Getting Lucky: Buying a Rare RENNtech C38 for $1,000
A whopping $25,000 worth of upgrades on a C320. Is this the real deal or an amazing fake?
There is always the dream of finding a rare, enthusiast car in an unconventional place like an auction. Could you imagine if the auction house had no idea about how rare or unique the car was and just sold it like any other vehicle? You’d be in for a steal. Well, some times dreams do come true because this is what happened to Alex Palmeri from Legit Street Cars on YouTube. Let’s tune in to understand the full story.
Recently, Palmeri had bought 1999 C43 AMG for $200 (it seems he has a knack for finding good deals) from the same individual who would come to sell him an even rarer C38. This individual had bought the car from auction for only a measly $1,000. At the time, Palmeri wasn’t even sure of what a C38 was and neither were we until doing a little bit of research. The C38 is actually a stock C320 W203 that has been sent in to the legendary RENNtech for a complete overhaul.
The car may have started with a boring 3.2L, but the company quickly made work of that by boring the engine out to 3.8L and adding a host of power mods, such as exhaust and an intake. This upgraded engine doesn’t make crazy power compared to modern day engines, but 291 HP and 305 ft/lbs of torque won’t result in a slouch either. Not to mention, this upgrade from RENNtech was far from cheap. The cost was estimated to be around $20k to $25k back in the day during the car’s production.
Was this worth then money back in the early 2000’s? Absolutely not, but as a used deal almost two decades later? You best believe it. According to Palmeri, the car was listed for sale around five years ago for $12,000, but never sold. Now, they managed to buy it for next to nothing. Palmeri is a little bit dubious about whether or not this car is the real deal, so he takes a look at it for the first time with his YouTube audience.
Starting off, the car does have authentic RENNtech exhaust tips and a really beautiful purple/blue paint color that really stands out. Another thing is the real RENNteh wheels with fresh tires and Brembo 4-piston rear brakes and 6-piston front brakes. An authentic RENNtech shift knob and the interior being in great condition really is selling the fact this car is not a fake. According to Palmeri, this car was most likely some one’s daily and was actually really cared for even with the 135,000+ miles.
Do you guys think that this is a real C38 from the early 2000’s or just a really good copy cat? Let us know in the comments below.
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