-top version of the 3-series before BMW did. Rare to find, there’s one that’s popped up for sale today:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1985 BMW 323i Baur TC on eBay
2 CommentsTime for another Wednesday Wheels Roundup! This time around I found some wheels I don’t remember previously seeing; and not just one set, but two sets of RW Macho wheels. One set is for Porsches 944 fitment, and the other is for BMW fitment. I also spotted a cool set of Rial wheels in Mercedes/Audi fitment, along with a rare set of Zender multi piece wheels. Lastly, there’s a not often seen set of of third generation BBS RA wheels in 4×100. They’re great looking wheels for 2nd and 3rd generation Volkswagen products and mimic the VR6 wheels offered on the Jetta GLX VR6. What’s your favorite?
CLICK FOR DETAILS: Rial 15×7 5×112 Wheels on eBay
Comments closedIs it April 1st yet? I thought it might be based upon the number of vehicles I’ve previously written up that are back up for sale this week. Sure enough, this is a Scirocco we’ve seen before more than once; last time back in early February as a revisit. Though it looked nice, that time around this Scirocco sported some BMW wheels and some not-hugely flattering photos. It sold for a touch over $6,100. Well, if you wanted it that time, the joke is on you – the car is back with some more fitting Rial wheels, a new set of photos, and a healthy price bump: