Chameleon Shaguar: 2003 Jaguar S-Type R

Fashionable automobile paint colors come in and sometimes go out of style just as quickly.  I personally love the weird palette of colors found on euro cars from the 1970's because they stand out amongst today's sea of bland shades of beige, grey, and white.  There are some colors that do not look good on any car no matter the model or brand.  Today's Jaguar has a Autoflex invictus paint job that changes seven different colors depending on the lighting.  It would be generous to say this is a polarizing choice in color for a high end British performance sedan.  Find this 2003 Jaguar S-Type R for sale in place, CT for $12,500 via craigslist. 

German Refugee: 1986 BMW 324d E30

The E30 generation 3-series was the gold standard for a compact luxury ride for the yuppies of the 80s/90s but is driven by a totally different demographic these days.  Those yuppies have aged and moved on to Lexus/Mercedes/Tesla suvs and now those old 3-series are driven by their kids...hopefully not into the ground.  Today's E30 isn't just another 318/320/325, but has a strange badge and stinky exhaust.  Find 1986 BMW 324d E30 here on eBay offered for $4,500 buy-it-now or make-offer located in Salisbury, CT.

Euroflared: 1993 BMW M5 Euro-spec 3.8L Widebody Conversion

After the last E34 M5 I wrote up sold for $56,000 - we thought it might be best to kick it down a notch and look at the lower end of the gray-market Euro import 3.8L market with this next feature. The E34 M5 was produced from 1989 through 1995, with the last three model years not sold in the New World. From 1991 to 1995 the Euro-spec M5 included the forbidden fruit S38B38 engine, an enlarged and de-distributored version of the 3.6L version our cars came with. Out of the 14,754 E34 M5s produced in total, 45% were the 3.8L variety - however, they are much more scarce than that here in the 'States. Find this 1993 BMW E34 M5 3.8L for sale in the San Gabriel Valley, CA for $17,000 via craigslist.

Mid Week Match-Up: Pick A Car For A European Assignment

It is Wednesday so that means it's time for another edition of Daily Turismo's version of a secret Santa, also known as Mid Week Match-Up!  Last week, we asked readers to find us a car for taking to an amateur drift event and received lots of great suggestions for going sideways.  Today we are going to go another direction and ask our readers to find the best car for an extended European assignment.  

5k: GreyDM: 1980 BMW 323i Euro Import

The E21 generation BMW 3 Series is one of the better generations of BMWs to pick up clean examples for  next to nothing for a number of reasons.  First, the E21 doesn't have the cachet that the E30 has and as such the market isn't flooded with stanced E21s or buoyed by fanboy dreams of the ultimate driving experience.  Sometimes being in the minority is a good thing...certainly for your pocket book if you pay attention.  Find this 1980 BMW 323i Euro Import for sale in Portland, OR for $7,500 via bimmerforums.com

20k: Fortified Whine: 1994 BMW M5 Touring

Madeira is a small picturesque island off the coast of Portugal, known for its natural beauty, tourist attractions, and the variety of fortified wine they originated there. This editor has been kicked in the ass by many a glass of Madeira, which can have a sweet grapey taste that is clearly based on wine but much more potent and complex in flavor. Apparently someone who wanted a BMW M5 Touring (wagon) in 1994 liked the idea of a fortifed E34; based on the regular wagon but much more potent and complex, with a wine-colored paintjob - Madeirashwartz (Madeira black) metallic.This S38B38-powered beast makes a glorious fortified whine at full song - okay, end of bad pun. Find this 1995 1994 BMW E34 M5 Touring (Euro-spec) 3.8L for sale in Mission Viejo, CA for $22,500 via craigslist.

10k: Tank Top: 1982 BMW 320/6 Baur Targa

From 1978-1982 Karosserie Baur modified roughly 4500 versions of BMW's E21 3-series into a semi-topless fauxvertible.  Some describe the transformation as making the E21 resemble the villain Bane from the latest Batman movie, while others are more critical of the aesthetics.  Find this 1982 BMW 320is Baur Targa for sale in Sacramento, CA for $11,000 via craigslist.  Tip from Kaibeezy.

10k: Seller Submission: 1984 Mercedes-Benz 500 SEC W126 Coupe

The Mercedes-Benz W126 was a generation of the flagship Sonderklasse or special class built in German from 1979-1993.  The W126 was designed to have a better ride, improved handling and reduced fuel consumption over it predecessors.  The aerodynamic styling helped with mileage somewhat, but it still takes barrels of crude to push one of these boats around the autobahn.  Find this 1984 Mercedes-Benz 500 SEC W126 Coupe for sale in Emory, GA for $12,000 via craigslist.  Seller submission from Boomer.

5k: Don't Call Me Crapi: 1971 Mercury Capri

The Capri was a sporty coupe built by Ford of Europe (in Germany) and imported to the USA under the Mercury brand.  Power came from a variety of V4, I4 and V6 engines mated to the rear wheels via manual transmissions for a proper driving experience.  Find this 1971 Mercury Capri for sale in Los Gatos, CA currently bidding on ebay for $5,100 with 2 days to go.

5k: Bruiser Cruiser: 1984 Mercedes-Benz 500SEC W126 Euro Trash

The Mercedes-Benz 500SEC was a large luxury coupe based on the S-Class W126 chassis.  Back in the day, the Europeans always saved the hottest versions for their local market and the North American bound exports were always de-tuned, catalyzed and fitted with big bumpers.  Get a taste of the good stuff with this 1984 Mercedes-Benz 500SEC euro grey-market import for sale in Tiburon, CA for $7900 via craigslist.

5k: 1985 BMW 745i Turbo; Grey Market, EuroTrash, Buffalo Hide

The E21 BMW 7-series was a large upmarket sedan produced from 1977-1987.  The hottest version (the 745i) was only available to continental European customers, but a few have immigrated to the USA.  This 1985 BMW E21 745i Turbo Grey Market import is for sale in San Diego, CA for $3999 via craigslist.

10k Flash: 1985 BMW 320i Euro 4Door MTech w/M50 I6 Swap

The E30 BMW 3-series continues to have some of the better buys on the market for folks looking for rear drive, manual trans equipped sedans.  We really like the look of this 1985 BMW 320i European import equipped with a M50 inline 6 swap, for sale in Charlotte, NC for $8500 via r3vlimted.com forums. 

10k: 1984 BMW M6; Grey Market Euro E24

The e24 generation BMW M6 was sold around the world in limited quantities (just over 4,000 produced) with a sweet sounding inline 6 mated to a 5 speed manual gearbox.  The Europeans received a hotter engine making an additional 30 horsepower because of the lack of restrictive US EPA mandated emissions after-treatment.  A few grey-market escapees have made it to the USA and today we've found a 1984 BMW E24 M6 Euro grey market import for sale in Holliston, MA currently bidding at $11,400 with a few hours to go.

10k Flash: 1983 Fiat Ritmo Abarth 130 TC

The Fiat Ritmo (badged Strada in the USA) was a compact front wheel drive hatchback distinctively styled by Bertone and sold around the world from 1978-1988.  The basic edition has been called the Fiat Gitmo, because driving one is humiliating and pointless experience, but the hopped up Abarth badged 130 TC version had all the elements of a thrash-able hot hatch.  This 1983 Fiat Ritmo Abarth 130 TC edition is for sale in Miami, FL bidding starts at $8,000 with no reserve with 1 day to go.

5k: 1979 Mercedes Benz 350SE W116 EuroTrash

The Mercedes-Benz W116 chassis first introduced the world to the legendary S-Class in 1972, S standing for Sonderklasse - or Special Class - as in, unless you are special, you can't afford this.  The W116 is known today for its incredibly durable interior materials, tank-like build quality and relatively expensive parts/labor costs if something major goes wrong.  This 1979 Mercedes-Benz W116 350SE Eurotrash grey-market example is being sold in San Diego, CA on ebay by one of our favorite ebayers 'cerealmarshmallows'. 

15k: 1964 VW 1500S Type 3, Notchback Survivor

In the late '50s, Volkswagen was high on its wave of success with its little WWII-era Type 1 (Beetle) and derivative commercial / utility vehicle the Type 2 (aka Bus, Van, Microbus, Kombi, Transporter...). But someone deep in the bowels of Wolfsburg realized that if growth and success were to continue, the company needed a bigger, more modern, less obtuse looking car to stay relevant. Enter the Type 3, which retained VWs trademark rear-mounted aircooled boxer four, and torsion bar suspension but was otherwise a fairly 'normal' midsize car. The styling has aged gracefully and today these shoebox veedubs are classics in their own right. We've found a very nice, low mileage survivor Notchback sedan, a variant never officially imported to the US. Find it here on oldbug.com, for $15000 asking. Location is unspecified but we are betting it's in Colorado based on the rear plate.

5k: 1982 BMW 735i E23 Euro 5spd

 The e21 (correction, E23 - DT regrets the error) generation BMW 7-series sedan was the uber-sedan labeled as 7 and is still a stately and cool today as it was from 1977 to 1986.  The 735i model was powered by an inline 6 cylinder engine and boasted some serious gadgets and sophistication for the era, but was not available with manual transmission on this side of the Atlantic.  Thankfully, the 735i was available with 5spd manual in Europe and someone imported this 1982 BMW 735i and it is now for sale in San Diego, CA from dealer who specializes in Cereal, Marshmallows and one-owner original cars on ebay for $5,807 buy-it-now.