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Tag: 2.3

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2000Tuesday: 1976 2002 ‘M2’

Another model missing from the ‘EAG Legends Collection‘ was undoubtedly the 2002. What really should have been there was another early cutting of the Motorsport division teeth – the 2002 Turbo. Like the 3.0CSL, this was an engineering exercise to flex their muscles. The 2002 Turbo was one of the first turbocharged production cars, and while it was a full decade behind GM’s ‘Jetfire’ turbo V8, it produced nearly as much power as the much larger 3.5 liter V8. Slapping a KKK turbocharger to the Kugelfischer-injected 2.0 M10 yielded 170 horsepower and 180 lb.ft of torque making the 2002 turbo a bit of a giant killer.

With only 1,672 Turbos produced, you’re not likely to come across one today. If you do, you’re also not likely to be able to afford it. So today’s 2002 is, like yesterday, a resto-mod rather than an original. This one takes the equation to 11 though, and adds a dose of “M” dna into this beefed-up E10. Ever wonder where all the S14s from M50/52 swapped M3s went? Well, one went right here:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1976 BMW 2002 on eBay

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1986 Audi Coupe GT 20V

This Audi Coupe GT 20V sold for $11,900.

Yesterday’s Jade Green ’74 911 Coupe was for me a ‘Greatest Hits’ example. It was a great color on a great classic, with great wheels, great flares, a great interior and great graphics. While I’m certain it wasn’t for everyone, the 911 market of today means that whatever genre your particular greatest hits are composed of you’ll probably find what you’re looking for.

The same cannot be said for Audi, especially when it comes to 1980s examples. Yet here, today, we have what I would consider to be a pretty good attempt to make the greatest Coupe GT. First off, there are some who like the early Coupe or Coupe GT models, but as I’ve had a string of them my heart beats to the later ’85-up chassis. Couple the better looks with improved European headlights and you’re starting off well. Make it one of the better colors for the GT – Alpine White L90E – and things are still great. Inside, the best interior to match that outside was the limited edition Commemorative Design “Mouton” red leather. You’ll want the Nardi leather wheel to hold on to. Kick the wheels up a few notches to really make the GT look more purposeful, and while you’re there, lower the ride height too.

But it’s the go that really separates this GT. The stock KX is hard to develop, between the lack of parts, the CIS fuel injection, and the lack of parts. Did I mention the lack of parts? You can go the cam route and do a bunch of other goodies and once it’s all done, you’ll come out the other side with maybe as much power as the later 2.3 NG. Maybe. But since the GT is a one-wheel drive wonder, you won’t want to overdo the power department. The solution is the short-lived 7A 2.3 20V DOHC motor found in the 1990-1991 90 quattro 20V and Coupe Quattro. Match the 164 horsepower, 7,200 RPM screamer to the 600 lb lighter chassis of the GT and suddenly you’ve got quite a stunner. And why not throw in some period graphics, too?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1986 Audi Coupe GT 20V on Bring a Trailer

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Right Hooker Week: 1990 Audi 500SE

No, it’s not a typo. And no, it’s not an Audi 5000.

The Audi 500SE won’t be a model that is familiar to pretty much anyone on these pages. But in an interesting side note of history you do know, Audi tried to bring its large sedans to Africa in the late 1980s. After the banning of Group B and the cancellation of Group S, Audi took to Group A with both normally aspirated Coupe Quattros and turbocharged Audi 200s. The 200 was successful at the hands of Hannu Mikkola, winning Rally Safari in 1987. 1988 saw the introduction of the 200 quattro Trans Am to U.S. shores, but few remember that those cars were then used in South Africa in the 1989 Wesbank Modifieds Championship. They would continue on in 1990 and 1991 before being replaced by a rebody of the 90 IMSA GTO car in an S4 chassis – a car which was just on display at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

But without much need for quattro and without the smaller model range on sale, Audi’s showroom was filled with a rebrand of the Type 44. Produced in Uitenhage, South Africa, it was dubbed the 500SE, and it was available with either turbocharging or a normally aspirated motor. Unlike Europe (and later, the U.S.) the model designations did not change with forced induction. The specification was a bit strange, too; like the 1987 Audi 5000S quattro, the 500SE wore the larger brakes and wheels of the turbocharged model even when it did not have one. But unlike those cars, it also wore the upscale dual-chamber 200 headlights. Models like this particular 1990 were powered by the 2.3 liter NF motor that saw duty post 1987 in the late-5000 and early-100 front-drivers and quattros. They wore the later Type 44 updates like the smooth dash, too. Coupled with Euro bumpers and a luxury-oriented interior, it makes for an interesting Type 44:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1990 Audi 500SE on eBay.co.uk

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Deja Vu All Over Again: 1986 Audi Coupe GT

Edit 10/8/2017 – This car is back up again on a new auction with the vinyl removed and/or replaced. The seller removed their ~$5,000 asking price but the car has gone through several reserve auctions and not cleared $3,000.

Do you ever see a car and think it looks awfully familiar? Probably like a lot of you, I scan listings nearly every day, and every day provides a wealth of new examples of rare cars that encourages a lot of what we do here at GCFSB. But, once in a while, one pops up that sticks out like a sore thumb.

Now, being the chief (and only) Audi Coupe GT enthusiast in the world at GCFSB, I’m obviously prone to remembering these cars. Sure enough, with so few hitting the market these days I tend to remember every single example I’ve written up – meaning, basically every single example which comes to market – sorry about that.

But this one is particularly interesting. I immediately recognized the Team Dynamics wheels that this 1986 was wearing, but the two-tone paint color was off. Not many Oceanic Blue Metallic Coupe GTs are still kicking around, but at least the sides of this one were the neat and oh-so-80s-electric hue. But closer investigation of some of the details in the description revealed what I thought; this was the same GT I knew from the early 2000s. Originally, the car was Graphite Metallic with black leather – a rare combination on an infrequently seen car – and had been upgraded to participate in track events in Pennsylvania with a cage, a hotter NG motor, rear discs and upgraded suspension, those great looking Team Dynamics wheels and a few other odds and ends. Later it turned up on the West Coast with a notorious flipper of Audis; now with European H1/H4 lights and little else but failing paint, the flipper was looking to make a profit claiming it was one of the best GTs in the country. In 2015 it turned up on eBay with a Missouri dealer who had wrapped the car in matte blue vinyl to cover up the failing paint; otherwise, there were no changes. The car sold for $3,250 and was gone.

Well, it’s back again. Now apparently in Indiana with a repainted top section in what appears to be matte black and with what appears to be much brighter blue sides, the H1/H4 lights are gone replaced by standard 9004 U.S. spec lights and strangely the black leather late B2 interior has been swapped for a brown leather Quattro stripped interior. Otherwise, few miles have been accrued. The seller is looking now for $7,450 – some $4,200 more than they (or someone before them) paid a few years ago. While the Quattro interior is worth a pretty penny in good shape alone, the removal of the Euro lights and no other additions have me scratching my head as to where the value came from. Nevertheless, I enjoy a mystery from time to time, so here you can look back at what I wrote in 2015, including links to the original build of the car, and decide if it’s worth it for yourself.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1986 Audi Coupe GT on eBay

The original post below appeared on our site in June, 2015

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1988 Audi 80 quattro

The Audi 80 quattro was a great replacement for the 4000 quattro in many ways. And, in many ways, it was a complete let down. It was more quiet with better interior materials and better technology. It also had more power with the 2.3 liter inline-5, but additional sound deadening and more technology all meant more weight, so the new 80 quattro felt slower than the 4000 had. That technology meant it wasn’t quite as “cool” as the 4000 had been, either – you could only lock one differential thanks to a new center Torsen unit, and then at 15 m.p.h. the rear diff would unlock electronically. BOOOO, Audi, BOOOO! How am I supposed to channel Hannu Mikkola if your electronic nannies are undoing my sick slide?

Did it matter that the second generation of quattro was probably better in most conditions for the majority of drivers? Not really. It didn’t matter that fundamentally the 80 was a better car, either. The 80 had three strikes against it before it even went on sale here. First was the price; at around $24,000 out the door with a few options, it was considerably more expensive than even the expensive 4000 quattro had been. Second was that it was no longer top fiddle; the 90 quattro was the upscale model, meaning that if you wanted body-color bumpers, for example, you needed to pony up even more for the “nicer” model. Heck the 4000 had body-color bumpers in 1985 for less money. What was Audi thinking? And to top it off, there was the whole 60 minutes fiasco.

Those factors combined to doom the B3 here, no matter how good it was. In 1988, with the release of a fresh model, Audi barely managed to outsell the antiquated 4000 quattro. The 80 and 90 quattro combined to sell just 94 more examples than the 1987 4000CS quattro had (3,023 v. 2,929). And, that was their best year here, to boot; each successive year, sales fell – 1,947 in 1989, 1,680 in 1990, 655 in 1991 and only 640 in the last year of the B3, 1992. It’s made finding clean B3s very difficult. Despite that, they often don’t hold much value in the marketplace:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1988 Audi 80 quattro on eBay

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