Motoring Con Brio

17 Responses to “Assorted grab bag of stuff we like”

1. First couple of pulled me in, E36 M3’s clearly weren’t meant to wear anything resembling BRG paint, and the blacked-out B13 Sentra brought back fond SE-R memories. Good grab bag, MCB, thanks!

   brennerl said this on May 14, 2012 at 3:48 am

2. Great collection. I really like the 911 and Cayman silhouettes as well as the drifting diesel wagon. Also, very appropriate to pay homage to Carroll Shelby.

   Scott said this on May 14, 2012 at 8:59 am

3. mmhmmm, that Z with the wats…yes sir! Same with the AE86 and the FC. Look so good!

   Alex B. said this on May 14, 2012 at 12:27 pm

4. As always, I love the Alfas.
   And that Escort looks like the business.

   Shame… no Shelby Daytona coupe.

   tomd said this on May 14, 2012 at 7:17 pm

5. The F430 grill openings look like they came straight from that open-wheel Ferrari race car!

   tom said this on May 14, 2012 at 11:46 pm

6. I was about to write a rude comment about the sentra, when I saw the escort un-hooded. The business indeed. You get a pass. Stellar showing again

   Jim said this on May 15, 2012 at 12:43 am

   • No love for the Sentra SE-R, Jim?!

     motoringconbrio said this on May 15, 2012 at 8:33 am

     • I’ll admit the sentra as a guilty pleasure.
       However, only that era model.
       The Japanese had something going with early 90s compacts.

       tomd said this on May 15, 2012 at 11:40 pm

       • eh, just seems like a Sentra with an R badge. Camry R? Accord R? same diff.

         Jim said this on May 16, 2012 at 1:00 pm

         • aw, no— not with this one. this wasn’t just your usual meaningless badge engineering. these were legitimately good cars that many now consider to be a future classic.

           http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/26/future-classic-1991-94-nissan-sentra-se-r

           motoringconbrio said this on May 16, 2012 at 1:21 pm

   • Pff! Haters gonna hate. The SE-R’s appearance was one of my favorite parts of this week’s grab bag, and if I wasn’t picking up an E30 next week (thanks Drew, Walter and Jared for the advice) I would still be considering a B13 SE-R as an alternative. It is to the 318is what the Datsun 510 was to the 2002.

     rjeffnadeau said this on May 16, 2012 at 2:21 pm

     • glad to hear you’re picking up that car!

       motoringconbrio said this on May 16, 2012 at 2:28 pm

     • I know little to nothing about this car, I was basing most of this on looks. 2002, amazing. 510, even meaner. 318is, awesome. Sentra R, pedestrian at best. I love a sleeper as much as the next guy, but an Aztek that can blow the doors off a Bugatti is still an Aztek.

       This one in the grab is THE BEST I have ever seen, but still the low point of the grab bag. BUT everything has to have a high point and a low point. And everyone would rank this grab bag as A++.

       Hope I don’t get banned!

       Jim said this on May 16, 2012 at 2:44 pm

       • ha, no ban— you are MCB royalty, jim. the cars are worth reading up on, though, if even as a performance car historical footnote.

         i get that it has a hard time escaping its econobox looks, but the same can be said of the mitsubishi evo (lancer), honda crx (civic), and a bunch of other sweet cars.

         http://www.strictlyeta.net/se-r/articles.html

         motoringconbrio said this on May 16, 2012 at 2:48 pm

       • There’s a fantastic photo in an earlier grab bag of an SE-R in action- cornering on two wheels, if I recall. If anyone knows how to find that one, I think it’s a great representation of this car.

         Anyway- dissenting opinions tend to result in interesting debates.

         rjeffnadeau said this on May 16, 2012 at 2:49 pm

         • found it! sixth from top:

           https://motoringconbrio.com/2011/07/11/assorted-grab-bag-of-stuff-we-like-73

           motoringconbrio said this on May 16, 2012 at 3:10 pm

         • Agreed.

           Badge-induced arrogance aside, the SE-R was a solid competitor to the 318is. Then you factor in image and perception…

           BMW positioned the 318is in their US line-up the same way Porsche previously positioned the 924S (vs. the 944) – the decontented cheaper slower entry-level model for people who typically couldn’t afford a real BMW.

           Nissan marketed the SE-R as a premium (for a Sentra, at least) 2-door sports sedan with strong performance and significantly less cost.

           I test drove both of them at the time, and while I’m admittedly pro-German cars, it was hard to see the performance upside to the BMW. Materials design and general feel, favored the more expensive BMW, of course.

           brennerl said this on May 16, 2012 at 3:16 pm