If the values of certain classic cars - or at least the prices being asked for them - make you rather glum, look no further than this RX-7. Now, of course, £30k is not the sort of money saved up from skipping a few lockdown takeaways, but it looks eminently reasonable given what certain Imprezas, Skylines, NSXs and cars of that ilk tend to cost.
And what an RX-7 it is. A recent import from Japan, this Type RS - meaning it weighs just 1,280kg - has literally never seen an inch of British tarmac. With a fastidious Japanese history as well, it looks not far from factory fresh. There have been deviations from the OEM spec (and some, like the Tein suspension and Cusco strut brace, are more welcome than the naff Blitz gauges), but it's not so far from standard, presumably, that the RX-7 appeal will have been diluted. And as it's been modified already, nobody need worry about swapping out that awful four-spoke wheel...
Now 25 yars old (and with the FD RX-7 out of production for almost two decades), the RX-7 is a bonafide classic. That'll mean the sort of care and attention a classic requires, but also the immersion, joy and reward of an old car as well. When it looks this good as well, the attraction isn't hard to understand. NC
Apropos of nothing really at all, here's a Mercedes 500E. Just because they're cool, really. There isn't a bad looking W124 - I'm partial even to a cabrio, truth be told - but there's something especially fetching about the 500E. The subtle yet menacing flare of the arches and more suggestive ride height mark it out as something special for those willing to look. Which is good, because there's precious little else to give it away - without badges or big exhausts, this is just another old Merc saloon to the vast majority.
Though familiar, the 500E story is no less fascinating more than 30 years on. Porsche was recruited to develop a V8 '124 for Mercedes; eventually it had to build the car, too, as those chunky wings couldn't fit down the regular production line. It's believed just 29 came to the UK.
This 500E isn't a UK car, instead supplied new to Oberhausen in June 1992. Its MOT history shows a few years over here, though, and just 74,000 miles means it should still have plenty of (thug) life left to live. Even in a golden age of 'bahnstormers, the 500E was something special; all these years later, it's nothing less than a Benz icon. Which is why you'll need £50,000 for one... MB
While it didn't make the list of hypercars compiled during the week, the Porsche Carrera GT is my favourite machine from the world's fastest segment. I say that having never driven one, going entirely on the comments of others, and the sound of it YouTube videos. Even if it wasn't so revered though, I'd find it hard not to fall for a car spawned from a stillborn Le Mans racer.
It's almost hard to believe that a machine that produces 602hp at 8,000rpm from a natural aspirated engine was launched in 2003. The numbers are significant by 2021 standards; 1,380kg is practically featherweight for a hypercar, 3.9 seconds to 62mph in a manual, rear-wheel drive car will always be impressive, same goes for a quoted 205mph in a car with a removable lid. To me, it's the ultimate expression of a performance car. Analogue and modern, purposeful and pretty. Perfect.
It's for this reason that I felt a pang of sadness upon discovering this 599-mile car for sale. It could be a great opportunity for someone with £725k spare to buy themselves a nearly new example of one of the greatest Porsches every made. But it'll remain out of reach for virtually everyone on the planet, and will likely see out its days in garage-vault somewhere. Pity. SS
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