The E39 M5 gets all the press as the best E39, and often as the best M5 ever. Sitting in its shadows is the highly capable 540i. The M-sport came with 6 speeds, M Suspension, and the desirable Style 37 M-Parallels. Today’s has been further upgraded with an M5’s LSD and Dinan chip, helping to up performance levels a little more. Ideally this would be a less-expensive alternative to the king of all supersedans, but the price is dangerously close to decent E39 M5 money. Can the low mileage and choice add-ons make up for missing 100 horsepower and ///M cachet?
Month: February 2014
As prices for well maintained and/or restored long-hood 911s continue to soar, my thoughts always drift back to the 912. The same style and the same driving dynamics, but turned down a notch, all for quite a bit less money in today’s market. And that is the basic story of the 912’s life: an entry-level Porsche for those hoping to get a taste of the marque, but without making huge sacrifices in quality nor performance. As with any car that’s approaching 50 years of age, the numbers of quality examples dwindle with each passing year and the cost of entry goes up. For now, however, the 912 still comes at a quite reasonable cost. The car featured here is a restored 1967 Porsche 912 Karmann Coupe located in California. It no longer wears its original color of Irish Green, but still looks excellent here in Polo Red over a Tan interior.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1967 Porsche 912 Karmann Coupe on eBay
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If you don’t know about the Rothmans Cup 944s, you’d be not the only one. As one of the lesser known single-make race series from the 1980s, the Canada-only Rothmans Cup series didn’t have the flashiest, fastest cars on the planet. It wasn’t even as crazy as the later Turbo cup, where the cars had magnesium and unobtanium bits. No, what the Rothmans Cup was all about was the bare-bones racing. Some of the best drivers in the world signed up, proving the idea was a good one – and the sealed motors ensured a level playing field. It was all about the driving! To help a bit though, the Rothmans cars were stripped to the bones; no A/C, no power steering, no sunroof – and they were beefed up with the M474 Koni suspension and M220 limited slip differential. This isn’t the first time I’ve written up a 944 Rothmans car, as last year we saw a Rothmans Cup in need of a restoration that had trouble trading hands. In much better overall shape and ready to race, this car looks splendid in its original colors:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1986 Porsche 944 Rothmans Cup on eBay
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When I started at GCFSB, it was my mission to raise awareness of two of the most unappreciated cars in German motoring – the Audi Coupe GT, and the Audi 4000 Quattro. Of course, those were my first two cars so it makes sense that there would be sentimental value, but they are genuinely good cars that often get overlooked for not being Ur-quattro enough. I’ve written up some quite nice ones over the past few months, including a Graphite Metallic 1986 4000CS Quattro and Alpine White 4000S Quattro, a car that stunned most of the B2 Audi world by pushing well into the teens. Granted, perhaps it was the perfect storm, but we’ve seen sellers asking serious premiums for mint condition, original 4000s and GTs and today is no exception. Looking splendid in fresh Tornado Red comes this 1985 example:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1985 Audi 4000S Quattro on eBay
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When it comes to the world of the 928, most people think about the repair bills associated with ownership rather than the premier grand tourer from Germany in the 1980s. So advanced was the design that it basically ran into the 1990s still looking quite fresh. Granted, the interior colors and plastic materials are quick to date it, but if you look at the overall layout it is not dissimilar to many supercars of today, and it’s especially notable when you see how antiquated the 911’s dash layout from the same time was. Today it has gotten a bit rare to see early 928s as many suffered from neglect and they’re difficult and expensive to resurrect; but in spite of an apparent engine failure this light blue metallic example has weathered the ages very well, and with a replacement heart and pristine exterior and interior looks like it just awaits a new owner. The best part? Of course, it’s a manual: