Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
For me, the 190E almost defines the perfect Mercedes-Benz. I’m not a fan of huge cars, so the W201 certainly works on a size basis for me but still embodies all the great things I loved about this brand from the past, including timeless design, solidity and dependability. This 1991 190E 2.6 for sale in South Carolina has the tasty combination of the inline-6 paired to the seldom seen 5-speed manual gearbox. The rare shade of Bornit Metallic makes this baby Benz all the more attractive.
As we get into the slip-slidy ice times here in the Pacific Northwest, all-wheel drive is on my mind more than ever. We are fortunate to have both an E28 M5 and a Subaru Forester in our household each providing fun drives across a variety of conditions, but what if I could have both cars wrapped into one? Sounds great to me, and the first car that comes to mind to fit that bill is the E30 325ix. Deliciously analog in the 80s Bimmer way while dishing out AWD security in any condition is a tasty combination.
This example comes from the state that may hold the highest concentration of ix models, Colorado. It’s been repainted white and is fairly straight, if a little rough around the edges. But I chose this car because any time I see an E30 the Project part of my brain starts turning: what are you going to do in the future? Engine swap, suspension, spruce up the interior – all pretty typical E30 items that this 325ix would be a great foundation for. With 180k miles, the engine may be coming up in not too long, but that will provide an opportunity to get the autobox out as well. It’s no showstopper, but it’s exactly the kind of 80s German metal I want to play with heading into winter.
As fans of the V8 quattro 5-speed wait patiently for years at times to see good examples, it’s still possible to find most of the formula with a bit of added kick in the 1991-only 200 20V. In Europe, the 20V motor wasn’t nearly as much of a revelation in performance over the already more-stout 200 horsepower 10V mill, but in the U.S. it was a 52 horsepower boost over the single cam motor from 1990. The change was met with flared fenders front and rear and a disappearance of badges which had started with the V8 quattro. Granted, the V8’s flare and bumper treatment was a bit more elegant than the unusually patched together flares on the 200, but they both wore the same 15×7.5″ BBS RG forged alloy wheels. The effect gave the 200 a lighter presence, and indeed it was several hundred pounds less than the eight cylinder model. Coupled with not much less power, the turbocharged inline-5 gave the best performance in the Audi lineup and was matched with only a manual. Though the Avant form of these cars is often more highly sought, the sedans offer a tremendous amount of appeal of their own:
We naturally have a certain predilection toward rare cars here at GCFSB even if most of the cars, especially those made by Porsche, remain well beyond the means of those of us frequenting these pages. But that doesn’t make them any less cool to see. The model we see here, a 1991 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Lightweight, was one I did not even know existed. The ad description is long, but it does a good job of providing the genesis and details of the build for the 964 C4 Lightweight. To summarize: the interior was completely stripped of everything that wasn’t essential, race seats and roll bar were added, and the weight savings were completed with aluminum front and rear deck lids and plexiglass side windows. Altogether 770 lbs were removed from the car, making it lighter than its rear-drive brother the Carrera RS. Mechanically, these were fit with an AWD system derived from the 953 Paris-Dakar rally car with controls to adjust the differential bias front to rear and left to right. A single-plate clutch, light flywheel, and shorter gear ratio would help deliver the power, and power itself was up to 265 hp in standard form (the example we see here is said to have an uprated version of the engine producing 300 hp). The 964 C4 Lightweight was in almost every way a racer designed simply to meet the demands of some enthusiastic collectors. What is perhaps the best part: from the outside the C4 Lightweight looks like a 964 with a whale tail and lowered suspension. There’s very little to suggest everything at play here. It’s wonderful!
If last week’s ’93 V8 quattro wasn’t rare enough for you, I’m kicking it up a notch today. Back in March, a rare bird in the German car world popped up – one of the original 5-speed V8 quattros came up for sale, and unlike most it was in excellent condition. However, with 181,000 miles on the clock and an asking price which was semi-astounding at $17,500, it was no real surprise that it didn’t sell. Fast forward to today, and that lovely example is back up on the block with a massively cut asking price to $10,499. That’s still very strong money for a D11, but all things considered if you want an original 5-speed V8 quattro in good condition, there just aren’t many options for you. I think it’s still unlikely to find a buyer this round, but my guess is it’s getting close and there are a bunch of V8 quattro fans biting their lips right now…
