Wanderlust

Tag: blue

  • EU Market Find: 1 of 50 Swiss BMW E30 M3 Johnny Cecotto Edition

    EU Market Find: 1 of 50 Swiss BMW E30 M3 Johnny Cecotto Edition

    What: 1990 BMW M3 Johnny Cecotto Limited Edition
    Color: Macao Blue Metallic (macaoblau; metallic uni; 250; BMW)
    Chassis #: 06HRN5 | 1941915
    Mileage: 71,804 km, 44,616 miles
    Price: €149,950
    CarFax: N/A
    Window Sticker: N/A
    Location: DTM Collectibles, Hilversum, Netherlands
    Auction Link: Link

    Why We Love It:

    The E30 generation M3 is already one of the most sought-after classic BMWs on the planet, now throw in one of the rare limited editions and that compounds the value to enthusiasts – particularly enthusiasts of the 80s “rad-era” variety. In this case, the E30 M3 in question is a 1990, one the Johnny Cecotto Limited Edition models, and one of just 50 to be sold to in Swiss specification.

    For the uninitiated, Johnny Cecotto was a multi-talented professional driver of Italian and Venezuelan decent who won the motorcycle racing world championship at just 19 years old, and would later compete in F1 and the DTM where he raced for BMW in the E30 M3. Due to his success there and apparent participation int he development of the E30 M3 road car, BMW introduced this special edition as a tribute to him and unveiled it in 1989.

    BMW M created a video featuring Johnny Cecotto talking about the car and his career with BMW. Watch it here.

    The Johnny Cecotto Edition boasted several notable changes, including an upgraded 215 horsepower version of the BMW’s S14 2.3-liter engine, plus larger front splitter and revised rear wing that would later also be used by the M3 Sport Evolution. Thinner side and rear glass helped reduce weight, while components like valve covers and intake manifold were color-matched to the car and the centers of the car’s 16-inch BBS 2-piece wheels were painted black. Body colors available were limited to Misano Red, Nogaro Silver and Macao Blue like this car. A plaque showing his name could be found on the center console.

    Over its production run, BMW built 5,000 E30 M3s, which qualify as a homologation special having been produced explicitly to meet production requirements in order to compete in the German DTM touring series. Over the course of production, 480 Johnny Cecotto Edition M3s were built, with another 25 similar cars built as tribute to fellow M3 DTM driver Roberto Ravaglia. Interestingly, it would be Ravaglia who netted BMW a championship in 1989, while Cecotto’s best BMW DTM season result was as runner-up in 1990 when this car was manufactured.

    Back to this car, it is a great specification from the factory, with Macao Blue Metallic paint and grey interior including rare grey M Tech fabric seat centers, a design that was unique to the special edition M3s including the Cecotto and the Evolution. M Tech is more commonly found in black, with reproductions available in the market.

    Making this car a little more unique is the fact that it was built to Swiss specification. Only 50 cars were imported into Switzerland, and this Macao Blue example was one of those cars. It was delivered first to a dentist in Zürich, who later sold it to the final previous owner more than 20 years ago. The paint is said to be original.

  • Market Find: 2005 Ferrari Superamerica in Azzurro California Headed to Amelia Island Sale

    Market Find: 2005 Ferrari Superamerica in Azzurro California Headed to Amelia Island Sale

    What: 2005 Ferrari 575 Superamerica
    Color: Azzurro California (azzurrocalifornia; metallic uni; 524 / 666010; Ferrari)
    Chassis #: ZFFGT61AX50142963
    Mileage: 4,025
    Price Estimate: $375,000 – $425,000
    CarFax: Inquire with Auction House
    Window Sticker: N/A
    Location: Broad Arrow Auction at The Amelia, Amelia Island, FL
    Auction Link: Link

    Why We Love It:

    Based on the 575 Maranello, Ferrari created a truly unique open-air version from 2005-2006 called the Superamerica. Uniquely, the Ferrari factory deployed a backwards rotating roof made from a single piece of electro chromatic glass. Flipping about 180 degrees on the axis perched near the top of the B-pillar, it came to rest on the top of the rear deck lid when fully opened. That aforementioned B-pillar was actually a reinforced buttress on each side, while the rear window operated as deflector when the top was down.

    Just 559 cars were built, with this one built for the North American market in 2005. Even for such a rare car, it is an even more rare specification of Azzurro California over Blu Scuro leather and optional contrast stitching in Grigio Chiaro. Other options include Scuderia Ferrari fender shields, electric seats, High Power Hi-Fi audio system with six-disc CD changer. It also got the GTC Handling Package that came with 19-inch five-spoke split-rim magnesium wheels from Speedline, stiffer springs front and rear, and integrated roll bar, sports exhaust and carbon ceramic brakes with red brake calipers.

    Originally registered in Quebec, the car then moved to Oahu Hawaii, Florida and California before its most recent home in Ohio.

    The car is one of many cars to be sold at the Broad Arrow sale planned at The Amelia. Interested parties should inquire with Broad Arrow or attend the sale during The Amelia weekend.

  • Market Find: Cumulus Blue Audi exclusive RS 6 Avant in Maryland

    Market Find: Cumulus Blue Audi exclusive RS 6 Avant in Maryland

    What: 2025 Audi RS 6 Avant performance
    Color: Cumulus Blue (cumulusblau; non-metallic; LX5A / U4; Audi))
    Chassis #: WUA1DBF21SN903733
    Mileage: delivery
    Price: $167,695
    CarFax: N/A
    Window Sticker: see gallery
    Location: Audi Frederick, Frederick, MD
    Link: Link

    Why We Love It:

    The Audi RS 6 performance is already a compelling case, though a rare Audi exclusive color sends it over the edge. In the case of this new car inventory RS 6 from Audi Frederick in Maryland, that color is Cumulus Blue.

    What’s Cumulus Blue? It’s one of those virtually white colors that we’d hesitate to call pastel only because a ubiquitous Carolina Blue (looking at you college sports team fans) or Hyundai N’s Performance Blue are both notably darker and more saturated in comparison. So, Cumulus Blue is so subtle that you’d be forgiven for mistaking it as white. Park it next to a white car though, and that’s where it becomes obvious. Cumulus Blue is like nothing else really on the road, making ownership of a car in this color an exercise at eliciting comments from people who are paying attention.

    Near as we can tell, Cumulus Blue has never been a standard order book color on any Audi, though it’s’ been in the Audi exclusive color catalogue for years. This makes it known in Audi circles, but also exceptionally rare. That’s all a win in our book.

    Beyond the paint paired with black interior, this particular RS 6 also has some nice options. This includes Matte Carbon Package, Executive Package and Driver Assistance Package.

    Thanks to Chris Stewart for the tip.

  • EU Market Find: Great Spec Manual Mercedes C124 E 300 Coupe

    EU Market Find: Great Spec Manual Mercedes C124 E 300 Coupe

    What: 1990 Mercedes-Benz E300
    Color: Surf Blue a.k.a. Deep Blue (surfblau; non-metallic; 900; Mercedes-Benz)
    Chassis #: Unknown
    Mileage: 52,000 km, 32,311 miles
    Price: €43,000
    CarFax: N/A
    Window Sticker: N/A
    Location: Lestizza, Italy
    Private Seller Listing: Link

    Why We Love It:

    Log this car in as under the tasteful and rare factory specifications column, and maybe something you only would find in a market like Italy. Yes, it appears to be an order guide specification, but its combination an exercise in extravagance more akin to a passionate Italian than a logical German.

    The car in question is a 1990, a C124 (a.k.a. coupe-version of the W124 E Class). While its 3-liter V6 engine wasn’t the V8 of its era, it was still an extravagance in markets like Italy that love to tax displacement. Also, the V6 still came with a manual as did this car, making it exceedingly rare in Mercedes-Benz circles where automatics were even ubiquitous during this era.

    While the ad doesn’t confirm it, we believe this car was painted Surf Blue (a.k.a. Deep Blue) that was offered in that model year. While that medium blue hue isn’t quite as eye-catching as some other cars in the palette, it’s handsome and bold in context of what was offered. Now throw in red leather and it bestows the car with the flair you’d expect from a wealthy Italian buyer.

    This car isn’t an AMG, nor is it the era darling that was the Porsche-developed 500 E. In as much, it’s more obscure. However, for a Mercedes collector or someone seeking something truly unique, we think it qualifies.

    This is one of our Euro market finds, so the usual caveats apply for our primarily North American readership. For Europe and other markets, we focus on cars older than 25 years, meaning a relatively easy import into the USA. This is often done by working with firms such as our friends at Orchid Euro, you can have the car purchased, transported to port, shipped to America and cleared through customs for clients seeking this sort of service.

  • EU Market Find: 1992 Porsche Turbo-Look 911 C2 Cabriolet with Leather to Sample

    EU Market Find: 1992 Porsche Turbo-Look 911 C2 Cabriolet with Leather to Sample

    What: 1992 Porsche 911 C2 Cabriolet
    Color: Porsche Midnight Blue Metallic (nachtblau; metallic uni; 37W / 39C / E9; Porsche)
    VIN: Unknown
    Mileage: 161,589 kilometers
    Price: €114,500
    CarFax: N/A
    Window Sticker: N/A
    Location: Movendi, Dusseldorf, Germany
    Dealer listing: Link

    Why we love it:

    We’re big fans of the road less traveled here, that’s not exactly a secret. This Tailored Driver is exactly that- finished in Porsche’s Midnight Blue Metallic (rare), with 1992’s 911 C2 Cab Rest-of-World only Turbo Look body optioned (more rare) Leather to Sample in an unknown light blue (incredibly rare). Per the listing this Tailored Driver is one of just 1,532 C2s optioned with the factory widebody, and has spent the entirety of it’s life in Germany. Being a 1992 model year example, importation to the US should be a breeze using a reputable vendor like Orchid Euro.

  • Market Find: Singer Blueberry Commission 911 Targa at Broad Arrow

    Market Find: Singer Blueberry Commission 911 Targa at Broad Arrow

    What: 1991 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Targa “Blueberry” Reimagined by Singer
    Color: Blue Blood (unknown)
    Chassis #: WP0BB2963MS440455
    Mileage: 49 miles (at time of listing) since restoration
    Estimated Price: Inquire
    CarFax: N/A
    Window Sticker: N/A
    Location: Undisclosed Location, USA
    Listing: Link

    Why we love it:

    You don’t see a lot of Targas in the 911 world, and that goes for 911s reimagined by Singer as well. Yes, they do happen and make a compelling case for open-top motoring without the chassis flex of a full-blown roadster. When they’ve been reimagined as a fully-blown Singer Commission, that case becomes even more compelling.

    If chassis flex is a concern, it’s also worth sharing that before reimagining a Targa shell, the team at Singer seam weld the chassis for added rigidity.

    This car, known simply as “Blueberry”, is painted a color known as Blue Blood, with Deep Orange on the brake rotors, Carrera stripes and other accent details. Inside, the cockpit was specified with Orange and Dark Navy leather with carbon bucket seats and custom details throughout the interior. Its 4.0-liter flat six was specced with RS+ cams and titanium exhaust, the suspension from Öhlins and the brakes from Brembo.

    The car is available through private sales at Broad Arrow. Check it out via the link above.

  • Market Find: 2024 Porsche 911 GT3 RS in PTS Meissen Blue

    Market Find: 2024 Porsche 911 GT3 RS in PTS Meissen Blue

    What: 2024 Porsche 911 GT3 RS
    Color: Meissen Blue (meißenblau; non-metallic uni; Z54 / 5703; Porsche)
    Chassis #: WP0AF2A96RS272338
    Mileage: 4,133 miles
    Price: $459,992
    CarFax: Link
    Window Sticker: N/A
    Location: Porsche North Houston, Houston, TX
    Dealer listing: Link

    Why we love it:

    There are so many reasons we love this Certified Pre-Owned 911 GT3 RS in the used car inventory over at Porsche North Houston. For starters, it had us at Weissach Package 911 GT3 RS. We also seriously appreciate that the first owner didn’t just buy it to flip it, loging over 4,000 miles on the odometer before trading it in on whatever is next.

    Still, we didn’t even get to the Paint to Sample decisions made on this specification. First, it’s Meissen Blue, a pastel or powder blue hue that dates back to Porsche 356s of the 1950s. In this case, the original owner also chose dark blue graphics on the bodywork and color-matched alloy wheels – both of these decisions being choices we can seriously get behind.

    Want to see more? Check it out over at Porsche North Houston via the link above.

  • Market Find: 2023 SQ8 in Sepang Blue, also with Audi exclusive Interior

    Market Find: 2023 SQ8 in Sepang Blue, also with Audi exclusive Interior

    What: 2023 Audi SQ8 Premium Plus
    Color: Sepang Blue Pearl Effect Metallic (sepangblaupearleffekt; metallic; LY5Q; Audi)
    VIN: WA1AWBF11PD034802 
    Mileage: 72 miles
    Price: $91,798
    CarFax: Link
    Window Sticker: N/A
    Location: H Greg Lux, Pompano Beach, FL
    Dealer listing: Link

    Why we love it:

    Once a production color on a range of Audi models, Sepang Blue Pearl Effect built an appreciable following amongst the Audi owner base when it was more commonly found in the standard color palette for Audi models. In as much, it’s an attractive choice on cars where it isn’t offered… cars like a 2023 SQ8.

    And if the story ended here, that’d be enough to grab our attention. Interestingly, the story doesn’t end here. While tastefully unique on the outside, the original client ordering this specification also dove deep into the interior as well. It’s here where most North American market Audi exclusive builds tend not to bother, and in as much it’s here where a car can really set itself apart.

    In this case, the buyer went with a unique configuration of the standard black leather, but with bold yellow stitching on most seating surfaces, also adding Alcantara to components like the steering wheel and yellow leather piping to the floor mats and seat belts.

    Blue and yellow isn’t the most common color scheme, so you have to wonder? Ukrainian decent? Michigan fan? Who knows.

  • Market Find: 2018 Porsche Paint to Sample Graphite Blue Metallic Macan GTS

    Market Find: 2018 Porsche Paint to Sample Graphite Blue Metallic Macan GTS

    What: 2018 Porsche Macan GTS
    Color: Paint to Sample Graphite Blue Metallic (graphitblau; metallic uni; M5G / A7; Porsche)
    VIN: WP1AG2A50JLB61999
    Mileage: 60,140 miles
    Price: $32,985
    CarFax: Link
    Window Sticker: N/A
    Location: Mercedes-Benz of Pleasanton, CA
    Dealer listing: Link

    Why we love it:

    A modern Porsche, in Paint to Sample Graphite Blue Metallic, for $32k. Say what you will, but that’s a compelling statement. Graphite Blue Metallic was one of the more interesting standard colors from the 991 generation of Porsche’s 911, appearing nearly Nardo Grey at first glance, but with just enough cyan to have a clear differentiation. Applied here to a Macan GTS, it’s subtle enough to not require a card carrying extrovert as owner, but certainly will stand out from the other Macans you see around town. We’d happily add this to our stable as a daily.

  • EU Market Find: 1992 Mercedes 190 E Avantgarde azzurro

    EU Market Find: 1992 Mercedes 190 E Avantgarde azzurro

    What: 1992 Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.3 Sportline Avantgarde azzurro
    Color: Azzurro Blue (azzurroblau; metallic UNI; 366; Mercedes-Benz)
    VIN: Unknown
    Mileage: 130,100 km / 80,840 miles
    Price at Time of this Writing: €15,000
    CarFax: N/A
    Window Sticker: N/A
    Location: Private Seller, Münich, Germany
    Listing: Link

    Why We Love It:

    One of several cars built in Mercedes-Benz Avantgarde series of W201 190 Es, the 190 E Avantgarde Azzurro is a unique thing indeed. With DTM-harkening 190 EVOs making anything W201 even more interesting, the azzurro and all its 90s German kitsch offer a more unique approach to the package.

    Perhaps inspired by other market offerings such as the Volkswagen Color Concept cars, or Wolfsburg’s even more radically quirky Harlequin models, the Avantgardes utilized color in order to dial up the fun factor of a then aging W201 range.

    The most notable differences on the Avantgarde azzurro is the use of color. For starters, its Azzurro Blue metallic paint was unique to the Avantgarde offering. Then, much like the Harlequin, it artfully incorporated multiple colors in trim on the seats, big-bolstered rear individual seating, the floor mats, the shift knob and the steering wheel. More substantively for drivers, it also got Mercedes’ Sportline suspension that was 20% stiffer and 23 mm lower than run-of-the-mill 190s.

    Only 950 azzurro models were built, though it was their quite literal avant-garde nature that likely played into Mercedes’ choice to not sell the cars in the U.S.A. Fortunately, they’re now old enough for import and this clean and preserved example has just come on the market near Münich, listed for sale by an individual.

    This is one of our Euro market finds, so the usual caveats apply for our primarily North American readership. For Europe and other markets, we focus on cars older than 25 years, meaning a relatively easy import into the USA. This is often done by working with firms such as our friends at Orchid Euro, you can have the car purchased, transported to port, shipped to America and cleared through customs for clients seeking this sort of service.