Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
The 1987 Volkswagen Scirocco 16V we featured earlier in the month is now up for auction, still showing about the same low miles on the clock. Why sit there and sulk that Volkswagen won’t bring back the Scirocco when you could have an equally cool vintage one like this?
Just the other day, I caught an episode of the British show Wheeler Dealers involving a Porsche 924. The basic premise of the show, if you haven’t seen it, is to find a classic car, do a light mechanical and cosmetic freshening, and sell the car. While “flipping” usually isn’t appreciated by enthusiasts, this show actually documents how a backyard mechanic can not only find these cars, but correct some of the obvious flaws easily to make a nice running driver. There aren’t many that really appreciate the original base Porsche 924, but in this episode the hosts restored an original 924 and talked about what a fun, affordable project they could be. It’s really amazing; for a car that was originally destined to be a Volkswagen coupe, it ironically probably would have been better valued had it ended up under the banner of its original more pedestrian marque. Find a 1970s Scirocco or Rabbit in clean, mostly original and serviceable condition with low miles and you’d have a bidding war. But we regularly find good condition Porsche 924s; for the most part, no one wants them:
As we round off another Wagon Week here at GCFSB, we’ll take a look at something a little bit different. The original Volkswagen Passat, otherwise known as the Dasher in the US market, would replace the Type 3 in the lineup, ushering in a new era of larger, front-engined, water-cooled vehicles. Successive generations of the Passat would see the car grow further in size, with four-wheel drive as an option on some models. The fifth generation would go on to be quite a success and help drive Volkswagen’s comeback in the US. This early Passat L Variant for sale in Hamburg, Germany isn’t fast, luxurious or flashy, but in Manila Green, is rather eye catching. Rarely do you see them this nicely preserved.
Another car showcased with beautiful photography. I love it! I can’t be the only one that spends extra time going over the details of a car simply because it’s been presented well so I’m not sure why more sellers don’t do something like this. Anyway, this car also happens to have quite a few details to peruse so in this case the extra time is needed. Here we have a Black 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 Coupe, located in Oregon, with Black and Tan interior and 91,204 miles. So we have a nice looking 964 that comes from the very first year of the Carrera 4’s existence. From there things get quite a bit more interesting. The engine is now a 3.8 liter with Carrera RS spec clutch and flywheel. That extra power is brought to a halt using “Big Red” calipers and rotors and controlled by a suspension upgraded to Carrera Cup trim. The interior has been kept mostly stock with the exception of Recaro seats and 5-point harnesses to keep the driver and passenger securely in place. All together, a car that looks really nice and should perform very well!
Here we have something special: a 1977 Porsche 911 Turbo Carrera owned and rebuilt by Magnus Walker, aka Urban Outlaw. Walker’s works run the gamut from original restorations to fully custom-modified cars and typically his builds center around early 911s from the ’60s and ’70s. This Turbo Carrera sits nearer the original end of his spectrum; a car he returned to glory rather than try to take it into another dimension. And perhaps that shouldn’t surprise us given how great the Turbo Carrera was from the beginning. The looks, the performance, and the spirit are all pure 911, but turned up by a few degrees. Upon first release the 911 Turbo used a 3.0 liter flat-six mated to a 4-speed transmission. These are most distinguished from turbos produced from 1978 and later by their use of the standard whale tail found on other 911 iterations rather than the tea-tray and intercooler of the 3.3 liter turbos. Powerful, challenging to drive, and beautifully proportioned. Porsche’s initial forays into turbocharging the 911 made its sporting pretensions crystal clear and they have hardly looked back.