Before the current generation of Boxster/718, Porsche’s entry level sports car struggled to gain respect. Considered simply a Porsche for folks who couldn’t afford a 911, the Boxster was a bit underpowered and was in most trims outclassed by it’s competitors during magazine shootouts of the day. I suppose it’s without too much shock then, that we can say PTS on early Boxster or Cayman models is fairly rare.
Finished in Paint to Sample Mexico Blue, this 2007 Porsche Boxster S (VIN: WP0CB29887U731094) has covered just 18,613 miles since leaving Porsche Rocklin some 17 years ago. That’s a shame, because Paint to Sample Mexico blue paired with Cocoa Brown extended leather is quite the head turner. Understandably the car appears to be in quite good condition having never really been used, but the slightly lower stance suggests each trip was a spirited one.
This Paint to Sample Porsche Boxster S is currently on offer by our friends at Gran Prix Motors in Portland, Oregon for an asking price of $39,900. Get all the details on this Tailored Driver, here.
When you think of the auto show circuit, chances are the Geneva Motor Show comes to mind. Before COVID turned the world on its head, Geneva in March was must-see TV for auto enthusiasts around the world. Manufacturers would bring concepts and incredibly high spec builds, all positioned atop 7 to 8 figure booths, in an attempt to gain as many eyeballs as possible. This Tailored Driver is especially special to us because per the seller, it happened to be on BMWs booth in 1998.
Yes, adjacent to the then new E46 generation 3 series sat this BMW Individual Bronzit Metallic (bronzit; metallic; 139; BMW) 323ti Sport Edition (VIN: unknown). While we can’t seem to find any images to support this claim, we certainly can picture this sitting under the lights, being crawled over by journalists, customers, and engineers from competing companies all the same. BMW Individual Bronzit Metallic really pops here in the most late-90s way possible.
Since it left that show in Switzerland, this BMW Individual Bronzit Metallic 323ti Sport Edition has covered an impressive 345,000 km (214,000 mi), and so far as we can tell remained in good visible shape and largely unmodified apart from a Supersprint exhaust. With a slightly dipping Euro to USD ratio, the asking price of 9,900EUR (about $10,800 at time of writing) makes it a pretty interesting proposition too.
If you’re ready to own a piece of history, you can find additional details here.
They say that generational wealth lasts just two generations 70% of the time, and if you’re able to beat that, 90% of the time by generation three the last dollar will be gone. So by that metric, coughing up $729,900 for this Tailored Driver could be considered an incredibly exciting way to save your descendants from falling victim to that unfortunate statistic.
Found on offer at Ilusso in Costa Mesa, California, this Ad Personam Marrone Eklipsis Lamborghini LP 750-4 SV (VIN: ZHWUT3ZDXHLA05856) is quite simply a poster car that will look right at home on the walls of your children and grandkids. A far cry from the bright oranges and greens that are quintessentially Lamborghini, Marrone Eklipsis (Latin for Brown Eclipse) is a sure fire way to stand out from all those other Aventadors at your local haunt.
Get all the details about this Tailored Driver on Ilusso’s website, here.
We love to watch the European market for cars that become available and are older than 25 years, the latter because that makes them an easy import into the U.S.A. One car that grabbed our attention is this light green 1974 Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 at AutoSL.de, a sportscar and exotics dealer with locations in Neuss and Düsseldorf Germany.
For those unfamiliar with the 308 GT4, it is one of the last remaining “bargains” in the Ferrari space. It shares an engine with the Ferrari 308 made famous by Magnum P.I., but it’s configured as a 2+2 and bodywork by Bertone that seems, at least in profile, influenced by the Lancia Stratos. Interestingly, the Ferrari Dino GT4 is the only Ferrari designed by Bertone from the factory.
Without the voluptuous curves of the earlier 246 Dino, nor typically the Ferrari badges on European models, nor even the Magnum P.I. product placement, the 308 GT4 tends to be forgotten about, and that is a shame. It is getting noticed though, with Hagerty on-air personality Jason Camisa and Hagerty Driver’s Club Magazine Editor-in-Chief Larry Webster both more recent collector owners of their own GT4.
In this case, this ’74 green on tan specimen appears to be in incredible shape and has logged 98,000 km (about 60,000 miles), and has had just one owner with full records according to the dealer. What the dealer doesn’t specify is the specific name of this green hue.
The unique green color on this car is believed to be Verde Pallido, the light green famously sprayed on a Ferrari 250 GTO for Stirling Moss and raced in the 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans by Innes Ireland and Masten Gregory.
It’s beautiful and it’s also available. More importantly, as a car older than 25 years, it is easily importable into the U.S.A.
Researching a Market Find 1974 Ferrari Dino GT4, we dug into period correct hues from Maranello and ran across this color chart from Piaggio Paint. It was identified as 1974 to 1985, and includes many different colors. From there, we think we have the Dino identified.
For now, we’ve done our best to normalize the shading on the pages and added them into our Color Chart series for overall reference. With 86 colors on the sheet, prepare for a ton of color tags entered into our system at the bottom.
The 2022 Porsche 911 Turbo S Coupe you see here isn’t just a sublime and interesting color, it’s also a qualified specimen to exemplify the extent at which one could tailor order a 911 Turbo directly from Porsche. Even better, it is so tastefully built in paint-to-sample Racing Green Metallic (racinggrünmetallic; metallic UNI; Y68; Porsche) with an Exclusive Manufaktur interior in Slate Grey.
This 8K-mile 911 Turbo S Coupe (VIN WP0AD2A95NS255837) left the factory with approximately $71,000 in options and upgrades, including SportDesign Package, the aforementioned Paint to Sample Racing Green bodywork and Exclusiv Manufaktur interior with adaptive Sport Plus seats in Slate Grey leather, Burmeister audio, Sport Chrono Package and additional leather and stitching everywhere you can imagine.
Not to be confused with Racing Green Metallic of the 997 era (22G), this Turbo’s Racing Green Metallic (Y68) is more commonly applied as of late, and appears to be either matching or heavily influenced by the current Racing Green utilized by Aston Martin in motorsport activities today, itself influenced by the metallic green on the Aston Martin Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori piloted to victory in the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Other equipment includes PDK dual clutch transmission, Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes, center-locking 20-inch and 21-inch Turbo S wheels, an Akrapovìc exhaust, front axle lift system, power steering plus and more.
To check out more photos and information on this car, not to mention should you want to bid on it, find it on Bring a Trailer HERE.
This week is RM Sotheby’s Hershey Sale, part of the Hershey Car Week centralized around the Antique Automobile Club of America’s annual national meet in Hershey, PA. Not your typical wine and cheese car week such as Monterey or Audrain, Hershey gets a slightly different mix than you would expect from RM at the more opulent events. We’re particularly appreciative of classic drivers in their mix, and found this 1968 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL ‘Pagoda’ (VIN 113.044.12.001739) to be particularly attractive.
For the uninitiated, the ‘Pagoda’ name comes from the removable hard top produced with these cars, something that made them more luxurious as compared to the other convertibles competing with this W113-generation Mercedes SL from 1963 to 1971.
Like a lot of classic cars, the W113 may have looked ungainly when the less curvaceous R107 with its dual round headlights and larger bumpers debuted in 1971. In the time since then though, the W113 has become more of an iconic classic than its successor, making them highly sought after and collectible with prices often going into six figures.
This particular car is painted Signal Red (signalrot; non-metallic UNI; 568; Mercedes-Benz), a common name of the period for more basic and/or primary colors and often centering around traffic signals – Red, Yellow, Green and Orange. Signal Red then is more of a pure and basic red. It also looks quite good on the 280 SL Pagoda.
Below is the full description of the car listed for sale in Hershey by RM Sotheby’s. You can also link directly to the car on RM Sotheby’s website that includes further documentation and many more photos HERE.
Hershey 2024, Lot 176: 1968 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL ‘Pagoda’
A wonderfully presented, early production “Pagoda”
Wears factory-correct color Signal Red (568) over black vinyl (131) with matching hardtop
Offered from two decades of cherished, family ownership
Fewer than 76,000 actual miles indicated at time of cataloguing
Ideal open-air cruising configuration featuring power steering, automatic transmission, and air conditioning
The elegant styling and undeniable appeal of the Mercedes-Benz 230 SL “Pagoda” made the German two-seater popular at the time of its first availability in the 1960s. Its long-lasting charm has sustained demand as a coveted collector car since then.
The 230 SL debuted in 1963 and would be steadily improved upon, first with the 250 SL in late 1966, with displacement of its inline six-cylinder engine enlarged from 2.3 to 2.5 liters, followed a year later by the final iteration on the W113 chassis, the 280 SL, with displacement further increased to 2.8 liters. Production lasted until 1971 but its appeal with collectors and enthusiasts persists to this day, particularly with beautifully presented examples such as the one offered here.
This early Signal Red over black vinyl 280 SL is a US-market car that was equipped new with the coveted optional “Pagoda” hardtop in matching Signal Red. Other factory features include single seats, power steering, a floor-shift automatic transmission, front and rear bumper guards, instrumentation in miles, a driver-side outside mirror, a Becker Europa radio, and whitewall tires. While manual examples are rarer, many collectors, including the consignor, feel that an automatic transmission is more fitting to the nature of the 280 SL.
Over the past two decades, this lovely “Pagoda” has remained within the cherished ownership of the same family. While under their care it has been enjoyed on a regular basis and benefited from continual routine maintenance. Additionally, an aftermarket air-conditioning system has been added to improve the car’s specification to its most ideal open-touring configuration.
As presented, this 280 SL indicated fewer than 76,000 actual miles at the time of cataloguing. A timeless classic that has only become more desirable as the years have passed, this attractive 280 SL is a delightful and approachable example of this storied model.
As with all Porsche models wearing the RS badge, the Porsche GT4 RS is no slouch in standard trim. And for those who like to tinker, it proves one hell of a starting point. Enter Manthey Racing, diverting some attention from running GT works competition for Porsche Motorsport, to offer their hyper-focused expertise via Porsche Techquipment for GT4 RS owners.
This particular example (VIN: WP0AE2A85RK274334) is what we’d call peak spec- Paint to Sample Nato Olive paint, contrasting yellow seat belts, door pulls, and model script, wheels finished in gold, and the Weissach Package. To further sharpen the knife, Manthey contributes revised aero, bespoke coil over suspension, and stainless steel brake lines among numerous other touches.
Currently on offer at the legendary Champion Porsche in Pompano Beach, Florida for an asking price of $304,900, this Paint to Sample Nato Olive Porsche GT4 RS Manthey Racing has covered just 82 miles since new, making us think it’s served as a promotional piece. We can only hope the next owner gets a bit more enjoyment out of their investment.
See the full listing for this Tailored Driver, here.
Let’s start by getting this out of the way- it’s October, Halloween is just days away, and the combination of Audi exclusive Solar Orange (Y2G) and Black Optic package bears some resemblance to a pumpkin. But this isn’t just any squash, and it certainly wouldn’t fall victim to any Halloween eve antics.
Currently found for sale in the Facebook Marketplace classifieds, this Audi exclusive Solar Orange RS 5 Coupe (VIN: unknown) was purchased by its owner just a few short months ago at Porsche Austin before life sent them in a different direction. One of just 22 Audi RS 5s that hit our shores in 2014 wearing Audi exclusive paint, this example has covered just under 59,000 miles and seems to be in quite good shape.
While Audi exclusive Solar Orange paint may be the headline, the high-rev 4.2 liter V8 under hood is nothing to scoff at either. At an asking price of $36,000, this Tailored Driver is an incredibly interesting proposition, and one we’d be more than happy to call our own.
See the full listing with additional information, here.
The E36 generation of BMW M3 is a modern young timer classic, meaning any clean and modestly-miled up specimen is likely to draw a premium. Throw in special paint such as BMW Individual Daytona Violet (daytonaviolett; metallic; 283; BMW) and now you have something extra special. Take for example this 1995 M3 Coupe we’ve just run across.
There’s something about the E36. It lacks the 80s-tastic box flares of the E30 M3, or the truly unique M3 cues of the E46. Instead, like other performance cars of the early 90s (looking at you Porsche 964, Audi S2 or Volkswagen Golf VR6 Highline), it’s understated enough that casual observers might have a hard time picking it out of a lineup of lesser yet well-kitted 3 series models. Well… maybe lesser models in normal colors.
This specific M3 Coupe isn’t just interesting because of its spec. If you decide you want it, it’s also going to be interesting to get transact upon. Why? Well, it’s located not far from Cannes, France. So, you’d have to import it.
On the downside, it’s a U.S. spec car meaning less horsepower. On the upside, U.S. spec cars tend to hold their value better when resold in the American market, and we’re guessing any importation duties were paid back in 1995 when BMW brought the car into the U.S.A. in the first place. You don’t have to pay those duties a second time.
Not paying a second round of duties is a bonus you wouldn’t enjoy on a European spec car, though we doubt it’ll cover your shipping. You’d also have to find someone to import it at the very least. For that we’d suggest Orchid Euro in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Orchid specializes in importation of cars older than 25 years, uses automotive transport vessels rather than risking it shipping in containers, and has a network of people in Europe who can get eyes on and even handle transport to the port of Emden, Germany from which they ship. That all comes with a fee, but we’ve found them to be reasonable and have used their services ourselves.
So, interested in chasing this M3 down? You can find it listed HERE.
Editor’s note: while not a BMW Individual build, Daytona Violet was a one year only color, with just 519 sold in the US. As such, we found it a fitting addition to our records, and a vehicle well worth featuring.
