As you hopefully know, it is Fathers Day and I thought it would be fun to take a stab at finding the ultimate “dad car.” Many vehicles crossed my mind, the majority of them were Mercedes, a few BMWs and Audis as well, but there’s just something so grown up and bossy about a Benz that it makes the brand feel paternal. My own father isn’t particularly fond of the three pointed star marquee, so it is not with him in mind that I chose this car. He’s like me, a fan of hatchbacks, sleepers and rally bred machines, not the brash hardware like the SL600. However, I have no doubt he’d enjoy the soundtrack courtesy of the 48 valve V12 because who the heck wouldn’t? There may even be a chance he’d be swayed, as I was, into lusting after this car as it has a Vortech V2 Supercharger stuck on it, pushing the horsepower figure up over 400. My father was the one who taught me horsepower isn’t everything but I’ll be damned if the man doesn’t love it just as much as I do. It’s the torque that’s really impressive with these cars and all 420 lb-ft of it is needed to move the 4,445 lb chassis. Just goes to show that in a big ‘ol silver rocket ship with a removable top is where a motor like this belongs and few do this style of car better than the folks at Mercedes Benz.
Tag: V12
Euro cars always hold a special appreciation for me, especially from the 1970s and 1980s. First off, they were much better looking, generally with slimmer bumpers and larger, more clear class lights. There were colors and interiors that we didn’t get in the U.S. as well, helping to set yourself apart. Sometimes there were low-spec engines not imported, but usually the output of the motors that were similar to U.S. cars was higher, giving more performance to enthusiasts. Sometimes that gulf was huge; while usually around 10% higher, a great example is the Quattro which was a full 25% more powerful in Europe than the U.S. restricted version. But as we got towards the late ’80s, the gap inbetween both the looks and performance of the Euro models versus the U.S. models closed steadily. True, in some cases we still didn’t get the full-fat versions of cars like the M3 until the E46 chassis. But for most models, there was a negligible difference. When it came to the BMW E31, in fact, there were almost no differences between the U.S. models and European models; styling was exactly the same, as were the wheels, most of the colors and interiors, and the basic suspension and engine. So, it’s just not nearly as exciting to see a European-spec newer model like this ’91 850i pop up for sale, though it is a bit odd:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1991 BMW 850i Euro on eBay
2 CommentsTime for another 10K Friday roundup, and this time I’m focusing on Coupe Week for the theme. That results in a diverse selection to choose from; from a turbocharged 1.8 inline four right through a twin-turbo V12, we have front drive, all-wheel drive and two rear-drivers. Three are automatics with one manual and ten years separate the oldest to newest; yet these are all two-door cars that fit into the $10,000 budget price range. I wanted also to include a Porsche, but wanted to cover models that we hadn’t seen in other posts and the closest I could get in a 911 was in the mid-teens, so we’re down to four choices. Who wins this crazy competition?
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2003 Mercedes-Benz CL600 on eBay
11 CommentsThough they’ve spent the last decade or so sitting unused in the back of the enthusiast dream garage, BMW’s E31 8-series has seen a resurgence in interest and appreciation recently. As the most range-topping coupe BMW’s produced, it took the shark-nose look into the techno era and stands out as an impressively clean design in the face of today’s luxury rhinoceri. This example spent its first 22 years with a single owner in California and has just crossed the 100k mark. It’s no show-stopping 850CSi, but that very fact helps it become one of the cheapest ways to get behind a V12 in the world. Well cared for and showing normal signs of age, it’s sweet example of BMW’s megacoupe that is quickly becoming collectible.