BMW M5 V10, Bitter SC, Fouga Magister CM.170: Mercedes’ Marketplace Madness

Welcome back to Mercedes’ Marketplace Madness! As you know, I love picking up dirt-cheap cars, motorcycles, and campers, then telling you lovely readers about the dumb things that I do with them. I’m always looking for the next deal, but most of the time, I’m left empty-handed. At the same time, I love building a list of cars, trucks, and motorcycles that I would buy if I had the money.

Mercedes’ Marketplace Madness turns the long lists of vehicles I’d love to buy into something for you all to enjoy. Some of them are cheap and some of them are not. Some of the vehicles I find are purely window shopping for everyone other than a collector like Beau or Myron.

This week, I’ve decided to go a bit all over the place. In this iteration of MMM, you’ll find a jet, American muscle, a car with its output as its name, a rare coachbuilt car, and more.

Here’s what I’m looking at this week!

1976 Lancia Scorpion – $14,500

According to MotorTrend, the Lancia Scorpion started life as the X1/20 prototype, a vehicle meant to be a bigger, more upscale sibling to the Fiat X1/9. As work continued on the project, it was renamed the Abarth SE030, where a development mule ran the 1974 Giro d’Italia. In that race, it finished second behind a Lancia Stratos.

After the mid-1970s brought on an oil crisis and stunted demand for performance cars, the Fiat X1/20 project was proving a bit too costly. Pininfarina’s Paolo Martin redesigned the car to be sold as a Lancia as part of the Beta series. The new car was shown at the 1975 Geneva auto show before going on sale. In global markets, the car was sold as the Montecarlo. However, since that nameplate was already used by Chevrolet in America, customers in this country bought the vehicle as the Scorpion.

Global market Montecarlos came equipped with a 2.0-liter Fiat Lampredi twin-cam engine that delivered 120 HP to the rear wheels. Meanwhile, Americans got a 1.8-liter version of the same engine that made just 81 HP. American models also have bulky 5 mph bumpers. Those cars also had different headlights than their European counterparts and weighed 2,400 pounds, 120 pounds more than their Euro cousins.

A European Montecarlo hit 60 mph in 8.5 seconds while the American version did the job in over 10 seconds. Despite the slow straight-line speed, handling is reportedly in the same ballpark as a Ferrari Dino. The seller of this 1976 Scorpion says they are the original owner and that the vehicle has original paint. It’s $14,500 from the seller in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire with 36,600 miles.

1957 Ford Fairlane 500

As Hagerty writes, the Fairlane debuted in 1955 alongside the Thunderbird. The name “Fairlane” reportedly came from Henry Ford’s estate in Dearborn. These sat at the top of Ford’s line and helped push the automaker to its best sales year in decades. There were six body styles of the Fairlane and in 1955, the top model was the Fairlane Crown Victoria Skyliner with its Plexiglas roof.

The 1957 models were redesigned and were lower, longer, and wider than their predecessors. In 1957, the base Fairlane was the Custom while the top model was the Fairlane 500 with its 118-inch wheelbase.

This Fairlane 500 is a two-door hardtop with factory air-conditioning and its engine was rebuilt less than 10,000 miles ago. The seller doesn’t say what engine is under the hood, but Hagerty notes engine options such as a 292 cubic inch V8 that made 212 HP and a 312 cubic inch V8 that made 245 HP. The seller says this Fairlane is an older restoration.

It’s $18,000 from the seller in Crystal Lake, Illinois.

1968 Pontiac GTO – $34,900

Here’s a famed muscle car for a price that appears to be lower than average. I’ll pass the mic to the Volo Auto Museum to explain why the GTO is a fabled machine:

The idea of the Pontiac GTO began in 1963 when General Motors (GM) instituted a ban on producing cars fit for racing. Up until this point, Pontiac was devoted to creating cars that could succeed on the race track against other Detroit automakers. Suddenly, Pontiac had to find a new way to differentiate itself.

An engineering team led by the engineer John DeLorean, the famed creator of the later DeLorean, still wanted to produce a powerful and fun-to-drive car. While DeLorean looked at a prototype of the 1964 LeMans Coupe, one young engineer on the team, Bill Collins, suggested they add a 389-cubic-engine to it. This would replace the standard engine that had much less displacement. This addition took the LeMans to another level in terms of power and handling. As a result, it became the first GTO.

Despite this revelation, DeLorean and his team still had to get around a GM internal policy that vehicles must have 10 pounds of vehicle weight per cubic inch of engine displacement. Their GTO violated GM’s mandate, but the engineering team prevailed. They found the edict had a loophole. The displacement limit referred to base engines only. As long as they offered the GTO as a package for the LeMans, they wouldn’t be going against the company’s policy. As a result of this team’s ingenuity and cunning, the Pontiac GTO was unveiled to the public in 1963 as an option to the LeMans. In 1964, buyers could purchase it, launching the vehicle into muscle car history.

This car comes from the GTO’s second generation. Launched in 1968, the new GTO earned curvaceous looks, a shortened wheelbase, and heavier weight. Power in this GTO comes from a 400 cubic inch V8 rated at 350 HP. The selling dealership notes that a TH400 automatic transmission is present with a shift kit as well as a modern retro-style radio. It’s $34,900 from Worldwide Vintage Autos in Denver, Colorado with 98,608 miles.

1964 Fouga Magister CM.170 – $95,000

Do you want to fly a jet? That’s a silly question, of course, you want to fly a jet! Here’s a vintage one that will cost you less than a new Cessna 172 and you’ll certainly get some attention at next year’s AirVenture. Here’s some history from the Pima Air & Space Museum:

The Fouga Magister was designed in response to a French Air Force need for a jet trainer in the late 1940s. An earlier trainer had proven to be underpowered and the new requirement called for more powerful engines to be fitted. In 1950 Fouga enlarged the earlier design and added the Turbomeca Marbore engine. The plane’s most distinctive feature its “V”-tail came from the glider that Fouga had fitted with a jet engine for testing. The Magister first flew in 1952 and entered service with the French Air Force in 1956. Its success resulted in large numbers of the aircraft being sold to other air forces around the world and eventually twenty-three nations would make use of the Magister. In addition to being built in France Magisters were license built in West Germany, Finland, and Israel. In all 929 were constructed. After the Magister was retired several them found their way into civilian hands, particularly in the United States.

Many of these jets were equipped with Turbomeca Marboré IIA turbojets providing 880 pounds of thrust each. The aircraft’s maximum speed is 444 mph with a never exceed speed of 530 mph. It’ll fly to 36,000 feet and can carry enough fuel for just under three hours of flight.

The seller states that the aircraft’s last annual inspection was back in June and maintenance books as well as a maintenance program come with the aircraft. It’s $95,000 in San Pedro, California.

1959 Renault 4CV – $18,254

A guaranteed way to capture my attention with a classic car is bright paint and an adorable design. This Renault knocks both out of the park. Our friends at the Lane Motor Museum have some details about the Renault 4CV:

In 1898, Alfred Renault, choosing not to go into the family button business, built a small car in a workshop in the garden of his family’s home. The “Type A” was shown at the 1899 Paris Salon. The 4CV symbolizes Renault’s rebirth following massive bomb damage during World War II. Following development work conducted under cover during the German occupation, the 4CV was finally unveiled to the public at the first post-war Paris Motor Show. It was an immediate success, as it became the symbol of new-found liberty after five years of bitter conflict. The 4CV, launched in 1946, was the first French car to top production of a million units and is one of the smallest 4-door saloons ever made.

The selling dealership doesn’t say much about this one other than the fact that it has German papers. Power comes from a 747cc four making 21 HP, which reaches the ground through a manual transmission. That little engine has apparently driven this car 29,219 miles.

It’s the equivalent of $18,254 from Classic Center Köln in Germany.

1984 Bitter SC – Auction

Here is a German coachbuilt luxury car, but for a price not usually associated with such terms.

This car is the work of Erich Bitter. Born in 1933, Bitter’s early life included working in the bicycle shop owned by his parents at 16 and eventually becoming a professional bicycle racer by 20. As his career advanced, including racing in the Tour de France, Bitter earned a relationship with German automaker NSU, which was also building bicycles at the time. Bitter would decide to get into auto racing and had NSU at his side. From 1958 to 1969, Bitter raced NSUs, Opels, Porsches, Ferraris, Abarths, and Mercedes 300SLs.

During Bitter’s car racing career, he opened Rallye-Bitter, where he sold tuning parts, accessories, and racing suits. in 1969 following the end of his racing career, Bitter started importing Abarths and Intermeccanicas. However, as a Bitter owner site notes, the Intermeccanicas were so unreliable that Bitter almost lost everything to keep his customers happy.

Those Intermeccanicas inspired Bitter to start building his own coachbuilt cars but with German quality. Since Bitter had great success with Opels during his racing career, he turned to the company to provide the running gear for his cars. In 1971, Bitter Automobile opened. Its first car was the Bitter CD, a shortened Opel Diplomat chassis powered by a 327 cubic inch Chevrolet V8. Production started in 1973 and ended in 1979 after 395 units were made.

Next came the Bitter SC. Launched in 1979 as a replacement for the CD, this car shares its running gear with the Opel Senator and its styling has been compared to the Ferrari 365 GT4 2+2. The body shells came from Turin-based OCRA (and later, Maggiore) and were assembled by Bitter’s company. The Bitter SC was supposed to help the firm expand and Bitter even brokered a deal with GM to sell the SC through some Buick dealers. Unfortunately, by 1989, Bitter once again ended production after selling a few units. 461 coupes were made, of which 223 made it stateside.

This Bitter SC is up for auction right now at a Bonhams event that runs until September 13. Power comes from a 3.0-liter six making 177 HP that sends power to the wheels through an automatic transmission. The vehicle presents in imperfect, but decent condition with 70,904 miles. Many of these struggle to sell for over $10,000 and few sell for above $20,000. So, this should be a cheap coachbuilt car!

2009 BMW M5 – $25,900

Here’s the car that holds the distinction of being BMW’s first and only V10-powered production car. Here’s a couple of bits from my retrospective on the BMW E60:

Under the direction of Chris Bangle, the 2003 E60 was designed by Boyke Boyer and Davide Arcangeli. The latter designer was a transplant from Pininfarina, where he worked on the Peugeot 406. Arcangeli reportedly finished the E60’s design in 2000, and BMW brass gave it the green light. This apparently came after weeks of difficulty in trying to get the E60’s complex design into a clay model. But Arcangeli succeeded and his baby was set to become the new model.

Sadly, Arcangeli wouldn’t get to see his car hit the road. He passed away later that year in 2000. As BMW Blog notes, Arcangeli’s death motivated Bangle and the rest of the design team to honor their lost friend by pushing the design into production without changing anything.

Starting in 2005 you could get your 5-Series in M5 flavor. Instead of a straight-six or a V8, BMW shoehorned in a 5.0-liter naturally-aspirated V10 making 500 HP and 384 lb-ft torque. That’s good for a 60 mph sprint in 4.4 seconds, a time that would still be fast today.

Most of these cars came with BMW’s infamous SMG transmission. This one? It has a manual transmission. I had to dig through what felt like countless listings to find it. The seller says it’s mechanically solid and can be a daily driver. It’s $25,900 from the seller in Oak Lawn, Illinois with 120,600 miles.

1919 Sunbeam 24 HP – Inquire

Here’s a car that caught my attention with its long, narrow body and excellent two-tone paint. The selling dealership offers some history:

The Wolverhampton based Sunbeam Motorcar Company traded from 1899-1935. During that short 36 year period they produced some of the most important and well engineered motorcars ever to be designed and built in Great Britain. These included not only magnificent Edwardian tourers and limousines, but from 1910-1930 some outstanding racing cars, and even Land Speed Record cars.

In 1910 their chief designer, the Breton Louis Coatalen, a keen racing driver and Land Speed Record enthusiast (“racing improves the breed”, he said), announced the introduction of the 12-16 h.p. car with a 2.4 Litre engine. Subsequently capacity was increased to 3 Litres. A Coatalen redesign of an earlier model the 16-20 h.p. followed, introducing 3.8 Litre and 4 Litre engines. Another pre-Coatalen design the 25-30 h.p. model also received his attention and was upgraded first to 4.5 Litres and then in 1912 to a 6 cylinder 6.1 Litre design. It was this car that formed the basis of the 24 h.p. offered here. In WW1 Sunbeam under Louis Coatalen were very involved in the design and build of some very successful aero engines and other military engineering. The firm was sold to Darracq in 1920 and sadly ceased trading in 1935. The name was then acquired by the Rootes brothers.

Power in this car is provided by a 4.5-liter six. It’s making 23.8 tax horsepower. I haven’t been able to confirm the total output, but other Sunbeam 24 HP models made between 60 and 70 HP. The 24 HP was the flagship of Sunbeam’s range and about 900 examples were built between 1919 and 1921. Around 14 are known to survive. This example was sold new to Guillermo Errazurez Vergara in Chile, the husband of the daughter of Augustin Edwards, British Ambassador in Chile. Vergara reportedly died in a shooting accident in 1923 and the car stayed in Chile until 1964, when it was purchased and shipped to America. In America, the car got a light restoration before it was shipped to a new owner in the UK in 1988. The car’s gotten an engine rebuild since then and now it’s for sale again. Apparently, the car still wears its original coachwork and still has its original carburetor.

Inquire about the car at Charles Prince Classic Cars in the UK.

(Correction: The original version of this article stated total output of this engine was 23.8 HP. I confused myself about the two stated horsepower figures (taxable versus total) and regretfully, listed them incorrectly. Thank you kind reader.)

2005 Honda Big Ruckus – $2,200

The Honda Ruckus is a fantastic scooter with fans all around the world. I’ve ridden one and it was a ball of fun with great looks to boot. If there’s one thing I didn’t like, it’s the fact that a regular 50cc Ruckus doesn’t really go much faster than 35 mph. Fans asked for a Ruckus-like scooter with more power and Honda responded with the Big Ruckus. You get the same utilitarian looks but 250cc of power and highway-capable top speeds. This will top out at maybe 75 mph while looking like no other scooters. Honda answered the call from fans, but didn’t move many of them. The Big Ruckus was available in America for just 2005 and 2006. It lasted a little longer in Japan, surviving from 2004 through 2007.

The seller for this Big Ruck says the scoot has 37,000 miles and that it has been repainted to green at some point in its life. Perhaps annoyingly, the seller’s contact information is blocked by Facebook’s desire to hide personal details in online listings. Thankfully, there is a workaround to this issue. Click here and you’ll get the seller’s phone number.

That’s it for now, thank you for reading!

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