Great Cars Available…Get It Before It's Gone. Check the date of the post. If it is a few weeks old, it is probably too late.

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Sold, Sold, Sold! Exclusive: ’83 Mercedes-Benz 300D Turbo with 4,100 miles

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One of our Mint readers snapped this one up in a hurry. Congrats to Buyer. It is a spectacular car. One likely we’ll never see again.

Yup. You read it correctly it has only 4,100 original miles and it is spectacular. I drove it and it even smells like new. I am sure that if you took a nice example with maybe 150,000 miles and sent it to the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center it would cost you about $100,000 to make it this nice. That is not a shot at the Classic Center by the way. They deserve whatever they get. What makes this car even more special (if that is possible), is the color and trim. It is a very desirable Anthracite Gray Metallic with tan M-B Tex interior.

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EXCLUSIVE: ’85 Ferrari 308GTS QV

IMG_0218 The Ferrari 308 has come of age. One might even say a feeding frenzy is a brewing. The early cars are prized particularly the first batch of vetroresina or fiberglass cars. In the US the early ’80s delivered us an underpowered 308 and they weren’t much fun. But by ’82, the engineers at Ferrari gave the 308’s motor the engineering version of a Breathe Right Strip. They gave it 4 valves per cylinder or as they say at the pizzeria in Modena, Quattrovalvole.  This ultimate iteration of the 308 featured four-valve cylinder heads and an improved engine-management system that boosted U.S. output to 230 hp. While the QVs are far more refined than the early carburetor models, all 308s are non-temperamental and user-friendly, and can comfortably be used as daily drivers. Our exclusive today is offered by a former client of ours who relocated to North Carolina.
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SOLD! : ’74 Ducati 750SS

750 Hand Grip

Buyer and seller have entered into an agreement and it looks like Mint has sold the 750 SS.

There is a first for everything and you are never too old to learn. Mintologists are basically car people but we’ve been smitten by 2 motorcycles that have managed to crawl under our skin. We announce to the world that we are not experts in the land of the 2 wheeler therefore we invite corrective comments delivered in the proper tone. But we are fast learners and always ask the advice of people who are well-known in their world. With that said, Mint is proud to announce the exclusive representation of a ’74 Ducati 750 SS Green Frame or Super Sport. As the editors at Italy’s Motociclismo wrote, “To say that the SuperSport 750 was one of the most beautiful sportbikes ever made is no exaggeration; it may be considered among the most significant motorcycles of all time.” This was a street bike that went racing. The then new Ducati 750 was raced by Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari at the inaugural Imola 200 road race. Smart was not overly impressed by the roadster and didn’t even want to ride it. That changed when he arrived back in the pits to much fanfare because he had just smashed Imola’s lap record! Smart and fellow 750SS rider Bruno Spaggiari went on to a smashing 1-2 finish. Read More

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Deposit taken: ’90 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa

911 fr

Most car manufacturers attach an internal code name or model number to their cars. The Porsche 964 is one of those internal designations. It was considered to be 85% new compared to its predecessor, the Carrera 3.2. The 964 Carrera was also the last to be available with the traditional removable Targa roof. The 964 is distinguished by the integrated bumpers and automatic rear spoiler that is speed sensitive. 911ProfileIt is also the 1st Porsche with dual air bags. You won’t see today’s featured Carrera Targa anywhere else but here on Mint. It is fresh as it just arrived at the office/shop this morning. It hasn’t even been detailed yet and it looks great. This Targa has a real presence or stance. A good stance, the way a car sits on its suspension, can really make a car look special and handle great. There are websites devoted to cars with great stance but I digress. Read More

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“24”: ’67 Fiat Dino Spider

New Dino

Alfredino (Little Alfred) was Enzo Ferrari’s only son by his marriage to Laura. Enzo affectionately called his beloved son, Dino. He was a brilliant engineer even though his degenerative illness prevented him from finishing engineering school. He died at 24 but his influence on Ferrari’s future was secured forever. Dino, along with Vittorio Jano, is credited with the design of the engine in this beautiful ’67 Spider appropriately named the Fiat Dino. Ferrari provided the engine to Fiat so production could be ramped up and it could be approved for racing in the 2-liter class quickly. Meeting these racing required benchmarks is referred to as homologation. Read More

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Now on eBay! “Private”: ’67 Maserati Mexico

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We are fortunate to have a very nice 4.7 liter Maserati Mexico on offer from one of our favorite sellers. The Mexico is fitted from the factory with the 4.7 liter engine and Borrani wire wheels and that makes this one of the desirable early cars. Later Mexicos were fitted with the 4.2 liter engine and disc wheels from the Quattroporte. Read More

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Extreme: ’05 Lotus Elise Supercharged

2005 Lotus Elise pro

The low-riding Lotus Elise is as extreme as a Dodge Viper, so says CNN.  CNN was commenting on Hagerty’s choices for future collectibilty of contemporary cars. But we think what they meant is what a Viper does with brute force, the Elise does with lightness and precision. We feature them from time ot time because one of our loyal readers knows them better than anyone. Read More

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Very, very close: ’67 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT

1967 Alfa GT Giulia fr

We don’t want to call this one a GTA clone. Well, maybe it isn’t such a bad way to describe it. Take a beautiful stepnose GT and spend a ton of over 2 years and the result is certainly better than a clone. This is an immaculate example built by Alfa specialists Roman Tucker and David Leivian. It is powered by a 2-liter engine with high-lift cam and Weber carburetors. It has many GTA-style additions like alloy wheels, door pulls, side exhaust and headers. Mostly supplied by Alfholics in the UK. It is currently fitted with a roll-cage, Sparco racing seats with harnesses and GTA Plexi-windows. Read More

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A Mint Preferred Offering: ’93 Ferrari 512TR

93 TR512 fr

The Ferrari Testarossa was introduced at the Paris Motor Show in 1984. It essentially is a more usable version of the 512BBi Berlinetta Boxer. Ferrari accomplished making room for luggage and reducing cabin temperatures by moving the radiators to the rear of the car. And that is why the Testarossa has those massive cooling vents ahead of the rear wheels. Ferraristi call these slats cheese cutters. The Testarossa was always a good performer but it was criticized for being a bit overweight. That was rectified in ’92 with the next generation called the 512TR. And that is what we have here exclusively on Mint. Read More

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Champagne anyone?: ’68 Porsche 912 Soft-window Targa

68 Porsche 912 Soft Targa

It seems everyday we can find a really nice or exceptional early Porsche 912. The pre-1969 editions have a shorter wheelbase than later cars and are known for their “lively” handling characteristics. Lively is a polite description. When the Targa was released in 1967, it came with these soft rear windows. Removing it provides a near convertible-like experience. Read More

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Still available: ’60 Austin-Healey 3000 MK I

Austin-Healey 3000 MK I

We spotted this back in July and it cropped up again on Craigslist. We still think it looks worthy of some additional attention. Unless of course one of our readers has seen it and it is a fright pig!

We like Big Healeys very much. They call them Big Healeys because they replaced the smaller 100-4. What else could they call it? The first attempt at the 6-cylinder car was the 100-6. Of all Healeys, big & small, it is our least favorite. That doesn’t mean we wouldn’t buy one if a really special one came along. In 1959, the twin SU carb 3000 MK I debuted and it was a much better engine. Read More

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Updated Price: ’73 Fiat 130 Coupe

1973 Fiat 130 Coupe

It is hard to shake how people perceive your brand. One can equate it to typecasting – a Hollywood term. We believe Fiat had the same problem back in the late ’60s. They wanted an upscale sedan and coupe that would compete with Mercedes and BMW. The effort was not at all successful but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a decent car. Fortunately, Fiat was smart enough to realize it wouldn’t sell in the States so the few cars that swam across were imported by individual owners. Mint was tipped off to this extraordinary version of the 130 by its seller whose cars we have featured before. His skill at finding gems is legendary. Here we have a beautiful 130 Coupe with an elegant interior and – trumpets, prepare to toot – a 5-speed manual gearbox. Read More

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SOLD ($35K) Smart Buy: ‘73.5 Porsche 911T Targa Sportomatic

73 Porsche 911T Targa

This Sepia Brown CIS equipped Porsche 911T Targa is extremely desirable. Prices for early 911s have skyrocketed in recent years and specimens like this have seen stratospheric prices. Pause and look at the interior. It looks phenomenal. The seats look just right and the vulnerable door pockets on both sides are in great shape. Just try to replace one that isn’t ’cause you can’t. So why is the seller asking only $39,900 for it? Read More

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C-Type Head: ’56 Jaguar XK140 MC

Jaguar XK140 MC

No, the headline isn’t some perverse trick to get you to read the story of today’s featured Jaguar. The XK140 is the second iteration of road going post-war Jaguar sports cars. The first being the fabulous XK120, the darling of the Hollywood set and yes, the rest of the world too. XKs came in 3 body configurations: a Fixed Head Coupe (FHC), a Roadster or Open Two Seat (OTS) and the Drophead Coupe (DHC). That continued in 1955 when the XK140 was introduced. The XK140 made things a little more livable for driver and passenger by moving the firewall and engine forward 3 inches. The bumpers were redesigned to afford more protection for those gorgeous flanks. Read More