Dan Crouch BlogSports Car and Motorcycle Enthusiast, Web Consultant, and Niche Publisher.

Colt has previously listed his 944 Turbo S Silver Rose on my blog and now he has another outstanding German sports coupe to list: His 1988 BMW M6 on Autotrader.com:

quote from his ad:

Metric Mechanic 3.7L and System 300 exhaust ~330hp with 30K miles on the engine (147K on the car), SplitSecond MAF fuel controller, Dinan Chip, Dinan Cam Gears, BBS RK wheels, SS brake lines, UUC Short shift, Bilstein Sport struts, Suspension Techniques springs, BMPD strut bar, Kenwood CD/AMP/Infinity speakers, Sirius satellite radio, Zimmerman drilled rotors, PBR pads, painted calipers, new battery, light tinting of rear windows, new front spoiler and fog lights, new factory leather on seats and door panels, A/C fully operable, heated seats Fully maintained with comprehensive maintenance records since new- all synthetic trans/LSD/motor/brake/PS, always garaged, I drive 100 miles roundtrip on the freeway- so all highway miles, no accidents; needs nothing until next scheduled maintenance. Also have Frank Fahey track pipe with factory muffler and misc spare parts: old front spoiler, idle control valve, fan clutch, Dinan Stage 1 suspension, original radio, etc. Enthusiast owned- selling to make room in the garage

Check out the price on the Metric Mechanic 3.7 S38 motor. Yeah that's ten grand; not to mention installation. At $17k, this M6 is looking like a really good buy for the e24 enthusiast.

Good luck on the sale Colt!

dc

Forgive me: I'm guilty of cheating on this blog with a number of other blogs. But before we get too far ahead, let's get caught up on some great looking German Cars and Rare Sport Bikes that have been listed for sale over the past several weeks.

Beautiful 1983 BMW e21 320i For Sale in Oregon - Paul went so far as to say he was almost considering buying this car himself, but was instead inspired to continue the work on his own classic BMW after seeing Richard’s car! Considering he’s only asking $3200, someone should snap this up cheap!

1983 Alpina B9 #312 For Sale in Florida - The $14.5k buy-it-now option seems like a pretty good deal. There are very few real Alpina’s in this country anyway, and this one still has almost all of it’s original details. While I’m not an experienced collector, I have to imagine that 5-10 years from now, this car will have appreciated considerably. Then again, with over 100k miles and an approachable entry price, maybe it would be better to enjoy immediately. Can you imagine the response at your next BMW club day when you roll up in this?!

1985 Honda VFR400 NC24 - First things first, this is not an 85. According to this Wikipedia article, the NC24 wasn’t introduced until 1987, and this bike definitely sports all the important features of the later NC24 model. But when I first saw the listing as an 85, it made me wonder if the 25 year rule works the same way it does for classic cars in the U.S. - no import or registration issues with models not previously imported. Anyone know for sure? Also, was there a Rothmans edition of the NC24? It’s a cool bike for $3500 either way though!

Irish Green Porsches for St. Patrick's Day - As you can probably gather by now, I think the 912 is definitely the better value; especially at $15k! Of course a 912 is not a substitute for a 911. But it’s also not to be dismissed as anything less than a fantastic sports car. Add the fact that this one has an expensive rebuilt motor assembled with such focus and dedication, you can tell that this car is at least 85% of the experience of a 911 of the same era.

Two Very Low Mileage M3’s, $60,000 Each! - Not to play that overused ‘economy’ angle yet again, but these seem like high prices to me in today’s market. On the other hand the owners clearly know the rarity of their cars and are counting on educated and wealthy buyers. Who knows when we’ll see examples like these for sale again.

1986 GSX-R 750R Limited (GSXR750 RG) - Don’t you just love homologation specials?! The very best of everything and no expense spared. And when they’re nearly 25 years old and never raced, AND hardly even ridden, they’re truly a rare find. This one is currently at $12k (appears reserve has been met) with about 4 days to go.

1988 BMW e30 M3 in Diamondschwartz - The owner even has a picture of him doing a compression test on the motor. Assuming the car needs a few things here and there and you had to drop two or three grand into it right away; could be a a really nice car in a pretty desirable color.

Lovely and Original Alpine White 1991 BMW e30 M3 For Sale with 64k miles - You know me, I’m a sucker for low miles. Make sure the maintenance has been tended to with a thorough pre-purchase inspection by a qualified BMW technician. This car is already over $17k, reserve not met. With 3 days to go, make your predictions!

1993 Honda CBR400RR For Sale in San Fran Area - It has the all important title, but with that kind of mileage is $5k too high? Leave a comment with your experience.

Porsche 996 Prices are Dropping - It’s no secret the 996 is not one of my favorite Porsche 911’s. That said, I’m a big fan of the Boxster of the same generation; and when the the 996 and Boxster suddenly share the same price point, well let’s be serious, which would you really rather have? My thoughts exactly.

1985 Yamaha RZ500 with Clean U.S. Title - Wouldn’t hurt to have a description on this listing, especially with the high opening bid of $12,500. This one is a bit higher than other RZ500’s listed on this blog, but the pictures sure do look good! 4 days left, bid now!

Not 1, Not 2, But 3 Wes Cooley Replica GS1000S Suzuki’s For Sale! - $4900 doesn’t really seem that bad for such a cool and historic bike. I got up close and personal with a GS1000S at the Barber Motorsports Park Museum earlier this year, and it was a standout for sure!

Stay tune for some more sweet news about where I've been hanging out other than on dancrouchblog.com...

dc

Alex emailed me these pictures that he snapped over the weekend in a parking garage in Pasadena, California:

Spotted this beautiful Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione in a parking garage in Old Town Pasadena today (4/18/09). Alfa made 500 of this limited edition coupe, and only 90 were imported to the US in 2008.

Check out the rest of his snaps of the Alfa 8C on Flickr.

This car is so sexy; asshat parking aside of course... I actually didn't realize that so many (!) were imported. Lucky guy whoever he is!

Thanks for the fwd Alex!

dc

This was shot just recently and demonstrates the proper line to follow in a front engine, real wheel drive car, at Portland International Raceway (PIR):

Source: Portland BMW ACA Club

This really gets me in the mood to plan a track day or two! Especially after getting the S2000 out to the auto-x last weekend!

dc

After years of lusting after an S2000, I finally have one. I rule! In all seriousness, it was a tough call between this car and a Boxster. Regulars know that I've been on the lookout and waiting for the right time since I sold my M3. I was pretty certain I wanted Boxster as I had convinced myself it was more special. But all the examples that have come up for sale near me, that were in my price range, were all 97-99 models for the most part, and most had higher miles than I was comfortable with. There was also that little voice that kept telling me that I'd have to have a 2000+ in the 'S' variety -- which in almost all cases was out of my range or would require a dedicated trip to source.

So I hit crazedlist.org for S2000's on a whim and I was shocked to see how much the values had fallen for these cars. 18 months ago, most clean and cared for examples were nearly $20k. Now the market is plentiful with lots of variety in the 13-15k range. Which is when I spotted my 01 in Medford. Only a 4 hour drive away, I just needed to find time to get down there! This proved difficult as I spotted the car before leaving on a trip to Georgia to see our man Ed for his birthday. Then I returned to catch up on work and my brother made a surprise trip out for two weeks. During that trip we made several trips to Portland and a long weekend in Seattle. Nearly 4 weeks later, the car was shockingly still available for sale! So we made another long weekend of it and drove the car. The previous owner is realtor and grandmother who only put 4k miles on the car in a little over a two years of ownership. And the owner before that must have hardly driven the car either as the car sits today with less than 35k miles on the clock! Combine that with the factory fitted hardtop and zero modifications, I knew we were going to buy.

And then we test drove the car. If you've been skeptical about this car from what you've heard or read, forget about it and find one to drive. This is a real sports car and Honda did an amazing job with this package. I keep describing it as focused and the best value out there right now. The motor is flat out amazing and perfectly matched in this balanced package. Plus we got 27mpg on the way home, with several spirited runs up the rev range!

As you can tell I'm smitten with the purchase and ready to drop the top this spring! I'll have the occasional update related to the S2000 on this blog, but I have also started a new S2000 blog that will detail the experience of ownership, the best of the aftermarket, and buying tips for those now in the market.

Click the pics for full size links.

dc

Alex alerted me to this beautiful BMW CSL on Craigslist earlier today. We both remarked how awesome this car is but wondered if the Batmobile's actually fetch $130k. Take a look for yourself at this 1973 BMW 3.0CSL on Craigslist:

quote from seller's listing:

This beautiful 1973 BMW Series 2 Batmobile is 1 of 57 of which ONLY TWO were produced black!! The other is parked in a museum in Europe. All parts are the original parts, with only 46,397 original miles on it! This is a one time oppurtunity, check this baby out! It has a 4 speed manual, 3.2L all original!!! and this beauty drives clean! The interior still looks like new and has no weather damage or stains, it's super clean. The wing kit is still brand new wrapped in bubble wrap sitting in the trunk.

After doing some brief digging on the Sports Car Market website, they have two CSL's in their auction database. One that went for $154k at auction and another that sold on eBay for $73k, both in 2006. With this car's super low, original miles, $130k may not be that outrageous. As they say, it's only original once...

Thanks for the submission Alex!

dc

Here's a cool video of an S2000 at Laguna Seca narrated by an instructor for a track day. It's super easy to follow along and the Honda S2000 just sings all the way around the track. Interesting that he notes the corkscrew is completey screwed up in Gran Turismo too. As much as I wish my GT experience would translate to real world instruction at courses I've never visited, this reminds me there is no substitute for the real thing.

dc

This car has been listed on my blogs a couple times, but it never met reserve, reaching as high as $23,900. Now the Henna Red e30 M3 listed on eBay is back and no reserve.

I actually wonder if the auction will end up higher than $23.9k due to it's no reserve status. If the background checks out on this car, seems like this could be a great opportunity for a collector and frankly I'm surprised it hasn't sold previously.

dc

If you should find yourself even within 500 miles of Birmingham, make an effort to get to Barber Motorsports Park. In addition to hosting the likes of AMA Superbike, NHRA drag racing, Grand-Am road racing, WERA, and two vintage weekends, they also feature a museum of rare sport bikes. The on site museum is packed with sport motorcycles; and they're all perfect. Either ultra-low mile originals or beautifully restored examples. Many of the 20-40 year old examples had as few as 10 miles on them!

Paul and I recently made the trip to Birmingham to see our close friend Ed for his birthday in Duluth. On the way out of the airport towards Atlanta, I remarked to Paul that we should find out where the Barber Motorsports Park was in Alabama and see if we could fit that into our trip on the way back. 10 minutes later, we saw the billboard for the 'next right, Barber Motorsports Park'. We looked at each other and noted that we would definitely make sure to hit the museum on the way back. Then we checked out the website. It boasts over 1000 motorcycles on display. I knew the collection was impressive, but I had no idea it was going to seriously rival the collection I saw at Hockenheim.

And as I eluded to, the collection didn't disappoint. The entire facility is gorgeous and the place is spotless. Every bike on display is of significance and was almost always in perfect condition. We stopped by on a Monday in late February and nearly had the entire 5 floors to ourselves. To say the least, it was a totally orgasmic sportbike experience.

Here are my standouts, shot with a simple point and shoot digicam. Had I planned a little better, I would've known the racetrack was just outside our airport and packed the DSLR. Something tells me we'll be back sooner than later though, and I'll have the chance to redeem myself. In the meantime, check out the collection in the Flickr Group Pool for Barber Motorsports Park, which features beautiful hi-res pics of the museum and recent races.

Here's a perfect example of the bike I rode in college: 1989 Yamaha FZR600, in this exact paint and graphics scheme. Mine was never in this condition, but it was super cool to spot it in the collection for sure. I can brag that a bike I used to own is on display!

An Aprilia RS250 Chesterfield replica. The bike I've always wanted and for some stupid reason didn't buy when it came up for sale last year.

Upon spotting this awesome Honda CB-X, Paul's first comment was, "I wonder how much those hard bags go for on eBay?!" I was dying with laughter!

And a little corner of the museum I'd like to refer to as my personal corner of sportbike porn heaven: A Ducati SS, an NC30, an RC30, an original Katana, AND a Yamaha FZR750RR OW01!

And here's the complete photo album of our visit to the Barber Vintage Museum:

$15 was never better spent, that's for sure! If you should find yourself anywhere near this part of the world, and have ever had curious itch or a serious addiction, to sporting motorcycles, this is a must do.

dc

Check out Paul's Garage Blog for more Barber Vintage Museum coverage!

Porsche 356 "Outlaw" customs were practically invented by the Emory's, and here's a chance to own the real deal! Check out Rod Emory's 1953 Porsche 356 on The Samba:

quote from the listing on The Samba:

This is a unique opportunity to own a piece of history and a very cool car. Rod Emory's 1953 Coupe has been set up as both a Street Outlaw and a Vintage Race Car. Currently Rod is freshening the car up for the new owner. It is not yet determined if the new owner will want it with the 1300 cc Hot rod motor or a bigger 912 engine. Another option is if the new owner will want disc brakes drum brakes. The Paint has some patina and ships in the nose. If you buy it you have the option of a fresh paint or the patina.

This car will be available and set up for street or as a vintage racecar. It will be ready and completely freshened up for May Delivery. I require a 50% deposit and then the balance due at delivery. Call Rod with details 971-241-7017 Shipping will be extra. $85,000.00

I was already a fan of Emory Motorsports from reading articles in magazines and seeing their cars at work at PIR. And after a visit to the Parts Obsolete show last summer, I'm a total believer in the quality and history of their work. One lucky buyer is going to snag a serious piece of history!

dc