BaT Auction Success Story: Both Sides of the E39 Coin: A Practical Look

Our latest Success Story comes to us from BaT member Escondidoron, who won this 306k-Mile 1986 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 from c137 in an August 2025 BaT auction and set out for a grueling shakedown with the sixth running of Robin’s Run, a rally celebrating the life of his late son.
Escondidoron writes:
Humanity tends to ask certain questions at pivotal moments: “Is this love?” “Do these jeans make my butt look big?” And most dangerously, “What could go wrong?” Everything. In fact, that last question is not a question—it’s a lifestyle choice. It’s the phrase you utter right before the universe quietly cracks its knuckles and draws back its fist. I muttered those words the moment my meticulously planned rally car—a 1963 Porsche 356 Super 90 Outlaw—decided, four days before departure, that its custom six-volt starter would rather retire than participate. There was no replacement, no workaround, and no mercy. Yet, I still had to go.

We last heard from BaT member ABikePeddler in December 2021 for his 10 Questions interview, itself following a three-for-one Success Story published in July of that year. He’s back with a new story about his fourth BaT Auction win: a 2001 Audi TT roadster that he purchased from MichaelDiTullo in March 2025:
Bring a Trailer’s community is a swirling vortex of people from all demographics, from heads of industry to entertainment personalities to us average Joes—it covers the full gamut. And within the huge expanse, there are also stars. The elite. These BaT celestial bodies, sitting in the shadows and hidden behind a username. They are the driving force behind many of the vehicles we dream about—the ones we get to actually experience, if we are lucky. These people are the designers and engineers who make said objects burst to life. Getting to meet a vehicle designer is akin to a Bible salesman getting to meet Moses in the eyes of the automotive enthusiast, so you can rightfully forgive me for flipping the script here a bit as I try to describe one of my most memorable automotive purchases.

BaT member pevans has built himself a home garage of sorts around his BaT wins, which include a 2002 Panoz Esperante purchased from Techno, this 1991 Porsche 944 S2 sold by Pipoto, this 1986 944 Turbo auctioned by jmtwilson, Indy Car carbon-fiber bodywork offered by IvantS8, a quarter midget racer project listed by Markwins123, and his partner’s 1992 Porsche 968 cab bought from Local Partner motorcarmarketusa.
pevans writes:
I wanted to send you a different kind of Success Story. I’ve been building onto my existing garage, and while we were hanging up some wall art, my partner in crime—Brenda—made a remark: this was a garage that Bring a Trailer helped build. I stopped what I was doing and looked around. “Well, I guess it is,” I replied.

This Success Story comes to us from BaT member racecityusa, who won a 2014 Audi TTS Roadster Quattro from CARFINDERDAVID in an April 2025 BaT auction:
I’ve purchased six cars (and sold one) on BaT, so I’m definitely a BaT Alumnus! My latest purchase was a 2014 Audi TTS Roadster for my wife of 52 years. My wife has always loved convertibles and has owned many during our marriage. In 2009, I purchased an almost-new Audi TTS roadster for her from a local high-end pre-owned dealership. It was black over red and equipped with an automatic transmission. She loved the car very much and called it “Just So.” I even had a vanity license plate made for it. Everyone in our Ohio community knew Just So, as did the North Carolina community near Charlotte, where we moved in 2013. This was her primary car for 10 years. By 2019, we were getting older, the area traffic was getting busier, and the car’s technology was feeling dated, so she sold it. Much to my regret, I helped her make that decision.

This Success Story comes to us from BaT member Andrewbaron78, who won this 1978 BMW R100S from scott_dc in a September 2025 BaT auction:
I wasn’t in the market for another motorcycle. But for years, I’ve been saying that a late-1970s BMW R100 would change that, especially if one happened to become available near me. Lo and behold, a friend sent me a link to a gorgeous 1978 R100S listed on BaT located near Portland, Oregon, where I live.

BaT member ardee2002 won this 1993 Volkswagen Corrado SLC VR6 from BaT Local Partner lromanosky in a November 2025 BaT auction, and he wrote in to tell us about it:
After 35 years of waiting, I finally won a 1993 Volkswagen Corrado SLC VR6. When I won this 41k-km example in December 2025, it was fulfilling a Gen-X dream. Born in the late 1960s, I grew up in the peak malaise era, followed by the rise of Japanese sports coupes from the 1980s. Being 6’4″, I never seemed to fit in contemporary Integras and 240SXs, so my university car was a Mk2 Golf—basic, sturdy, and fun. I developed a love for German engineering that never left me.