For sale! Is a monthly feature on Automotive Views focusing on cars available for purchase in Europe. None of the ads selected are featured in this blog due to any kind of sponsorship by the sellers.
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1988 Lamborghini LM 002
Lamborghini’s LM002 might be the best worst idea anyone has ever had. Based on the Cheetah prototype, a testbed for the concept of a tough, H1-like all terrain vehicle for the US military, the LM002 is a huge, fairly capable offroader with a raging old school V12 under the hood, because reasons. Nicknamed the “Rambo Lambo”, with a production run of under 350 units, the LM002 is rare, unique and oh so expensive to maintain (a set of Scorpion Zero Pirelli tires for it will set you back 15 grand +), but also extremely cool. A polarizing ride, some love it, others hate it. Count us in on the first group.
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Price: P.O.R.
For Sale in the UK
Seller: DK Engineering
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1965 Mercedes Benz 300 SEL 6.3
If you want to ride in style, you get a vintage Mercedes. There’s absolutely nothing better and surprisingly, one of the greatest, most iconic cars the company has ever made still isn’t ridiculously expensive and as such, still within reach of a lucky few. The 300 SEL 6.3 is the result of sheer technical skill and boldness. Mercedes had the amazing W100, a stylish, over-engineered up the wazoo mammoth-size creation, a halo car before the concept was even invented. The W100 was powered by an extremely capable 6.3 V8 and of course, eventually someone in the company entertained the time honored thought of “what if we put a big engine in a small(ish) car?”. And so, in secret, the 300 SEL 6.3 was developed and eventually presented to the MB bosses who loved it and fast tracked it to production.
A serious classic, for serious drivers and the epitome of cool (McQueen had one and he loved it, so if you ever needed a seal of approval for a car, that qualifies for sure).
Price: €80.000 (95.200 USD)
For Sale in Germany
Seller: Kautschuk-Klassik
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1981 DeLorean DMC 12
If it hadn’t been immortalized in “Back to the Future”, the DeLorean’s only claim to fame would be its gullwing doors and the infamous way in which the company went out of business. The ratio of what’s wrong and right on a DeLorean leans heavily to the “wrongs” side of the scale, but still…there’s plenty to love about it. The unique styling is a huge plus for the DMC 12 and the car didn’t just look futuristic, it actually went out on a limb and tried to be innovative. The body is stainless steel, unpainted, the structure is fiberglass; the engine lets it down…and so do the electrics…and the handling. But hey, it’s a DeLorean! Looks amazing. Plus, the good thing is that the DeLorean Motor Company is very much in business (unrelated to the original one). DMC Texas stocks all the original parts for these things because they bought them in bulk from the original factory, so you always have where to get bits and pieces if you need them.
Price: Auction. Estimated € 33.174 to 37.882 (36.229 to 41.405 USD)
For Sale in the UK
Seller: Silverstone auctions
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1985 Ferrari 308 GTS QV V12 Custom
First things first: if you’re a car collector or Ferrari enthusiast and you haven’t bought a 308 yet, this is your friendly reminder to do so immediately. Prices still aren’t bonkers, but they’ll get there in no time. That being said, if you’d like a 308 which packs a little more punch than the original, then this is the car for you. Check out the auction house story on this pretty, crazy, blue Selleck-mobile:
“[I]ts first owner was rather disappointed in the Ferrari’s power output. The somewhat unorthodox solution was for Nigel Hudson, then at Nigel Mansell’s Ferrari main dealership network Emblem Sports Cars, to engineer and squeeze a brand-new Ferrari 400 series V12 engine into the bay. This work was carried out to a very high standard and was completed in the late 1980s. The results are quite astonishing. The 4.8 Litre, 4-cam, Ferrari V12 is known affectionately as “Nigel’s Flyer” and must be seen to be fully appreciated. This example is one of just four known 308s worldwide that boast a V12 Ferrari engine. The current owner found the car in 2013, following a 10-year stint in dry-storage, and he entrusted it to the very man that originally converted it. Nigel Hudson, now under his own name, began a two-year, no expense spared, re-commissioning.
Price: Auction. Estimated € 59.191 to 71.029 (66.695 to 77.634 USD)
For Sale in the UK
Seller: Silverstone auctions
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1975 Lamborghini Countach
Possibly the yellowest Lamborghini that has ever yellowed, this 1975 Countach is a rare odd bird. When the Countach first came out in 74, people went nuts over it. Another stroke of genius from Master designer Marcello Gandini, the Countach looked like it had just been dropped off on earth by some alien race far more technologically advanced than us. Over the years, the Countach gained weight, grew a humongous wing and just generally deviated further and further from its original design and, some would argue, appeal.
Originally delivered to Prince Mansour Bin Mashal of Saudi Arabia, this “Periscopica” (referring to the periscope-like rear view mirror mounted on the roof; notice there are no side mirrors on the car) Countach is as subtle as a punch to the gut and yet, endlessly charismatic.
Price: P.O.R.
For Sale in Italy
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2000 Bentley Arnage Red Label
How cheap is a cheap Bentley? Fairly cheap – by luxury car standards anyway. Should you get one? We’re not going anywhere near that argument today…However, what can be said in all fairness about the Arnage is that it’s a handsome (minus the rear, but Bentley hasn’t made a decent rear in a car since forever and an eternity ago), capable car. A twin brother of Rolls Royce’s Silver Seraph, the Arnage was, for a time and even with over 2 and a half tons to drag around, the fastest 4 door car you could buy. But its production run was plagued by issues regarding the engines, a subject which led to the distinction between Green and Red label Arnages; the green label cars had a BMW 4.4L V8 which was met with suspicion by Bentley’s clients and whaled on by the auto press, while the red label ones went back to Bentley’s heart of choice, a 6.75L (Rolls Royce) adapted from the amazing and all round far more balanced and accomplished Turbo R. However, the adaptation wasn’t a complete success (a rushed process; there were issues with the gear box as well) and red label Arnages, despite still more desirable, have dealt with their fair share of reliability issues.
But still, it is a lot of car for your money. Plus, it’s a driver’s car – with all the entails – and the interiors are, as you’d expect, the definition of luxury. Of course, one has to understand these aren’t really aimed at the casual buyer, but more towards the brand loyalist or the very well to do people who want to stand out and take it a step above the big German sedans; as such, this is not the crowd who usually sweats stuff like massive fuel consumption and high maintenance costs.
Price: € 45.979 (50.255 USD)
For Sale in Switzerland
Seller: Elite Garage AG
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2009 Mercedes Benz SL65 AMG Black Series
AMG Mercedes have never been boring, but the Black Series label has stepped up the game for these things. The blackest of the blacks is this: the SL65. It takes the basics or a regular 65, gets rid of everything it doesn’t need and dials up everything else. The dually turbocharged V12 puts out 661bhp, the whole car is 250kg lighter than a regular SL65 and Mercedes even got rid of the folding metal roof to save weight. The suspension is concrete-hard to improve handling (at the complete expense of ANY comfort whatsoever) and the handling…well, the handling is up to the electronics. TCS is either on or off; on it will be overly intrusive to keep the back wheels from spinning out of control and off, it will slightly murder you. The SL65 black is a strange, expensive, mad, beautiful thing.
Price: € 254.519 (278.189 USD)
For Sale in the UK
Seller: Jeremy Cottingham
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1966 Jaguar F.T. Bertone
Last but certainly not least this month, something truly special: the F.T. Bertone Jag. One of only two ever made. F.T. stands for Ferruchio Tarchini, the Italian importer for Jaguar who commissioned these amazing re-imaginings of what a Jag could be. Based on the 420, Tarchini had Carrozzeria Bertone build the first of the 2 four seater coupes not just as a show car, but a starting point of a limited production run. Sadly, the idea didn’t take off and only the show car and one production unit ended up being made. With the 1966 Geneva Motor Show car still belonging to the Tarchini family, this is the only example available for purchase. Back in 2012 it sold at auction for just under 90.000 Euros and now it’s back, it has a different paint job (very nice color on itself, but we’d have preferred to see it in the original one since it’s such a unique car) and it’s ready to steal someone’s heart.
Price: P.O.R
For Sale in France
Seller: GTC
Automotive Views 
The comment on the 2009 Mercedes Benz SL65 AMG Black Series that “it will slightly murder you” is very similar to the statement “you’re either pregnant or you’re not”. I’m thinking it would not be very good to be slightly murdered, but I still want one…
Oh, just a little silly fun with the text it’s all. And yes, I think we’d all love to have one no matter what…