With time many things can be mended. So just because a car was not available in our market during its years of production doesn’t mean that those same cars will never be available. Such is the case with the Porsche 930, which took a hiatus from US shores beginning in 1980 only to return in 1986. For fans of Porsche’s top model those years must have seemed an eternity. All we had were posters and our imagination. European owners suffered no such issues and by 1984 the 930 was sending 330 hp to those wide rear tires, making for pulse-quickening performance that required constant attention and offered numerous rewards for those capable of exploiting its massive performance potential. RoW cars possess a certain allure to many buyers as they possess a uniqueness that is difficult to capture and that allure always is enhanced when the car in question was not available in the US market. Thankfully the days of the 930’s absence have passed and those European models now can be found Stateside along with many examples of the original US market cars. Here we have one such European example: a Guards Red 1984 Porsche 930 Coupe, located in New York, with just 34,721 miles on it.
Month: May 2015
Instead of Friday Fail, today we’ve got Sunday Smokers. I’m not sure what kind of dust is floating around the Dusty Old Cars warehouse, but I think it might be crack. I love Rabbit Pickups – not only was my first car one, but they’re precisely the kind of European oddity that we rarely get in the US but, for some magical reason, were blessed with for a few years in the early 80s. Practical and putting a heavy dose of fun in funky, they even came with a diesel! Today’s example is one of those oil-burners, wears a fresh coat of baby blue paint, and – despite 187k miles – the engine bay looks a great. However, a little closer look reveals some big question marks (like any description at all?) and possible rust spots that were just painted over. Even if it is just cosmetic and the truck were perfect, their asking price of $14,950 (down from $17,899, lucky you!) is top dollar for perfectly restored, low-mile, and modified Caddys. I realize New Hampshire is all about Live Free or Die, but with the amount of drugs these guys are doing, it doesn’t sound like they’ll be living free much longer.
Click for details: 1981 Volkswagen Rabbit Pickup on eBay
2 CommentsAs we neared the final year of the 3.2 Carrera, which would also be the final year of the classic 911 design, Porsche released a couple special models as a send-off (or for the cynical as a way of selling off a few extra chassis) for the car that had quickly become the staple of the brand. But even with those special editions it is to the standard models that frequently we return with such joy. For that is where the variation lies and is most apparent. Here we have another example of an interesting color combination that we rarely come across, but which provides excellent vitality to even an older car: a Velvet Red 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet, located in Florida, with a Burgundy leather interior and 58,000 miles on it. While today the 911 Cabriolet seems as common as any other model, at the time of the 3.2 Carrera’s departure it had only been around a little more than 5 years, with the Carrera itself being the first model to have a Cabriolet during its entire model run. That doesn’t necessarily make these especially rare or anything like that, but this is the first model where we begin to see an evolution of the design and, of course, for those particularly interested in the classic 911 it would be the most advanced on the market.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet on eBay
2 CommentsTo round out my week of posts I thought it would be appropriate to post the top dog of the W126 lineup, the 560SEL. I found a couple pristine examples with rather lofty prices that I considered writing up but in the end it was this example that needs a bit of cosmetic love that captured my imagination. The seller notes that they’ve handled a number of issues and that the only concerns are the state of the hood, top and trunk paint and the A/C system needing service. Other than that, this Bavarian living room on wheels is ready for a whole lot more use, either as a daily driver or weekend warrior.