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Month: February 2015

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1982 Porsche 911 SC

Up until a couple of years ago I could not have cared less about any Porsche that wasn’t a 993. The older models were nothing but slow, featureless tin cans that were driven by orthodontists and euro snobs. Then, almost overnight I became fascinated with the 964, Carrera 3.2 and 911 SC. I dove into Pelican Parts with reckless abandon, started reading blogs dedicated to each generation and more importantly I learned what made one model’s driving experience different from another. I was hooked on classic 911’s and if I had only listened to my gut I would be the proud owner of an ’88 3.2 Carrera for what would now be considered an obscenely low price, it’s too painful to say anything further on the subject.

As with many new fans of these classic cars, I quickly learned that the SC is widely regarded as the best candidate for a person’s first 911. It’s not dangerously fast, it’s relatively easy to work on provided you’re somewhat mechanically inclined and there is a wealth of information out there to help you learn its quirks. It was (and to some degree still is) the most affordable way to achieve classic 911 motoring bliss but as this advert shows, affordable is a relative term. The big pluses here are that this car has lived its entire life in California, its only traveled 80,000 miles in the last 14 years and the color combination is one of my favorites. The tan leather with brown leather dash and door accents fit perfectly inside the Light Blue Metallic (L30T) shell. Within the last year the owner has replaced the alternator, fuel pump and sunroof cables, which all areas of concern with these cars. He fitted the rather clean Fuchs wheels with decent Dunlop rubber about 6 months ago and replaced all the shocks with OEM ones about 3 years ago. Additionally the car has been equipped with keyless entry, which is nice feature for those of us with thick thighs and an affinity for pants of the more fitted variety.

Click for details: 1982 911 SC On Craigslist

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1997 Porsche 911 Turbo S

I have spent much of this week focusing on the 993, a 911 that I don’t feature quite as often as many other models even though it has very wide appeal and in many cases significant collector interest. For the most part I have been trying to find examples that fit that collector objective most obviously and I will end the week with one of the more special variants produced: the 993 Turbo S. Like any 911 model with a ‘S’ appended to its name the 993 Turbo S was a more powerful version of the standard Turbo. However, unlike some other S variants it didn’t feature a more spartan interior, presumably because Porsche also was producing the 993 GT2 in order to satisfy those seeking both more power and also lighter weight. Other distinguishing features were the rear-fender vents (as we saw with the 964 3.6 Turbo S), redesigned rear wing, and yellow brake calipers in place of the Turbo’s standard red calipers. With only 182 produced for the 1997MY the Turbo S is definitely a rare car and the one we see here in the always captivating Speed Yellow with only 5,489 miles is likely one of the lowest mileage and, for me, best looking out there.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1997 Porsche 911 Turbo S at Sloan Cars

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Ur-Ur-Quattro: 1979 Volkswagen Iltis

Conventional enthusiast wisdom would say that if you want an older, sturdy German off-roader, you want a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen. However, that stance completely ignores a very important vehicle in Audi and Volkswagen’s history – the Iltis. The story is multi-faceted, but it boils down to two different stories; Volkswagen’s need for a replacement for both the Type 181 (“Thing”) and DKM Munga, and the birth of the legendary Audi Quattro. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Volkswagen consolidated the various Auto Union brands into a revised Audi lineup – the result of which was an opportunity to replace Mercedes-Benz as the German military vehicle supplier, a lucrative contract. To do so, Volkswagen built a new Type 183 vehicle using spare parts from the lineup of vehicles it now oversaw – the chassis was in large part based upon the earlier Munga, and the mechanical components based upon the Audi 100. The second story goes that in winter testing of some Audi and Volkswagen products, snow covered roads seemed to be the undoing of all but one of the lineup of cars brought along; the new Iltis simply left the other cars behind and impressed engineers Jorg Bensinger and Walter Treser (yes, that Treser), who theorized that the drive system could see road use. The result was the blueprint for the Audi Quattro that would debut in 1980, but not before Audi and Volkswagen won the Paris-Dakar Rally in 1980 with an Iltis. While the Quattro legend would take Audi to a whole new level in the 1980s, not much appreciation is given to the father of the Quattro – they’re rare to find for sale but offer a neat alternative to the normal off-roader:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1979 Volkswagen Iltis on eBay

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1981 BMW 320is

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For years, the BMW E21 3 series sort of languished by the wayside. If there ever was an annals of unloved BMWs (admittedly a short list) you could have included this very car. However, with the popularity of this car’s replacement, the E30 3 series, taking off, those wanting to go their own way might be intrigued by the first 3 series. It’s not the fastest or most glamourous of Bimmers, but it represents a period of transition for the marque that would set up the company to go from strength to strength in the years to come. This mint 320is for sale in Spokane, Washington has just over 40,000 miles on the clock. Silver over black isn’t the most exciting of colors but it does little to date the look of this early 3er.

Click for details: 1981 BMW 320is on eBay

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1981 Volkswagen Rabbit Pickup TDI

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Today we have a sweet Rabbit Pickup that has gone through a complete restoration and updated to a rebuilt 1997 TDI motor from a Passat. These were efficient little buggers in the first place, but now it’s got a little more power while maintaining the best gas mileage of any truck out there. It may not be the most attractive Caddy we’ve seen, as the emblemless grille and tacked-on hood scoop scar the front while the innocuous grey has that slightly dull finish marking a budget repaint. But the interior is quite nice with Recaros and a nice wood wheel-and-knob combo, underscoring the fact that this little pickup is built for comfort and utility. With just 15k miles on the renewed package, the seller is looking for top-Caddy dollar, asking $11,400.

Click for details: 1981 Volkswagen Rabbit Pickup TDI

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