I sold my 460 a year later to make room for my company car, which enabled me to buy myself 'something on the side'. A 340 was very high on my list and because it wouldn't have to suffer that much mileage being a hobby project, I chose a belt-driven one. There are loads of these for sale in the Netherlands thanks to all those caring elderly people who made them survive.
It's this car I'm rather attached to: a 340 GL Special which was first registered in September 1991, even though production ran out six months earlier. The poor thing was sitting on a garage lot for months since its previous owner decided to swap it for a younger motor rather than bringing it in for a service. I paid the price for that since I have encountered all the usual worries: a rough running engine and a seriously malfunctioning variomatic. Those problems have largely been solved since then, even though it was very off-putting to have the engine cutting out at traffic lights with a transmission that doesn't allow starting when in gear.
There's still some work to be done - but at least it is rust-free and in pretty good nick. I fitted some nice rims off a 360 GLT and that huge clock in the instrument panel has been replaced with a rev counter to be able to monitor whether the transmission shifts properly. Due to it being the 'top of the range' 340 in its final years, it's got electric windows, central locking and heated seats!
This '85 360 GLS is a recent addition to the collection. It was salvaged by another V3C member and some welding has been done to make it pass the MOT. There's still a huge amount of work required, apart from the bodywork.
