TjRubley.com

Not the best condition I’ve ever seen, but due to my obsession with Alpina’s and their rarity in the world (let alone the states), I present you with:

eBay ad for 1985 BMW Alpina B9

According the unofficial Alpina website hosted by the M5board.com:

• Massaged BMW 3.5l big six, developing 245hp.
• 0-60 in 7.3
• 2976lbs
• Simple esthetic enhancements include Recaro seating, leather steering wheel, and front and rear airdams.

Considering the ad states it has well over 200k miles, and the bid is starting at $1k, could be a cool project for the right mechanic.

dc

This is a damn fine looking car!

While this car is exceeding the BMW e30 M3 $15k rule, it looks to be worth it. And personally, I’d make sure to pay the extra for the Evo and AC Schnitzer bits that the ad states he’s leaving off for price considerations.

1988 BMW e30 M3 For Sale on BimmerForums

Here’s a great thread on Bimmerforums about what’s entailed in owning an e30 M3.

Quick Specs on the e30 M3:

• 2.3l 4 cylinder motor, designated as S14. This motor is basically the same as the one that came out of the e28 BMW M5 with two cylinders removed.
• Rated at 195hp and 170ft/lbs.
• 0-60 in 6.9 seconds.
• Weighing in at 2724lbs

e30 M3 Links:

Read more on the e30 M3 at Wikipedia.
S14.net - A dedicated forum of S14/e30 M3 enthusiasts. Great community!
e30 M3 SIG - a late 90’s era website that is loaded with great information.

e30 M3 Pictures and Videos

BMW e30 M3 Flickr
BMW e30 M3 Videos on Youtube
BMW e30 M3 Videos on Google Video

UPDATE: He’s got the car on eBay, with all the goodies, for $16.5k. Oh man, if I didn’t own my 95…

dc

If you were thinking the Guilia Super I posted was a little rich considering it’s condition, check this BMW 1800 TISA out! This is a gorgeous car and in amazing condition.

Only 200 produced over two years, the BMW 1800 TISA was for homologated racing efforts and sported the following improvements over the regular 1800:

• Up to 150hp provided by twin 45 DCOE carbs!
• 5 speed close ratio transmission
• Sport seats and wood steering wheel
• Center mounted tach

Ebay Auction for 1966 BMW 1800 TISA for $30k

Some brief information on the BMW 1800 TISA at the History of the BMW ‘02 series.
Ray Korman got his start racing 1800 TISA’s

I’ll update when I find more links.

dc

Autoblog post: Pininfarina designs hard drives

Hard to believe that the legendary coachbuilder Pininfarina would need to consider this kind of client considering some of their past works of art:

Ferrari 275

Alfa Romeo Spider Duetto “boat tail”

Ferrari Testarossa

Wikipedia entry on Pininfarina.

dc

Powered by a less powerful Toyota engine producing 134hp, this entry level Elise is soon being released throughout Europe and Japan. While it sounds well short on power compared to the full flavor 190hp version, the car’s weight remains the same at about 1900lbs, providing 0-60 times that are still under 6 seconds! In the UK, the car will start at £23,995 (~$44k US) according to this Lotus press release on the new Elise S.

Bummed you can’t get this entry level rocket in the US? Why not consider this beautiful chrome orange 2005 Lotus Elise at Bossautos for $43,900.

dc

Personally, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he’s been learning Italian while putting up fast times on the Top Gear test track. Could it be Felipe Massa who signed with Ferrari this year? Probably not, but it sure seems like they’re dropping hints.

For a great rundown on the Stig, look no further than the Wikipedia entry on the Stig.

dc

This cabrio is based on the Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM AMG, a homologated race car that happens to be street legal to satisfy race class requirements. Some quick stats:

• 5.5 liter supercharged V8 delivering 582hp!
• 4 second 0-60’s, 200+mph top speeds
• Full aero package included
• 19×9″ rims in the front, 20×10″ in the rear!
• Chassis, suspension, and body completely revised leaving little of the original CLK left.

As if the hardtop wasn’t galling enough, this version is a cabriolet, which I seriously doubt is for homologation purposes, and rather for the über-rich to add to their toy box.

One such owner, former F1 star Mika Häkkinen says:

The CLK DTM AMG Cabriolet is exactly the right car for quick trips around my home town Monte Carlo…

[shiteye]I’m sure it is…[/shiteye]

Left Lane News post on the 2007 Mercedes CLK DTM AMG Cabriolet with more detail and bigger pictures.

dc

A video featuring a few hot laps at a recent Portland BMW ACA track day. The driver’s name is Gabe and he’s been my instructor previously at another PIR BMW track day.

A great video that clearly illustrates why I love going to track days.

Volkswagen R32 in-car video while lapping Portland International Raceway

dc

Just a great gallery of modified old Volvo’s on Photobucket that I stumbed across while surfing the Vortex this morning:

Volvo Gallery on Photobucket

dc

After my recent Alfa Romeo Giulia Super fantasy post, the next logical question in my mind was: Consider that a decent BMW 2002 goes for 6-10k, is the Alfa Romeo 2-3x the car as reflected by it’s current asking price?

The garden variety BMW 2002 probably isn’t sporting enough to be compared to the Super, but the top of the line 2002tii is fuel injected and a bit overqualified as a result. But the twin-carbed 2002 ti is a perfect comparison. The 2002 sports a 2000cc engine, while the Super relies on a 1600, so we’ll use the converted 1750 example as noted in the previous post.

So my comparison table is far from scientific, but it looks to me like both cars have very similar power, weight, dimensions and performance.

Suppose one was actually in the market, I have to conclude that the 2002 is cheaper and easier to attain with damn near identical specificaitons. And considering the $19.5k asking price of the Alfa Giulia in the previous post, you’d probably be able to buy a beautiful 2002 and have money left over for say, a motorcycle…

dc