Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
Back in December, I wrote up a 944 LS1 swap. I was disappointed that the S2 motor was gone and the car had some questionable wheels and graphics, but overall the smile per dollar ratio was pretty high. Today, I have another LS1 swapped 944; this time, it was a Turbo, and now it’s a track monster. With near perfect 50/50 weight distribution for that sub-3,000 pounds, instant torque and a stiff racing setup, this car is ready to beat just about anything you show up in:
Last fall, Paul wrote up a Jagermeister-livery Cayman S Interseries that reminded us how great these Caymans can look, and what a great deal they are relative to some of the newer 911 race cars. The Cayman S offers most of the performance of the 911 in a more affordable package, and that was topped by the introduction of the classic Porsche racing liveries, such as Martini Racing and Jagermeister. Today’s example is a bit newer than the previous example we looked at; a 2011 model with some Martini/Salzburg inspired graphics. To me, it looks great:
We’ve seen the ways in which a rare exterior color can influence the market for a classic 911 and though we don’t across this as often we do see similar circumstances with a rare interior color. In many ways, that makes sense because as the owner it is the interior that is most apparent and provides us as drivers with our interface with the car. An interesting interior serves to inspire the feelings created within us on any drive, but a boring interior can make even some exciting cars feel more pedestrian. This all brings us to the car featured here: a Guards Red 1988 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa with just over 34K miles on the clock and a really nice Linen leather interior.
We’ve featured a few cars with engine swaps over the last few weeks with BMWs seeming to be particularly suited to this modification, given a healthy variety of motors enthusiasts have to choose from. Carter highlighted a 1986 325es with an M60 swap last month. An E30 with eight cylinders? Surely a recipe for a good time. But if you need to haul a bit more cargo or passengers, the E34 5 series Touring is a supremely wise choice. This final year E34 Touring has received a heart transplant by way of a 4.4 liter V8 and 6-speed manual gearbox. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a sleeper in Imola Red, but you are sure to catch a few unsuspecting people off guard with this Touring.
It’s taken a while, but the Audi Quattro has fairly recently achieved its rightful place amongst some of the greats in motoring enthusiasts’ minds. Part of that, no doubt, has been assisted by surging Audi sales, coupled with a recent ad campaign that has finally acknowledged that Audi built cars in the 1980s. Long considered complex, underpowered in stock U.S. form, and quirky (generally in a bad, electrics having their own mind way), values of these ground-breaking turbocharged all-wheel drive coupes have been steadily on the rise, to the point where buying one that needs some work and refreshing it is no longer an act of hare-kari. This is especially true of the rarest in the U.S. version of the already quite rare Quattro – the 1985 model. Sporting a revised grill and headlight bezels to match the 4000 and GT models’ new sloped design, the 1985 also brought the 8″ Ronals finally to U.S. shores and the car also received the updated dashboard. We last saw a 1985 Audi Quattro sell in the mid-teens, frankly a quite good deal, but this car is on offer and in need of reassembly: