To be honest, this car is in Idaho Falls, but I’m getting ahead of myself. I love the BMW E24 6-series – always have. I first became acquainted with them when my Dad pointed them out to me, waxing about how he didn’t care for the taillight design. It’s the little things, right? Decades later I had the chance to meet and interview the car’s original designer, Frenchman Paul Bracq, who walked me through his thought processes: a modern replacement for the pretty E9 coupe, containing many of the E9′s design elements but sleeker and hearkening to Bracq’s own 1972 BMW Turbo concept car – especially in the hood and grille. In any case, the E24 is a car I’ve long lusted for, in all versions, but have never had the stars align just right to buy. This U.S. spec car appears clean, and represents a lot of car for the low $2,500 asking price (which can be even lower if you don’t want the wheels!).
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1 comment | tags: 6-Series, Big Six, BMW, BMW Turbo, E12, E24, E28, E3, E32, E9, M30, Mercedes-Benz SEC, Paul Bracq | posted in Totally That Stupid
So spring (or summer, apparently) has sprung – at least in the Mid-Atlantic region, but also throughout much of the rest of the country, from what I hear. What that means to me is that it’s time to dust-off your convertible, change the oil, pump-up the tires, put the top down, and head-out for a relaxing drive in the country, or the city, whichever is your pleasure. What’s that? You don’t have a convertible? We would argue that there is a convertible out there for nearly any budget or anyone with a credit card that they’ve given-up trying to pay off and therefore don’t mind piling onto. Who among Car Geeks doesn’t relish the wind in their hair, the sun on their face, and the sound of the exhaust bouncing off the trees? Now is the time before prices jump-up for the season. What we offer here are some thought starters…
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4 comments | tags: 280SL, 300CE Convertible, 300SL, 325iC, 350SL, 380SL, 450SL, 560SL, Alfa Romeo Spider, BMW, British Cars, E30, E320 Cabriolet, E36, Fiat 850, German Cars, Graduate, Italian Cars, Japanese Cars, Mazda Miata, Mercedes-Benz, R107, RX-7 Convertible, Triumph TR6, W124, Z3 | posted in Resources, Totally That Stupid
What would happen if a niche British carmaker, who wasn’t even as mainstream as Aston Martin, wanted to make a large coupe in the classic grand touring tradition using a honking American V8 lump that was neither quick nor fast? And just to prove they were more nichey than Aston, what if they made their car funky looking well past the point of polarizing?
What if it looked like some large insect carrying its egg pouch on its tush? Continue reading
3 comments | tags: Alfa Romeo Spider, Aston Martin, Datsun Fairlady, Jensen Interceptor, Jensen-Healey, Series III | posted in Totally That Stupid
There are good ideas and there are bad ideas – and then there are those ideas that are so bad they come full circle and become good ideas. The corollary is also true: Really exceptional ideas can turn bad, if pushed beyond the bounds of good sense. Continue reading
5 comments | tags: 7-series, 8 Series, BMW, E23, E31, E32, Getrag 265, Getrag Type D, M70, M73, S6S 560G | posted in Story Time!, Totally That Stupid
What’s this? Another big, honking German sedan on TTS? Well, yes. Despite my recent commitment to myself to talk about some more sporting hardware, I somehow naturally tend to gravitate toward big beasts like this cool 1979 Euro-spec Mercedes 450SEL 6.9 for sale on CraigsList in Hopewell Junction, New York for a very reasonable $8,500. We’ve covered 6.9s before and talked about the bargains that they are in the current market, but this one stands out for its low price, good condition, and Euro-spec goodness. I admit, I’m smitten with it.
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2 comments | tags: 300SEL, 450SEL, 500E, 560SEL, 6.3, 6.9, Citroen, German Cars, M100, M5, Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes-Benz, Velour interior, W109, W116 | posted in Totally That Stupid
WFNX and the Boston Phoenix are gone. Published and broadcast for 30 years, they were synonymous with college radio and the Boston college music scene. When Clear Channel bought the dial space, they moved radio operations to WFNX.com and, quite frankly, the playlist improved dramatically. Sadly, two days ago it all went down. An institution has vanished, leaving a void to be filled with yet more corporate radio.*
Because you need to hear Stairway to Heaven just one more zillion times. Continue reading
2 comments | tags: 1985 Honda Prelude, Avalon, Beth Paretta, BMW 325is, Boston, Boston Phoenix, Boston University, Brandeis University, Dodge Ram Van, Emerson College, FE3, Kurt Gombar, Mk2 Jetta GLI 16v, Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera, Pontiac 6000SE, Pontiac 6000STE, Primus, Range Rover County LWB, Storrow Drive, The Hatch Shell, The Meat Puppets, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Paradise, The Pixies, They Might Be Giants, Volkswagen, WFNX | posted in Story Time!
