1980 Ferrari 512 BBI Berlinetta Barn Find
The Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer was created during a time when Ferrari was redesigning their consumer and race fleet. As early as the late 50s, they began to lose racing dominance to mid-engined cars. Since then, Ferrari’s race and consumer grade vehicles were all front engined. This changed in 1967 when they released the Dino, their first mid-engined production car. However, the real jewel of the bunch during this era was their flagship model, the 365 GT/4 BB. This car was the first top tier v12 powered mid engined Ferrari produced for sale to the consumer. Power came from a 3.6 liter v12 producing about 375hp. In 1976, the 365 was updated to the 512 BB, which featured a larger displacement (5 liter) v12 with higher compression. Although these numbers suggest that the 512 had more power, it actually was down 25 hp to 350hp. This variant also included a dry sump oil system and a stronger transmission. In total, 912 of these carbureted 512 BB’s exist. That’s pretty rare. If you wanted to go even rarer, you’d search for a 365. Only a few hundred of those were built.
This example exudes cool. It’s a little expensive at $215,000, since average price for a good example (that runs) hammers for about $265,000. We reckon this one would take a solid six figure check to get back up to perfect running condition if you pay a master tech. As far as cosmetics are concerned, we’d rock it as is. This car’s patina is what makes it interesting and special. Imagine taking this on a rally or on a spirited weekend drive. You’d win the weekend. Not only for yourself, but for anyone else seeing you move down the road. We recommend taking a look at it if you want to pick up a piece for the collection that will undoubtedly increase in value (by a large margin).
We all know the e39 m5. Often coined as the best sports sedan ever built, the third generation m5 was built during a time where BMW was dominant in the driving experience category. The “S62” engine up front is a quad cam, 8 throttle bodied v8 producing about 400 hp at the crank. This was the first v8 powered M car offered to the world. Interestingly, these engines were extremely temperamental and required very precise break-in periods. If the car didn’t go through this in the correct way, wheel horsepower numbers could vary widely. We’ve seen stock numbers range from 365 whp all the way down to 320whp.
This particular m5 is wearing a rare color combination and is outfitting with Dinan components that get it close to their “stage 2” denomination. The throttle bodies and velocity stacks, high flow air mass meter, cold air intake, quad exhaust system, Stage 1 flywheel assembly, hi-clamp clutch kit, billet short shifter, and suspension upgrades should give this car close to 400-415 whp and provide an exceptional driving experience. The upgraded throttle bodies make the engine so responsive that in some cases, the tachometer can’t keep up with the throttle pedal (literally, the needle is not able to move fast enough on these Dinan S2 cars).
This one ought to go for a lot of money. We think it’s at least a $50,000 example and is a good buy for a future hold. The e39 m5 was the last true M5 from BMW. After this, they got too technologically integrated and things started to become bland. If you’ve been thinking about getting one of these, we highly suggest that you act quickly. This is and will be a future classic and collectible and prices are only going up.
Guess what the english translation for Quattroporte is? 4-doors. Yes. What seems like a beautifully designed name for Maserati’s sports sedan is essentially just a description of the vehicle. Starting in the early 60s, the Quattroporte was built in the very beginning of the sports sedan market. Featuring a top speed of around 143, it was competing with cars like the Lagonda Rapide and the Facel Vega.
Fast forward to our example and you have generation three. This Giugiaro designed box is interestingly beautiful in many ways. The car was the last hand built Maserati and featured either a 4.1 or 4.9 liter v8 engine. Power output was good for the time with 250 and 275hp respectively. What wasn’t beautiful about the 4-porte was it’s reliability. In fact, the car had secondary fuel pumps (with a switch to initiate the 2nd on the dash), and the joke around town was that Maserati intentionally put the switch on the dash because they knew the fuel pump would fail. But now, when it did fail, the owner would be able to flip a switch and be on their way.
We chose this car specifically because of how clean it appears. You never see these in good shape anymore, and when you do, they aren’t for sale. This car slides under the radar in terms of collectibility. Anyone that sees you driving by is certain to take a second glance. There’s a charm to that. Knowing you’re in a hand built italian luxury sports car should be enough for you, anyway.
Iso was a refrigeration unit manufacturer before World War II. After the war, they began to build and design cars. Some of the more notable cars they were attributed to were the Isetta, the Grifo and a number of motorbikes. The Iso Lele was named after the chairman of the company’s wife and debuted in 1969 in New York. It featured a beautiful Gandini and Bertone designed body with General Motors and Ford drivetrains.
This particular Lele has the 351 ci Cleveland V8 which sends its 360hp through an automatic transmission. The color is an under the radar silver and the car itself presents as driver spec.
We chose this car because of the history of how Iso and particularly the Iso Lele was founded. It’s fascinating that this prewar fridgemaker became a bespoke car manufacturer. It’s also fantastic that the Lele was born as a christmas gift to the wife of the head of the company. These two things, on top of the beautiful italian body and rugged american power plant, make this car something worth considering.
The “E34” M5 Touring was never officially imported to the US. For many BMW enthusiasts, this is the holy grail of wagons. BMW hand built only 891 of these back in the day, and getting your hands on one stateside is extremely difficult. About 30 now reside in the US through various means of importation, so this one for sale is something extremely hard to find. The colorway of this example is great and will fit most circumstances well. For $60k, this is a great buy. The s38 is fitted with individual throttle bodies and produces about 340 hp.
We chose this car simply because it’s an e34 m5t. Any time there’s one available that is in good shape, it’s an immediate buy. Given the scarce nature of these beasts, the e34 is destined for the collector world. If you have one, we recommend holding onto it to watch values double and maybe even triple over time.