Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
When I pull the cover off my M3, it still seems like a bit of a dream. I can’t believe that I finally was able to get the car that I really wanted for such a long time. Yet, I still wonder a bit – did I pick the right one? With only around 500 Phoenix Yellow Metallic coupes imported to the U.S. there aren’t a lot to choose from any day of the week, so it is always a bit surprising to see one which outwardly looks exactly like my car. Well, almost exactly…
This seems…reasonable. As always that makes me somewhat wary, but with the air-cooled market having slowed quite a bit coming across reasonably priced examples should become more common. I should emphasize this Porsche 930 isn’t a low price, but given the mileage it does strike me as pretty reasonable. So we’ll have to ask our usual questions, but there is some promise to be found here. This is a Grand Prix White 1986 Porsche 930 Coupe, located in New York, with 51,800 miles on it.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote up a 1995 530i. I noted that despite classically handsome styling and a spot-on chassis, the E34 5-series has remained curiously under appreciated, with the exception perhaps of the M5 variant.  At the time, I admitted that the particular example I posted (an automatic with the relatively underpowered 3.0 V8) wasn’t exactly the best of the range. This 525i probably offers a better all round package than the 530i, and is more likely to be attractive to those looking for a cheap but dynamic daily driver. While it’s not in quite the same condition as that other car, this one arguably has a better engine and comes in a better color, with a more competitive asking price. It also features that all important third pedal.
Many enthusiasts – this author and, in general, all of the writers at GCFSB included – complain that cars have gotten too complex, too heavy, too isolating. An increasing reliance on computer controls to save poor driving skills and reign in huge horsepower certainly produces impressive numbers on the track. But, somehow the charts of ‘Ring lap times, superbike-embarassing 0-60 times and dyno numbers has taken an important aspect out of driving – the driver. However, at the same time that there has been an explosion of horsepower numbers and proliferation of computer controls, there has been a backlash of simple, enjoyable cars to drive. Models like the Elise proved you didn’t need a 10 cam, quad turbocharged V20 to go fast. Utilizing a relatively cheap and reliable inline-4 and adding lightness, the Elise takes the electronics out and relies on you paying attention to everything that is going on in the car to go fast – yet, fast it goes. Similar cars like the Ariel Atom, Opel Speedster/VX220, BAC Mono and, yes, even the Mazda Miata have followed the same recipe. But we’ve got one today I’m betting you probably have never heard of in the YES! Roadster Turbo. As the engineers from Lotus did, the team of Funke and Will from YES! took some proven parts from the Volkswagen and Audi catalogue and dropped them into the middle of an aluminum frame, added some spice and styling that channeled the Audi TT, Opel Speedster, Lotus Elise, the Spyker C8 and a little Lamborghini inspiration and produced one cool little package:
There have always been a lot of interesting colors available for the 911, but Cassis Red remains one of our favorites. It’s not pastel, but it’s not dull. It’s bright, without being too flashy. For some it may come off as too pink for their tastes, but like many metallic shades it varies in sun and shade and always seems to provide interesting contrast. It also seems to be very popular on the Targa. Maybe the way in which the various Targa accents break up the color with black trim appeals to a lot of people, I’m not sure, but it does seem to be more popular on the open-topped 911s than on the Coupes. This one here complements that very nice exterior with a White leather interior. I can’t say I’m a huge fan of a white interior in any application, but this is a rare combination for those who place priority on those things. So here we have a Cassis Red Metallic 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa, located in Pennsylvania, with 74,770 miles on it.
