Originally Posted by JohnM.

Indeed. It just seems most people resign themselves to the fact that the stock M103 is never going to be fast. The transmission on mine is also quick, snappy and changes gear at the right times. If you learn the shift points (and double kickdown points) and drive accordingly, you can make the 300E look damn impressive. Mine just had a "proper" head job done, nothing too fancy. The compression on my motor is a little higher due to the fact I had the head skimmed by the machine shop the smallest bit. I looked a good ten or so 300's before choosing mine. It doesn't take much neglect over the course of just one owner.....to turn these cars into granny shifting pigs that can barely get out of their own way......

In its day the 300E was a FAST 4 door sedan. I mean the non-turbo 944 was almost a full second slower 0-60. It is not FAST by today's standards, more like QUICK.....As you said, or someone else; minivan's can now crank out sub 8 second 0-60's. But it's all in how you get there. And how reliably you can get there well past 200K. .