This is a guest post from Blair on the debatable Mercedes W202 C43 AMG:
AMG, three letters that conjure visions of doing stupid speeds while hunkered behind a Valentine 1 avoiding the local boys in blue. Yes, AMG does really stand for Autobahn fury; quite opposite the way M for BMW means running the curves while wearing skinny driving shoes. No Mercedes AMG is all about luxury, power, and dropping the German hammer with straight ribbons of asphalt in-front of the car.
So this evening when I remembered a model I had lusted after a few years back, then watched an episode of Top Gear where they drove the new CLK63 AMG Black Edition, I had to jump on Craigslist.
And there it was, a C43 AMG - less than 100K on the odometer, silver, and apparently enthusiast owned. Perfect right? Well not exactly - it left me wanting. The styling is dull compared to todays AMG models and even the recently introduced C-class makes this look more comfortable heading to Nordstrom’s for the Half Yearly Sale, it doesn’t look all that aggressive - in fact it looks like something my sister might drive. Gah, and she drives an ML.
So here it is a late model German rocket sedan for under $10K and I have no desire to own it. I am trying so hard to find that one car that gets me to dive head first back into a sporting car and everywhere I look I am left wanting...
Is there help out there for me? Or is this a cool car and I’m just crazy?
A Best Motoring Clip of the C43 in action sideways:
Post a comment with your reaction and feedback! Thanks for your post Blair!
Only $3500? If I was shopping I'd draw a big red circle around this one and take a closer look. While obviously not all original, looks really sharp for the money.
Very rare, street legal, low miles,new tires Conti Road Attack rear Sport Attack front, rebuilt front shocks race set up, gsxr fully adjustable rear shock, Viper exhaust, Paddock stand, spare Tyga rear solo fairing, complete restoration every bolt was put through a tumbler, frame and motor were not seperated, Renthal chain and rear sprocket, correct paint code from RC30 PPG paint. Way too many extra parts to list well over 1500 in parts. This bike would be great for someone short, even women, even comfortable for a 5ft10 rider. You will not finD a finer example of this bike in the South East aside from a collection, nor will you likely see another when riding. It always gets attention. ZERO JOY RIDES, and price is firm.
I had a fantastic time again this year at the EESCC Larison Rock Hillclimb. This group has to be one of the friendliest in amateur motorsports. I feel so lucky to be able to participate in such a great hillclimb each year, less than 2 hours away, in a really scenic part of Oregon!
This year my buddy Paul joined me for the weekend event. After loading up the Rabbit at the Sports Car Shop after work on Friday, we hustled our way down Highway 58 and pulled into the (now-outrageously-priced $348 for two days!) Best Western in Oakridge. We swallowed the price because the A/C does work, it also serves as race headquarters for the event, and the internet was reliable enough for us to lose all our sit-n-go's on Pokerstars. After flying through tech that evening, we did a couple of reconnaissance laps up the course and settled in at Mazatlan Mexican Restaurant for a really nice dinner and some cervezas. We were off to a good start already!
The next morning we dragged our asses out to the track by 7AM to be in time for the track walk/school at 7:30. Instructed by Brad Moffit, he reminded us of all the proper lines, areas of concern, and tips for success. As usual he did a great job, though we would be lucky to remember only a few tidbits as we returned to the pits. Realizing we hadn't used the car at all in a long time (in fact I haven't driven it all since the last Larison Hillclimb), the butterflies and anxiety started to mount. The forecast for the day was mid 90's and when standing in the morning sun, you knew it was going to be a hot one. We enjoyed the cool morning shadows knowing the afternoon was going to be a killer.
I was up first in run group 2 of 4 and I made a leisurely run up as I got familiar with the car and the course again. The car was loose and I noted that downshifting to 2nd in tight corners was really working much better than lifting and pressing on uphill in 3rd at low revs and no torque. After Paul's run, he was in agreement. Our afternoon runs both showed improvement with the hotter temperatures really helping the tires and utilizing the 2nd gear redlining method in tight corners.
Day 1 was concluded with pizza and probably several gallons of Coors Light, going with the "light beer rehydration" theory after the hot afternoon. We drank a few with Derek who was pitted right in front of us on the hill. He campaigns a white 4 door 72 Datsun 510 out of San Francisco. Great looking car with a lot of cool mods like retrofitted MegaSquirt fuel injection on the L18, full cage, and gun metal grey alloys on both the race and road wheels. Cool Canadian guy with some impressive credentials including two trips to the Targa Newfoundland (!) and track time at Laguna Seca, Thunderhill, and Sears Point to name a few. Nice to meet you Derek, and hope to meet up next time we're in the Bay Area.
With our times still well short of Ed's best run last year, Day 2 started with a more serious tone. At least it did for me. While I really wanted to improve over my run the day before, what I really wanted was to beat my personal best time at Larison Rock of 2 minutes 14 seconds (and change). And it would be extra sweet if I could beat Ed's best time, the best time ever in our Rabbit at Larison, of 2 minutes 11 seconds.
Paul was up first and posted a 2 minute 17 second run to match my best of the previous day. Fueling up on RedBull, I was ready to lay waste to the track feeling confident and juiced. After what felt like a good run, I actually ended up 3 tenths slower than the previous day. And I was bummed out big time. Having been beat by Ed the previous year at his first time at the hill, for my 3rd visit, I still had a bad taste in my mouth. I mean, he's my close friend and all, but I'll be damned if that wasn't still leaving me with a rash!
Then Paul made his afternoon run after lunch, and came back in with a 2 minute 16 second run. I was really stoked for him for a while. Until it dawned on me that I may not have the goods to do any better and be bested two years in a row. As we melted back in the pits on a day that felt even hotter than the day previous, I decided to keep a good attitude at the event I look so forward to each year. I figured why not try a few changes and see how things go. No sunglasses (which had been working well for Paul), and only use 2nd gear for the two most uphill and tight corners, 6 and 8. Having reviewed the video for Ed's best run last year, this method seemed to work for him.
Ed's best 2007 run:
After waiting on the grid for what seemed like an eternity (the most overused cliche in all of automotive writing), I made my run. And it was going really well through the first 7 of 14 corners on the track. I knew I was doing well and it really put me at ease. As I entered the long and fast turn 9 from the uphill climb of turn 8, I had just finished a rather bright sun-in-the-face ascent. I entered the darkness of the forest and my eyes took a second to adjust. The narrow road section of the "forever corner" number 9 was a touch scary and I was going faster than I ever had through here. My fastest radar speed out of 9 the day before was 70 miles per hour, and as I blew past the radar complex and slid through the bend towards 10, I knew I was going to post a really good time. I handled the last few corners before the finish and arrived at the top of the course shaking very badly with a huge adrenaline rush. Turning around to park at the top, the upper grid marshal greeted me with my time written on a yellow sticky. I accepted it from him without looking and remarked, "Tell me it's 136 [seconds] or better". He grinned and said, "you did alot better than that!" I looked down and saw a new best time ever at the hill for me at 133, nearly 4 seconds better than my best the whole weekend, and I was really, really stoked!
While I'm still really excited and proud of my new time, I need to give props to Ed as his time stands by nearly two seconds! Paul and I both left the hill that day thinking there wasn't much left with the car we have in the current configuration. But I guess there's at least two seconds before we make excuses like that. Nice job my man! And as a side note, let me also add congratulations on your wedding this weekend
So before anyone goes thinking that we're made of the Right Stuff, there were many more notable entries for the weekend. Including Sonny, who is always a top contender for the fastest time of the weekend, who posted a new personal fast time of 1 minute 49 seconds. One of the coolest dudes at the hill and almost always the fastest too. His good friend Dave Kipperman was back as well with a new Z concoction with a 364 all-alluminum v8 and massive flare and body work special (pitcured below). And the hill is dominated with a field of probably 40% A1 and A2 Volkswagens. Hard core one's like Ty's Red GTi and Brad's 300+hp Scirroco. They both made sub 2 minute times look like common place -- and they're not. These guys have balls of steel and the right machinery to match their skills.
After a year out of the car, my first impression was that Paul really did a nice job over the winter freshening up of the car. Hard to believe our project car has seen nothing but basic maintenance over the last 6+ years and some severe beatings in the process. It's a true testament to Paul's abilities and decisions in the build. Thanks again for the best "arrive and drive" car I could have ever imagined!
And a big thumbs up to Emerald Empire Sports Car Club for another well run, safe, and really fun event. I can't wait to go again next year!
Paul and I hatched this little plan a few weeks before his 33rd birthday to take 3 day road trip over the July 4th weekend. The gist was to actually have no planned agenda for our weekend and to decide as the date got closer. We ended up choosing to go north towards the Olympic Peninsula and would plan our ride as we went.
Our day 1 was absolutely fantastic! We did our best to avoid interstate and chose a careful route that not only ensured mostly back road twisties-a-plenty, but also happened to be in the opposite direction of most holiday travel. Highway 47 from Forest Grove to Astoria reminded me of the Gran Turismo stage titled 'Deep Forest'. Blasting through gentle 35-45mph corners between the dark forest and under train trestles, on many sections of new tarmac, made for one of the most scenic and delicious rides in recent memory. The last third of the road before Astoria turns to total shit, and is even more 'entertaining' when wet. But the majority more than made up for it. After lunch, we pushed into Washington and took a bit of a detour on highway 101 'alternate', and this road was also totally devoid of traffic, full of fast sweepers, with perfect road surface, and wide lanes that would make anyone feel like Ben Bostrom.
We ended the day at Lake Quinault. This wasn't exactly planned, but it was 5:30 and we needed gas. Pretty badly too after our assault on southwest Washington. As my anxiety built, I kept hearing Merlin telling Cougar, "[...] we've got to land this thing. We are way low on gas!" After miles and miles of absolutely no civilization in the beautiful Olympic Peninsula rain forest, we spotted a sign stating 2 miles to the Chevron, next right. So we turned in and checked out the lake. After filling up with the best gas I've even put in the Ducati at $5.09 a gallon (ouch!), we cruised past the lodge and general store, and found an open tent site. Having setting up camp, we went back over to the lodge for dinner. Little did we know the lodge was actually a really nice place in the middle of nowhere. A fantastic structure built in the 20's, it was quite opulent compared to the campground.
Walking in, you're immediately greeted in the main lounge area with a bar, huge fireplace, and lots of leather furniture. Past that to the open doors of the deck features a large manicured lawn leading down a gentle slope to the lake. The lawn is dotted with small groups of Adirondack chairs and small groups of people pouring wine for each other. A wedding had just finished and the photographer was finishing up with the shots with a fantastic backdrop.
We dined that night in the Roosevelt room, named after President Roosevelt who stayed there once. They were able to seat us immediately and after browsing the menu, it was clear we were going to eat very well indeed. $17 for camping, $85 for dinner. Oh yes we did, donning bug splattered leather jackets, helmet hair and insect repellant! I recommend the beef tenderloin, it was waaay better than my pork medallions LOL!
Our Day 1 couldn't have been more perfect. As we retired to the sounds and sights of a nice fireworks show over the lake, the rain forest began it's thing. It started to drizzle. And then rain. All night. Every time I woke up, the rain sounded more intense. I can't believe how dry we actually ended up considering our campsite had turned into a giant mud puddle. I guess that forestry sign that stated the region gets over 148 inches of rain a year was no joke. It was now about 8:30 in the morning and we had finally resigned ourselves to the fact that the 30% chance of showers had turned into a full on 100% downpour.
We suited up and broke camp in the rain. After a decent breakfast at the general store, we decided going around the Peninsula would only lead to an entire day of riding in the rain, and decided to head south, back in search of dry and hopefully warm weather elsewhere in the state. But after a bowl of soup at the Olympic Club in Centralia, and a search of the weather forecasts to the east, west and south via Blackberry, we realized we weren't going to find anything like that. So we blasted down I-5 to PIR to meet Paul's bosses, who were racing this weekend. Dodging most of the rain, we arrived just in time to see Bob take the checkered flag for his run group.
We treated ourselves to another fantastic dinner, this time at our one of favorites in Portland: Gustav's pub at the Rheinlander German Restaurant. Their fondue is fantastic and it's the only place in Oregon that I know of that serves the wonderful Spaten Helles. I had the prime rib and Paul had the schnitzel. I often consider moving to Portland just to eat here more often!
The last day of our trip, we headed out to our favorite back roads from the Portland area via Sandy, Estacada, Silverton, Mill City, Lyons, and finally back to Albany. We had a celebratory lunch at Calapooia Brewing (try the Pilsner, it's perfect!) and then parted ways to finish off our weekend.
The Ducati made the trip without any hiccups and is now in need of full detail to clean out all the grime from the rain soaked roads. But it was a great and spontaneous trip with some of the best riding I've done since I last rode regularly years ago. Thank you Paul, for insisting we make this trip. I had a great time!
My wife sent me this shot from her cel phone of a gray Audi R8 spotted in Corvallis this past weekend:
I briefly considered that in may be the Edmunds long term test car since they were heading up I-5 to Seattle. But I dismissed it as I figured they'd fly right by our little town.
And btw, that's when you know it's true love. When your wife stops dead in her tracks to send you an IM with a picture of an R8 when you're 350 miles from home
The title says it all. Aside from a handful that are probably hiding in private collections, this has to be one of the lowest mileage 888's for sale anywhere!
Up for auction is this piece of treasure I've kept hidden away in my air conditioned garage. It's a 1993 Ducati 888 and it is in excellent showroom condition. Purchased new and used only occasionally but I made it a ritual to always keep it running and in tune. The mileage is correct and is at a super showroom low of 712 miles. If you see the bike you will understand.
3 days to go, and currently at $9300 no reserve. I'll update after the auction. (Update: Auction ended at nearly $10700!)
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