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2004 BMW X5 4.8is Black Sapphire Metallic, Cream Beige Nappa Leather, Panoramic moonroof, Ski bag, Park distance control, Premium hi-fi system, Rear manual sunshades, Rear seat back adjustment, Heated front and rear seats, Navigation system, 6 disc CD Changer, 20" wheels, Xenon headlights w/dynamic auto-leveling, Heated leather-wrapped sport pwr tilt/telescopic steering wheel w/cruise/audio controls, Alarm system w/interior motion detector, xDrive fulltime all-wheel drive system, Liquid-cooled alternator, Sport suspension calibration, Engine-speed-sensitive pwr rack & pinion steering, Adjustable ride height (4-wheel air suspension), 6-speed automatic transmission w/OD-inc: adaptive transmission control, Steptronic gear selection, sport/manual mode, Acoustically decoupled final drive w/hydraulic rear mount, Double-pivot strut-type front suspension, Front twin-tube gas pressure shock absorbers, 4.8L DOHC 32-valve V8 engine w/variable valve timing, 355 HP / 370 ftlbs. Torque, Self-leveling rear suspension w/air springs, Black chrome exhaust outlets, Front subframe w/dual hydraulic mounts, Front/rear stabilizer bar, 4-wheel ventilated disc brakes, 24.6 gallon fuel tank, Aluminum 4-link integral rear suspension. | |||||||||
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2007 Trailblazer SS, 6.0 liter LS2 V8 400hp, Black/Black, DJM front control arms and Strut re-locators, Lowered rear actuators and HAL QA1 coilovers, K&N CAI, Black badges, Polished front bowtie | |||||||||
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A few Porsche enthusiasts will remember the four door prototype, called the Type 989, that Porsche began developing in the early 1990s based on a stretched 911 chassis with a rear mounted 8-cylinder engine and four doors. The project was eventually shelved, but the 989 hardware was reverted back to a two door configuration and evolved into the Type 996 or 1999 911 that we see today. The foor door Porsche spirit lives on, however, in the form of another Stuttgart car. In 1990, Mercedes decided to develop a high performance version of their successful 300E model which debuted in 1986. Porsche was contracted to engineer the modifications necessary to transform an ordinary 300E into the very special 500E. However, the extensive modifications to the floor and external sheetmetal meant the 500E could not easily be built on the normal assembly line at the busy Mercedes Sindelfingen plant. So, Mercedes also called upon Porsche to perform the assembly of the 500E at Porsche's Rossle-Bau plant in Zuffenhausen. The contract called for 8 to 12 500Es per day, 2400 per year, built to the highest quality. During the 1992-1994 production run, Porsche's Rossle-Bau facility was operated by Old World standards: cars were built on wheeled pallets and were moved by hand from station to station as they were assembled. Electric spot welding was also done mostly by hand. This process is a major reason why I would place a special value on the 500E, as no other modern-day Mercedes has received so much care in assembly and quality control. Each 500E started life at the Rossle-Bau plant where the basic body shell was completed, including doors, trunk, and hood, and then transported on special trucks to the Mercedes Sindelfingen plant across town. There, the body was corrosion-proofed and painted, giving it the full measure of rust protection and allowing customers to choose from the entire palette of Mercedes colors. Then each 500E went back to the Porsche plant for more assembly. Engines, transmissions, and other major mechanicals were assembled by Mercedes and shipped to Porsche for installation. Then another trip across town, back to Mercedes, where each 500E received a final inspection before delivery or export. On average, it took 18 days to build each 500E, much of which was consumed by transportation time. Porsche's modifications to the original 300E included splaying-out and reinforcing the frame rails, widening the driveshaft tunnel, modifying the front axle crossmember and other engine bay components to accept the 5-liter 322-hp V8 engine that was also specified for the 500SL at that time and weighed 70 lbs more than the 300E's inline-6 engine. The heavy duty battery was moved to the trunk to achieve an ideal 50:50 weight balance with two occupants and 175 lb of luggage aboard. 500SL-sourced wishbone suspension pieces and steering linkages were reinforced to accomodate the 500E's increased weight. The 500E stands nearly an inch lower than the 300E due to shorter and stiffer springs with plastic buffers and gas pressurized shock absorbers with internal damping springs. A hydraulic self-leveling suspension is standard equipment. 11.8-inch vented disc brakes in the front were sourced from the 300CE, and the 10.9-inch vented rear discs were the same as the 500SL. Wider wheels and tires resulted in a 1.5-inch wider track, and the wheel well fenders were flared out to better accomodate the extra width. While the 500E's engine was the same M119 V8 used in the 500SL, the 500E was specified with Bosch LH Jetronic fuel injection (the 500SL used KE Jetronic) and a redesigned intake manifold with longer runners that resulted in an additional 22 lb-ft of torque, developing a maximum 354 lb-ft at 3900 rpm. To handle the extra horsepower and torque, the 500E's 4-speed automatic transmission was sourced from the 500SL model, as well as its rear axle that used a 2.82:1 differential to fully exploit the V8's torque. ASR traction control was standard and no defeat switches were provided by the factory (aftermarket defeat switches are available, however). Like all other Mercedes transmissions at that time, the default starting gear was 2nd, presumably to ensure smooth acceleration. There were two ways to force a start in 1st gear: either floor the gas pedal, which resulted in a less-than-smooth kickdown, or by moving the gear selector down and over to B, then back to D (this tricked the gearbox into starting off in 1st, regardless of throttle position). Factory performance figures were 0-to-60 mph in 5.6 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph. With the standard ASR, most real-world acceleration runs produced 6.0 to 6.2 second results. With ASR defeated via aftermarket equipment, sub-6 second times would be more reliably achieved. The 155 mph top speed was electronically limited, in accordance with the Audi/BMW/Mercedes agreement to avoid escalating top speed wars. The 500E's competition was the BMW M5 and Audi S4 (not to be confused with the 2000 S4 which is a high performance version of the A4; the 1992 S4 was a high performance version of the then 100/200 model, now A6 model). The M5 was typically more desireable to track enthusiasts because of its standard manual transmission (no automatic was offered) and beefy inline-6 engine. The S4's standard Quattro four wheel drive appealed to all-season sport sedan owners. But the 500E was the king of the autobahn with its torquey V8 engine and tank-like build quality. The kind of driving fun you experience in the 500E is not the sort of tail-out tire-smoking session you could have with an M5, but rather an impressive display of smoothness and effortless power delivery and roadholding grip that can only fully be appreciated on the long, winding, high velocity roads of the Autobahn and Autostradas of Germany and Italy. The 500E had few faults. The single windshield wiper arm, although engineered to clear most of the windshield with each stroke, cannot compensate for high speed duty. The climate control system was not very friendly to use, and not very accurate in keeping the cabin at a steady temperature. And, as already mentioned, the ASR was non defeatable (Mercedes has since offered ASR defeat switches in its high performance models beginning around 1995). The 1992-1994 Mercedes 500E is truly special because of its unique involvement with Porsche, something no other Mercedes model can claim, past or present. That distinction alone makes the 500E desirable to both Mercedes enthusiasts and Porsche enthusiasts. And unlike the AMG Mercedes models of today, with their attention-getting 18-inch 5-spoke wheels and sculpted lower body panels, the 500E looks nearly identical to its plebian 300E sibling, truly defining the old adage "a wolf in sheep's clothing". | |||||||||
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1995 Impala SS Exterior T-84 Export Headlight Capsules Clear Image 2 piece Billet Grill Clear Corner Lenses 80/100 H4 Bulbs Wig Wags- Multi-pattern Tinted Windows Body Side Molding Delete 1961 Cross Flag Emblems- Front Qtrs. 1962 Impala SS Emblem- Rear Trunk Lid LEDSS- Full Panel LED Tail lights Red Calipers and Rotors 9C1 Wipers Full SSCA Trunk Kit- Side Panels, Hinge Covers, Elevated Floor Black Painted Gas Tank Straps & Differential Cover Cangialosi Front End Bezel Kit Interior Black Dashhugger Dashmat Dashhugger Console Cover Custom Rear Speaker Grills LED Interior Lighting 3 Piece Black Floor mat Set w/ Impala SS & Logo Embroidered Momo Steering Wheel Billet Specialties Polished Steering Column Kit Carbon Fiber Dash Kit Full SSCA Trunk Kit- Side Panels, Hinge Covers, Elevated Floor Full Size Budnik Tiller FL Spare (19x8) Z28 Instrument Cluster Black Carpet Corvette C5 Front Seats- Black Black Leather Rear Factory Seat Stereo- Sony CDX-910 Mobile ES Head Unit Sony 210 Time Delay/ EQ Unit Boston Acoustics 6 ¼” Separates, Kicker 10” Free Air Subwoofers Kicker ZR360 & ZR240 Amps (900Watts Total Chassis Budnik Tiller FL Wheels- 19x8 front, 20x10 rear Yokohama AVS Sport Tires- 245/35/19 front, 285/30/20 rear F-Body Front Sway Bar Energy Suspension End Links 9C1 Body Bushings Fel Pro Rear Gasket GM 3.73 Rear Gears Herb Adams Rear Sway Bar Hotchkis Upper & Lower Extended Control Arms Buick Frame Brace Suspension Techniques 2” Lowering Springs Engine Paxton 1LE Polished Elbow Chrome Team SS Pipe and Air Box S&B Cone Filter SLP Stainless Coated Headers Stainless Coated Catalytic Converters Flowmaster Mufflers H Pipe Resonator Delete Borla Tips Coolflex Hoses 160 Degree Thermostat MSD 6AL MSD 8.8 Super Conductor Wires Hypertech 53,000 volt Coil Throttle Body Bypass Permacool 14” Electric Fan Air Pump Delete Billet Specialties Master Cylinder Cover Chrome Power Steering Cap Chrome Coolant Cap Polished Alternator, Fan & Pulley Polished Water Pump B&B Polished Valve Covers Innovators West Polished Fuel Rail Covers MBA Polished- A/C Pulley, Tensioner Pulley, Power Steering Pulley, Balancer Pulley, Relay Cover, Cruise Cover, MAP Cover Chrome Bolt Caps and Stainless Steel Hardware- All Engine Compartment Washer Bottle Delete Transmission T-56 6 Speed Transmission Conversion Conversion Kit From BigFastCar.com Hurst Shifter Spec Clutch and Pressure Plate | |||||||||
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Various Mercedes 500E500 | |||||||||
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