For $20,000, Oh Canada! insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $20,000, Oh Canada!

Over the years the cylinder count of BMW’s M5 models has risen like the encroaching sea. None however has had as many as today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Canadian E34, for which you'll still need to decide whether its price needs to ebb somewhat.

The M in BMW's M GmbH Group stands for Motorsport. Of course it could also stand for 'More,' as in more of everything. The first car to carry the M badge was rightfully branded the M1 and carried a hot mama version of the company's straight six, the twin-cam M88/1.

With few modifications that engine found its way under the hood of the 5-series mid-sized sedan, creating of course the M5. A hot sedan version of the 5-series has been a staple of the marque ever since, and with the exception of the latest - the F10 - each successive generation has increased in both performance and cylinder count. Well, I'm sure the newest M5 will out perform all its predecessors, but it does so with a lessor cylinder count than the last gen, breaking the cycle.

Six, eight, ten, and then back to eight, no matter what kind of pot head you are, over the years the M5 has offered enough pots to satisfy, that is with one exception. If you happened to be a confirmed dodekaphile then the M5 may have always been a disappointment to you. . . that is until now.

Today's 1993 BMW E34 M5 - in Euro form no less - has had its 311-horse S38B36 six unceremoniously ripped from its bosom, and replaced by an even bosomier S70B56 V12, late of an 850 CSi. Hee, hee, hoo, hoo, ha, ha, oh my!

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The 5.6-litre twelve is in fact two sixes married by a communal crank, all the way to having an ECU dedicated to each six cylinder bank. This is one rare motor, with only about 1,500 ever being produced for the '92-'96 E31. It also served as the base for the engine that powered McLaren's F1. Bow your unworthy heads!

Along with the extra cylinders this E34 also gets some added gears. Backing up the 380-bhp, 410 lb-ft motor is a 6-speed manual - probably a Getrag - that sends power back to a Quaife LSD. The whole thing is said to have been built by Brett Anderson from Koala Motorsport in Cleveland OH, and to have but 76,000 miles on the car. No word on how many are on the mill, but it's unlikely that it's been anywhere near wrung out.

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The rest of the car is as you might expect of a Euro E34 M5, with leather-cover sport seats and wheel inside, and the satin grey airdam and rocker extensions on the outside. It all looks perfectly serviceable and in need of nothing other than maybe tossing out that goofy cup holder. Nobody should be big gulping in a car like this.

I know that the general consensus when considering 'someone else's project' is to stay away as confidence is almost always lacking in the work done, and it's unlikely that the builder's needs and desires would be the same as yours; but in this case, screw that! Yeah the burly V12 likely throws the handling all out of whack - the self leveling suspension notwithstanding - but it's a freaking M5 V12 with a six speed manual.

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I mean, the only thing that could make this car more awesome is if it came with a trunk full of blow and an amnesia-suffering Sofia Vergara in the passenger seat. It's so amazing that probably the most astonishing thing about it is that it resides in that bastion of civility and modesty, Canada. Oh and I was kidding about the trunk full of blow, don't do drugs, kids.

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Another astonishment may be the price which at present is $20,000 Canadian. Now before you start joking about that being 'what, $2.43 American?' understand that Canada's economy is presently stronger than that of the U.S. and their government presently not being a joke makes that fact pretty likely to continue for some time.

That doesn't mean that U.S. voters can't participate in deciding if that twenty grand price is a fair deal for this v12-rocking M5, you just need to do a better job than you did electing Congress.

Regardless of nationality, what do you think about $20K for this custom M5? Is that a price that proves the maxim that its cheaper by the dozen? Or is this an M with a price that's M-barrassing?

You decide!

Willz.ca or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to Automatch for the hookup!

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For $20,000, Oh Canada!

For $20,000, What’s The Hurst That Could Happen? insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $20,000, What’s The Hurst That Could Happen?

Two of the most venerated names in the automotive world are Hurst and Jeep. Put them together and you get today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe 1 of 100 Commando. You need to decide if its seller has named a price that’s equally esteemed.

In modern parlance “going commando” means leaving your Fruit of the Looms at home. Back in the day however it meant taking a drive in a derivation of the jaunty Jeepster, the progenitor of the modern SUV. While still under the mantle of the Kaiser Corporation, Jeep partnered with Hurst Performance on a special model of Commando, somewhat unimaginatively named the Hurst Commando.

The Hurst package actually made its debut for the 1971 model year, after AMC bought Jeep, and it’s possible that the model’s limited run was the result of the restyle AMC planned for the Commando the following year.

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Just how limited was its production? Well, originally Jeep and Hurst planned on 500 of the special editions - 200 sticks and 300 slushers - to be built. In the end, supposedly only 100 actually left the factory with the white paint, red and blue stripes, and iconic H logo.

Those weren’t the only exclusive elements of the Hurst package, there were also Goodyear Polyglas street tires, and a functional hood scoop containing a tach in its trailing edge. Hood-mounted tachs are like Steve McQueen-level cool so that might just be the Hurst Commando’s best feature. That is of course unless you totally jones over its shifter.

Manual transmission editions of the special Commando received the Hurst-branded T-handle knob on the standard three speed, while the TH400-equipped ones were anointed with the full-on Hurst dual gate shifter.

The ad for this 1971 Hurst Commando doesn’t say which tranny it is packing, but since there were supposedly only 10 built with a stick we should probably assume that it rocks the auto. And yes, I know about assuming making an ass out of you and me, but give me a break.

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This one also sports the Dauntless V6 a 160-horse 225-CID 2bbl engine originally sourced from Buick, as all the Hurst Commandos came with this adopted mill. Supposedly they all also came with the chrome roof rack and this particular Commando one ups that bit of brightwork by having its entire nose plated and polished, along with its bumper. Yeah, it’s pimp.

The seller claims everything on his Commando is for all intents new. From his somewhat cryptically written description it sounds like he’s some sort of Jeepster polygamist and spit-polished this one for a customer who in the end decided for whatever reason not to go Commando.

The ad does note that this one is fully optioned out, and while no interior shots are provided it’s possibly safe to assume (there’s that word again) that it’s in similar shape to the outside, which is pretty damn nice with one exception, that being the scoop.

What’s up with that scoop? Why is it bowed down in the middle like that? It’s hard to believe that someone would go to the trouble of restoring such a rare vehicle and then wouldn’t make sure that its most visual of differentiators isn’t right.

Regardless, the seller seems done with this one, seeking either to trade for a Coke Bottle GTO, or a more liquid $20,000. Since we're only down with the dollars, what do you think about that twenty grand for this rare Commando? Does that seem a deal, or does that price not Jeep-stir your soul?

You decide!

Denver Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to Bigblockbear for the hookup!

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For $20,000, What’s The Hurst That Could Happen?

For $20,995, Does This Porsche Have Its Engine In The Wrong End? insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $20,995, Does This Porsche Have Its Engine In The Wrong End?

Fencers typically begin a match with the warning en garde. Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Porsche 944 is in Guards Red, and will foil pretty much any Épée. It’s up to you to determine whether or not its price will have you sitting on the fence.

The Scoville scale offers a measure for the perceived heat of a chili pepper. At the top of the scale, with a Scoville heat ranking of one and a half to two million units, is the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, a Caribbean fruit with the general appearance of a shriveled and sunburned scrotum. Yum!

On the other end of the scale, with a ranking of zero is the Bell pepper. Just below that on the heat register, with a 76% Crack Pipe loss, was yesterday’s custom Porsche Cayenne. I guess if you want to bring the heat you’ll want to look to something smaller, redder, and packing far fewer miles.

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With that, I give you this 1989 Porsche 944 S2, in Guards Red, and with but 22K on the clock. Now, I know what you’re thinking - Aww man, not another Porsche. That’s the third one in a row, and the last two were both total bovine excrement!

But here’s the thing, I’m thinking that this is about the right time to grab a 944. That's because I believe that they have bottomed out in the market and are starting to follow their 911 big brothers back up the dollar tree. And, if you’re going to go looking for an investment in the used car lot, you better go with the best one you can find.

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This 1989 944 S2 is not only the ultimate edition of the naturally aspirated model, it’s also remarkably low-mileage and - from the pictures at least - looks like it just rolled out of Neckersulm. The reason given for its present state of affairs is that it was part of a collection.

Riding on its factory Design 90 wheels and featuring the nose from the Turbo, the S2 differs even more greatly from its predecessors under the hood. There, the DOHC 16-valve four was punched out to a full 3 litres of displacement. That made it the largest series production four of the era, and one that was good for 208-bhp at 5,800 RPM.

Interestingly, that 2,999-cc mill was also lighter than the outgoing 2.5 by a substantial 15%. The weight loss was due to siamesed cylinder jackets and other various nips and tucks. The concurrent switch from cast to forged aluminum for the block also helped to stem high-RPM wear.

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Here that massive four-pot is backed up - as God and Ferry Porsche intended - by a five-speed manual transaxle. The shifter for that box resides in an all-black interior that looks brand new, if by new you mean Porsche’s somber design aesthetic from 25 years ago.

The iconic high-backed seats face a fully instrumented dash which was part of a restyle brought to the car four years prior. There only two actual boner killers in this car’s interior, the first being that these cars don’t share Porsche’s traditional left-hand ignition switch placement. The other is that, for a car so clean, it’s disappointing not to see the little triangular vacuum cleaner marks - like in a hotel hallway - in the carpet under the huge glass hatch.

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That hatch is rimmed with a rubber ducky spoiler which is paired on the S2 with an under-tray air manager just south of the rear bumper. Both of those features are still intact on this extremely low-mileage car, as are the ding guards on the flanks, including their 16 Ventiler announcement just ahead of each door.

As I have noted, I think this is a good time to pick up a 944 model, and if this car lives up to its description and pictures, you probably couldn't do much better as a place to start. The thing of course is that quality costs money, as anyone who has paid for an escort of the non-automotive variety will attest. In the case of this Porsche that means an asking price of $20,995. And that ain’t chump change.

You see, while 944s may be starting an ascent value-wise, there are still a lot notties among the hotties, and you can find some real dogs out there for far less than this car’s expected price. What you now need to decide is whether this one is worth the extra spend. What do you think, is this remarkably clean and un-used 944 S2 worth $20,995? Or, is that too much of a premium for this Porsche?

You decide!

eBay out of Los Angeles, or go here if the ad disappears.

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For $20,995, Does This Porsche Have Its Engine In The Wrong End?