Top down, wind in the hair, the setting sun reflected off your shades, the burbling sounds of an engine just inches away from your perch in the driver’s seat—it’s not hard to understand why we Americans have been in love with European sports cars for generations. Henry Ford may have put the world on wheels, but the Europeans did a pretty spectacular job of making cars fun.
Given the sheer volume of European automakers, over the decades they took a surprising number of approaches to building sports cars. We have a five such examples currently listed on Hemmings Auctions that display the wide variety of design, engineering and construction that encompassed sports car manufacturing over the years. With examples from every decade from the 1960s up through the 2000s, we have a V8, a DOHC inline-six, a twin-cam large-displacement inline-four, an OHV four and an OHV straight-six. Take a look at these five drop-top European sports cars from different eras now available on the Hemmings.com Marketplace.
1963 Austin-Healey 3000 Mk II BJ7 Convertible
The six-cylinder Austin-Healeys have earned the “Big Healey” nickname over the years, owing to their burly straight-six engines with such a distinctive exhaust note. Big Healeys are common in vintage rallies and tours, known for their drivability and general comfort despite the overall compact size of the 2+2 seating format. This 1963 Austin-Healey 3000 Mark II BJ7 Convertible is noted by the seller as having been purchased by her father around 1967. Mark II 3000’s included roll-up windows and ostensibly full weather protection with the top up, as well as a wraparound windshield for the first time.
The seller shares that a “major restoration” was performed on this car in 1990, followed by fresh leather upholstery in 1997 and a host of services undertaken since she inherited the car in 2015. Those services included an engine rebuild with conversion to Pertronix ignition, new fuel tank and fuel lines, new leaf springs and other suspension work, complete brake service and more. The seller assures that it runs and drives well, with about 5,000 miles on the car since the engine rebuild.
2001 BMW Z3 2.5i Roadster
With a design that included cues from the 1950s 507 roadster and proven components from the company’s wildly successful 3 Series models, BMW’s Z3 ushered in a new era of compact, two-seat German sports cars in the 1990s, with the Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class and Porsche Boxster following soon thereafter. Particularly when equipped with a manual transmission and a six-cylinder engine, the Z3 is noted for its sharp handling, with seemingly immediate responses from its fast-ratio steering and brisk acceleration from the twin-cam six.
This 2001 BMW Z3 2.5i Roadster is listed by the selling dealer as having its original Sienna Red Metallic paint and Sand Beige leather interior. This Z3 benefits from an upgrade instituted across the board for BMW in 2001, with the new 2.5-liter engine rated at 184 horsepower and 175 lb-ft of torque. The five-speed manual transmission features relatively close ratios to get the most out of the high-revving BMW engine. Simple black-on-white gauges add to the back-to-basics sports car feel, even with air conditioning, cruise control, power windows and a power-operated soft top.
1987 Mercedes-Benz 560SL
Mercedes-Benz manufactured its R107 roadster models from 1971 all the way through the 1989 model year, making it one of the marque’s most long-lived models. Sold in the U.S. with V8 engines only, the two-seat convertibles earned a reputation for luxury and longevity envied by not only other car owners, but other car makers. Benefiting from a decade and a half of refinements and improvements, the final iteration, sold here as the 560SL from 1986 through 1989, included the largest displacement engine the factory ever fitted to an R107 in the U.S.
This 1987 Mercedes-Benz 560SL shows a California history from at least 1993 and its odometer showed just over 84,000 miles at the time of submission. Its black finish and black leather interior are both believed to be original. The seller notes some “$25,000 in maintenance procedures” since acquiring the car in 2011.
1994 Porsche 968 Convertible
The Porsche 968 was the ultimate version of the company’s water-cooled, front-engine, four-cylinder sports cars. With the majority of the engine behind the front axle and the transmission mounted directly on the rear axle, it had near 50:50 weight distribution. That normally aspirated four-cylinder engine displaced 3.0-liters—one of the biggest inline-fours of modern times—and was rated at 236 horsepower and 225 lb-ft of torque. Though an automatic transmission, a.k.a. “Tiptronic” in Porsche-speak, was available, a six-speed manual transaxle was standard equipment.
This 1994 Porsche 968 Convertible was submitted with just under 55,000 miles on the odometer and is equipped with a six-speed manual to make the most of its big four-cylinder engine. Its Midnight Blue Metallic paint is noted as original, as is the Classic Grey partial leather interior. It appears to be unmodified, save for the AZEV five-spoke alloy wheels.
1972 Triumph TR6
A break from prior TR models that were designed by Michelotti, the TR6 featured a body styled by Karmann from Germany. Powered by a Triumph 2.5-liter OHV straight-six, the TR6 offered performance that was a step above the contemporary MGB. Like the vast majority of postwar sports cars from the U.K., most TR6s were sold in the U.S. There were essentially no other reasonably priced, six-cylinder British convertibles available in the 1970s and the TR6 sold well as a result.
This 1972 Triumph TR6 carries the distinction of being listed as a one-owner vehicle, with the owner sharing that he bought the car new as a graduation gift to himself in 1972. He still has the original bill of sale! Unrestored and said to feature its factory paint, engine, transmission and interior, the car appears to be in good condition for such an original-condition example. Only the top is indicatedi as having been replaced. There are some noted foibles, such as fuel and temperature gauges not working and some oil “seepage,” but the car is said to run and drive properly.
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