I have developed a reputation as the Broughamy go-to author here on CC (along with Richard Bennett, natch), but the plain truth is I can find just about anything on wheels interesting. When I was a kid and the family would go out to dinner, I’d usually comment on how good everything was. My mother, on several occasions, would say “Tom, you’ve never met a food you didn’t like.” Not true: I hate beets!
I am kind of the same way when it comes to cars. But my heart has always been with German cars, though I’ve never owned one. Porsches, VWs, Audis, Mercedes Benzes, I like them all. So I had to post this ’80s Targa spotted by my uncle in Iowa City. Anything with Fuchs wheels is a winner in my book. I have some other German finds I’ve been ignoring too, so grab a Lowenbrau, a plate of weisswurst, some red cabbage and potato salad, and let’s check out some wheeled German fare.
German cars have always been a part of my life. Dad still has an ’01 Carrera, my aunt and uncle have an NB convertible and an A4, my cousin Sara’s husband has a Jetta TDI, and a good friend of mine has an E350 Bluetec. It certainly didn’t hurt that my dad has owned close to a dozen Porsche 356s–including several parts cars–over the last forty years. The picture above is of Dad’s first 1960 Roadster and its parts car, circa 1973.
Despite his preference for 356s, Dad also owned one classic 911 between 2003 and 2007–well, actually a 912 (its story can be found here), as he could work on the engine, being that it was the same as the mid-’60s 356SC motor. But I like practical sedans too…
…like the good old, never-say-die Diesel W123. This one was also spotted by my uncle, this time at a shopping center in Tucson. The “Bundt” alloys of this generation Mercedes always look good, but in my opinion, the color-keyed wheel covers are just a bit cooler.
I actually found this car’s twin in Davenport last winter, though in somewhat rustier condition.
Still quite solid, though–they really knew how to rust-proof these cars. And you have to love the stand-up hood ornament. It looks so much better than the aftermarket grille-mounted versions–those should only go on the SL and SLK!
The interior was very nice too–that MB Tex wears like iron…and look! A manual transmission too.
Here’s a close-up of those great wheel covers. So classicly Mercedes. Was the W123 the last MB to have these available?
Porsche, Mercedes..what about more prosaic wheels? Well, I did recently discover a cache of Golfs, Rabbits and GTIs about a month ago.
When the value of these ’80s pocket rockets goes up, this guy will be there to cash in–assuming his inventory hasn’t rusted away. And if they can’t be coaxed into running, there are several good old V8 pick ’em ups for parts store runs!
You had me at the wurst, cabbage and potato salad, Tom! Make mine a Beck’s dark, though. Note to self: get brats for the weekend.
Porsche is beyond the frontier of my automotive ignorance, but I vow to wade in one of these times. I have some very nice shots of one and know the owner.
I am right there with you on the W123 and its color-keyed wheelcovers. One of these came up on my local craigslist awhile back, a 240D with a stick, and priced very reasonably. Hmmmmm. MB is another topic I have no experience in, so that could be a costly place to go. I wonder if the rosary beads say anything about this particular car’s reliability. 🙂
Nice trove of GTIs. If I had to guess, I would call the red ones 85 models, as the 86s got a much deeper red. My old one is probably moldering away in a place like this, if it has not already been turned into a Kia.
I am certain those GTI’s are actually 86’s or 87’s, that is the Tornado red, you can see the one in foreground fading on the panel under the trunklid – no clearcoat. The 85’s were Mars Red, more orangey (see my recent motorcycle COAL). The wheels would give it away for certain if still stock, 85’s had the bottlecap alloys, the 86/87 had the classic 7 doublespokes like the 84’s but in silver only.
And I will also take a wurst, eine lange Rote, bitte, mit Zwiebeln und extra Senf.
It could certainly be my monitor, as well. I know exactly the color you refer to, as I bought an 85 GTI. I did not care for the Mars Red – as you said, it was awfully hot and orangy. That left me with silver and black as my choices. Had I been a year later, I might have considered a red one. The high-mounted stoplight in the back window would be the tell, but the angle is wrong.
I like beets.
Oh, the cars. As a former owner of a ’75 VW Rabbit and and ’81 Audi 4000 5 + 5, I submit my claim for German-car street cred, for your approval. I will say, on the days when nothing was broken, they both drove beautifully (although for the Rabbit in particular, there were not very many such days).
Rust proof? W123? Haha. They are quite rust prone actually. No sure why exactly but like the W114/W115 they can and will rust anywhere. Shame as the rest of the car is built very solidly.
I love the colour keyed classic wheel covers – sadly one of the main reasons I bought my ’70 220D.
Tom, there is a company called Couch that makes wallets out of actual NOS Mercedes MB-Tex. I have one in the red and it is fantastic. The first three months I had it every time I pulled it out of my back pocket I got a whiff of the warm leatherette, just like getting into your photocar after it has sat curbside in the sun for a while. They also have other interior fabrics (lots of american stuff) and make wallets, guitar straps, camera straps etc. All handmade in the US. No affiliation, just a happy user.
omg.
I have the red Couch MB-Tex wallet as well! I like it a lot, though the tex is starting to flake apart after the seams.
Ich mag nur alte Ami-Straßenkreuzer 🙂
I’m always saddened when I see a European design, which was more or less well-balanced in its original form, butchered by US-regulations with those huge bumpers and the poorly integrated headlights. Still, it’s nice to see these cars still being driven on the other side of the pond as well.
I also prefer the pre-bumper standard small W’s (ca. ’71): Perhaps the cleanest-styled sedans ever.
The restrained interior of those old W123s is also timeless, as opposed to modern Expressionism (or is it Sci-Fi?). And why this glinty chrome instrument trim now?
My only (very brief) direct experience with this model back in the ’80s was across my employer’s parking lot in a stick 240D, but even so, it impressed me with its well-weighted steering & having to pull up the gear lever for Reverse: Brilliant!
These were special cars for those who could accept the price premium. BTW, the Benz owners I knew during this period preferred Diesels, for when I asked why they didn’t go for the hotter sixes, simplicity was the reply.
I’m kind of like you, Tom; I like a lot of different cars, too.
I’ve owned an ’02 MB C240 sedan and an ’06 BMW 330i sedan and I guess they were both pretty solid cars. Even though I have no real desire to own a Porsche, I love the Panamera sedan. Everytime I see one it’s a reminder of how I’m not a Porsche guy but I am a Panamera guy. Go figure.
2013 Porsche Panamera: (wallpaper)
Would that be real German brewed Lowenbrau, or the debased swill brewed in the US and called Lowenbrau?
Back on topic, I like German cars too but the money pit aspect is a big concern, This is why my German vehicle of choice is a BMW airhead, the W123 of motorcycles, since bike parts are cheaper. I do still want another 80s VW since I have fond memories of driving my Sciroccos, offset by less fond memories of rusted out suspension turrets and broken exhaust manifolds.
While traveling around Germany, I made a point of sampling the local brew, & was never disappointed. The publicans always asked, “Pils oder Export?” I figured Pils was the safer answer since I might be able to get Export stateside & it could be inferior, so why would I want that? But does anyone have more background here? I know Pils is named after Pilsen, a Czech town.
The barkeep always waited for the head to thin out before topping it off, so one must be patient in German pubs.
American beer is descended from German since our breweries were founded by German immigrants, not British. Same probably is true for Mexico.
Frankly, it was just the first German beer to pop into my head. I’m partial to Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy and Canoe Paddler lately, though those are Wisconsin beers.
BTW I know I sound like a Grammar Nazi, but those Löwenbräu ads get the pronunciation totally wrong. It’s approximately “loovenbroi.”
But hey, if they’re going to mangle the recipe, they may as well mangle the pronunciation. German used to be taught more widely in the early 20th century, since about half of America was German then.
Ah, genau. Ich möchte einen Porsche Neunelfer gehabt.
(Meine deutsch ist nicht besonders gut.)
I have never owned a German car. My maternal grandparents were of Austrian/German heritage. Grandad came over here as a boy, and my grandmother came as a young adult. Anyhow, my mother followed the strict, stern, no nonsense background. As was mentioned above, the traditional foods became my favorite meals. Pork, sauerkraut, and dumplings, potato pancakes, stews, etc.
On occasion, she made an awful concoction she called potato salad. It consisted of potatoes, onions, vinegar, bacon, and other ingredients. I really disliked it. A few weeks ago, I came across a can in the supermarket labeled German potato salad. I thought it might be good, so I bought a can. Opening and tasting the contents, it tasted like the horrible stuff my mother used to make. If I ever see my mother again in the afterlife, I owe her an apology. Obviously, my mother made the authentic dish, not the American variety that I like.
Other than that potato salad, I wish she was around to make almost everything else she cooked.
If you’re ever near San Antonio, there’s a great BBQ on the outskirts of town that has the best Kartoffelsalat I’ve ever eaten, both the regular & specifically German varieties (San Antonio has German influence). I think its name is Texas Pride.
This is what I learned to do while in Texas: Ask locals for the best BBQ.
I’m drooling just thinking about good BBQ and potato salad.
As somebody who apparently re-jiggered the internals of the injection pump on my German-made Passat TDI yesterday while trying to change an o-ring, I’m a bit ambivalent about the topic! This car has been dead in the driveway for going on four years now (kids happened since buying the car) and I’m trying to resurrect it since I just loaned out my DD to my MIL since her 3100-powered Buick Century threw a rod last week (200K miles on original drivetrain; not bad). The crankshaft now only turns 1/2 turn freely. Next the IP will be coming out to be bench-inspected (hoping to avoid the $1500 IP rebuild).
Like I tell all of my friends – a German car is a lifestyle choice, NOT basic transportation!
Love the w123s. I always keep my eye out for them in the classifieds, and have come very close to buying a few I’ve come across, but, in combination of non-ideal powertrains(240s with automatics Grrrr!!!), rust always seems to be a reoccurring issue that stops me from doing so as well.
Yes, they do indeed rust, as a poster mentioned earlier. Most commonly, it seems, the rockers near the jack points as well as the floors. The good part is the rot doesn’t seem to effect the structural integrety too much as I test drove the hell out of one rotted 300d(as much as you can drive the hell out of a tired 70 horsepower diesel automatic) and there wasn’t even the slightest creak noise over rough patches, railroad tracks, or anything else I came across. I can’t even say that about most rust free cars so it is impressive, but soft floors aren’t something I’m inclined to deal with on a daily driver.
The rust is also fairly well camouflaged by design since the rocker panels are deeply inset below the doors and painted flat black from the factory. The rust always seems to start there on w123s and all it takes is spraying some flat black spray paint over it every now and then and no one will be the wiser for a long time. That is until it makes its way to the quarter panels, fenders, and various seams of course.
Ironically the only other German car I’ve always looked out for(though never actively pursued like the Merc) was a Mark II GTI. When I was real little both of my parents had Mark IIs, one a Golf, one a Jetta GLI, and my oldest car memories revolve around them.
Some German techno for you – with a few automotive sound effects – as you cruise the night streets of Berlin.
Garçon, where is my order of BMW E9 with some Glas 2600/2800 mixed in? Also, where is my side dish of NSU Ro80? I’d like a refund if my order isn’t fulfilled soon, Garçon.
Also, I would like my refund in Bitter CD’s and SC’s.
Even though my family is from Bavaria (although my father was born in the former Yugoslavia), I have an affinity for Opels. I’m particularly infatuated with the Irmscher hot rods and some of the Bitter projects.
I know it’s an Opel Senator underneath, but I still want a circa 1981 Bitter SC in the worst way… (or is that the wurst way?)
crap, here’s the foto I forgot to add…
Schadenfreunde: The emotion felt by prudent Consumer Reports readers when hearing about someone else’s troubles with an expensive German car.
I kid, I kid! Spent a little time last summer with a guy who inherited a clean, circa-’70 911. What a handsome and fascinating machine.