This Success Story is Part II from Escondidoron, who purchased this 1986 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 from c137 in an August 2025 BaT auction. He then set out for a 2,000-mile rally dubbed Robin’s Run in honor of his late son. Part I can be read here.
Escondidoron continues:
Day Three: Redemption by Cosworth
Greer to Jerome
243 miles—five hours, 18 minutes
Welcome to the Weekly Weird and Wonderful, your guide to the best of the best and the strangest of the strange on Bring a Trailer. Today we have vehicles spanning 110 years of production, including the Undisputed Heavyweight Champ of prewar American cars, a racer so good it was banned at Le Mans, the world’s most practical autocross car, and a rare rotary-powered sedan, among others.
A few of the comments that stood out to us yesterday:
“This car tickles my brain in places I didn’t know it could be tickled”
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jnag commented on CSL-Style 2004 BMW M3 Coupe 6-Speed Conversion
“@Thoney Love the old pics, your Dad was a cool dude ‘57 Chev for mom, a bike for him for sunny days, ( was that a Norton ? ) a motorhome for the family and the Charger with a 4 speed for a blast, beauty car GLWTA I’ll be watching. Greg”
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Gregpryckman commented on One-Family-Owned 1967 Dodge Charger 383 4-Speed
“Impressive longhood. Dogleg, solid door boxes, crank windows, no AC, some patina……tons of originality………oh to be the next custodian of this tiny little open 911😍”
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Caymanorcarrera commented on 23-Years-Owned 1969 Porsche 911E Soft-Window Targa 5-Speed
A few of the comments that stood out to us yesterday:
“WOW! I’m exhausted. Congratulations ttscout. I hope it meets all your expectations and then some. Excited to work with you to get the details done.
Thank you for all the comments, questions, compliments and interest.
I’ve now been on both sides of a BAT auction. Both are equally exciting, fun and nerve wracking. I need a beer.”
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jb2102 commented on No Reserve: 1957 Chevrolet Corvette 4-Speed
“Lauterbach hulls are indeed special as is the family. Thanks for the heads up about the book and reunion. If there was a way to get to the event it sure would be fun.
Back in the 1970’s on Seattles Green Lake were some special times. We would sit on the beach with a battery operated B&W 2 inch TV screen watching Indy and at the same time enjoy the boat races. Some hard core racing with Larry Lauterbach and then Tom D’Eath piloting Lauterbach hulls against John Leach’s Buccaneer.…”
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Buzby commented on No Reserve: 1972 Henry Lauterbach 16′ Racing Hydroplane
“My great grandmother was one of the first VW owners in Montana. I think she was on her third VW when she purchased one just like this, same color, in 1962-63, from the dealer in Butte. By this time, my great grandfather had stopped driving, so she drove them everywhere. One road trip took them west to Seattle, down through San Francisco and finally to Phoenix before heading back home via the Grand Canyon and other sights. Quite an adventure–but just one of many–for two old fuddies in a…”
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jgage1201 commented on 1963 Volkswagen Beetle
A few of the comments that stood out to us yesterday:
“I own an’07 Miata. Nothing goes wrong. Maintenance is inexpensive. It’s a total blast to drive top down. New owner here is gonna be happy with the value he/she gets for the $ spent. These are simply GREAT vehicles. GLWTA”
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Spider_Mike commented on No Reserve: 2008 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring PRHT 6-Speed
“Driver & passenger sound like two kids in a candy store – can’t blame them.
Awesome ride to take to a track on weekends & I’d do school drop off during the week.”
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Micro912 commented on Paxton-Supercharged 1966 Shelby Mustang GT350 Race Car
“@68Vet
Baja California and back to Sacramento in a slant six Dart? That is an absolute adventure and proof positive that these cars were built for exactly that kind of journey. No drama, no breakdowns, just mile after mile of honest reliable transportation through some pretty unforgiving terrain. That slant six was one of the toughest engines ever bolted into an American car and your story is a perfect reminder of that.
Thank you for sharing that memory and for the kind words. That is…”
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heathbrockwell commented on No Reserve: 29-Years-Owned 1972 Dodge Dart Custom 318 Sedan Project
A few of the comments that stood out to us yesterday:
“Getting close now!
We told you about Bill’s event raising money for Special Olympics. It’s called All Italian Day and it’s October 11th this year (https://www.alfaromeoassociation.org/content.aspx?page_id=4091&club_id=233974&item_id=2902395).
For several years we designed the t-shirt for the event. One of the last years I did the design, I felt we had to honor Bill and this wonderful car.
One of the amazing ARA members, still has a new XL shirt and is willing to gift it to…”
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GenauAutoWerks commented on 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider Veloce
“Honored to be the next caretaker of this incredible M3. Huge thanks to the seller for the thorough presentation and to everyone in the comments who shared their knowledge. I’ve wanted the right E46 M3 for a long time, and I’m excited this Laguna Seca Blue example will be joining my garage. It will be well cared for and enjoyed. Thanks again!”
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DailyDrivenPorsche commented on 2001 BMW M3 Coupe 6-Speed
“Can’t believe the options on this one, it has factory Recaros before the ‘is’ was a thing. Plus the sport wheel, sunroof, and it’s in one of the best blues that BMW put on their in the 70s.
This is a neat e21!”
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e9er commented on 9k-Mile 1977 BMW 320i 4-Speed
This Success Story comes to us from zipcode, who won this 2007 Jaguar X-Type 3.0 Sportwagen in a February 2025 BaT auction:
I purchased a 2007 Jaguar X-Type wagon over a year ago, on February 10, 2025, from Vancouver, Canada. We waited until May 2025 to fly from Florida to Toronto to catch the train for a four-night trip to Vancouver.
WINNER’S ANNOUNCEMENT:
We’re back to announce the winner for our Question of the Week, where our victor will accept a $25 credit for a hat or T-shirt from the BaT Gear Store and the acclaim of their peers.
Our question this week: What car would you choose for a T-top conversion?
Thanks to everyone who chimed in! It was quite the open discussion this week, but in the end, one nomination stood out from the rest—the Aston Martin DB7! BaT member @bodhi1601 was the first to it, but he already won a QotW earlier this year, and we want to spread the love around. So we’re awarding the prize to the runner-up this week—congratulations, @EBecker! Check your email to claim the prize.
“Aston Martin Db7 – Nice choice. Really any sport sedan with beautiful lines that you don’t want to ruin with a soft top would benefit from a t-top. Ferrari 400i, 60’s Mustang, Maserati BiTurbo all come to mind. But this week I’ll go along with the Db7.”
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EBecker commented on Question of the Week: What Car Would You Choose for a T-top Conversion?—WINNER’S UPDATE
Our latest Success Story was penned by BaT member ChevyJ, who won one of the 56 1988 Corvette Challenge spec racers from eyedrron in a July 2025 BaT auction:
I’ll be completely honest: I literally didn’t have a good answer when I was confronted with the question: “What are you going to do with it?” I just always wanted one, so I suppose I’ll drive it.
Mid-August is just around the corner, and our friends at Mohr Imports are back with the seventh(!) installment of their Monterey Car Week Collection. This year’s is as eclectic as ever, with a heavy focus on German sports cars this time around. There’s also a quartet of Cobras and Ford GTs, a 16M Scud, an Aston dressed in Ferrari colors, and one of the rarer variants of the Lotus Esprit. The collection encompasses 22 cars in all, spanning from 1957–2022. As a Bring a Trailer Local Partner and a mainstay of the Monterey collector car community for over 40 years, Mohr has provided a series of tour videos featuring the cars from the collection, which showcases many highlights that the area has to offer. They’re calling it “The Local Partners Insider’s Guide to Monterey Car Week” and it’s definitely worth a look.