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Month: June 2016

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1984 Isdera Imperator 108i

ISDERA, short for Ingenieurbüro für Styling, DEsign und Racing, is a small Germany company that you may have never heard of. They are producers of some low volume sports cars, usually packing Mercedes-Benz power. The Imperator 108i was a sports car that was inspired by the Mercedes-Benz CW311 concept car of 1978 and was in production from 1984 through 1993 with a grand total of 30 units produced. This particular 180i for sale in the United Kingdom was owned by Formula 1 driver Mike Thackwell and could best be classified as a museum piece, with only 3,000 miles on the clock.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1984 Isera Imperator 108i on Classic Driver

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Motorsports Monday: 1992 Porsche 911 Turbo S2

At this point I have featured pretty much every rare 964 variant that exists, and as I’ve stated previously there were a lot of rare 964s, more so than other 911 models. I’m fairly certain this one will complete the set, even if the Turbo S2 can be argued to be an option package rather than a distinct model. No matter. With only 20 such beasts produced, so as to meet the minimum production numbers for homologation purposes, the Turbo S2 is one of the lowest production 911s we’ll find across the entire 911 range. Other parts of the world would receive the 3.3 liter 911 Turbo S, a much lightened higher-horsepower variant that provided a wonderful sendoff for the 3.3 liter turbo that served Porsche so faithfully for much of the 930’s life and the early years of the 964 Turbo. For the Turbo S2, modifications were limited to the engine so these aren’t as lightweight and hardcore as the Turbo S, but with 381 hp delivered only to the rear wheels via a single turbo the performance would be very brisk and attention holding. For their production Porsche sent 20 US Turbos to Andial where their engines were modified before being delivered to their new US owners. The example here is somewhat peculiar among very rare Porsches: it’s been driven! Here we have a Slate Grey Metallic 1992 Porsche 911 Turbo S2, located in Calgary, with 91,100 miles on it.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1992 Porsche 911 Turbo S2 on eBay

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1978 Volkswagen Dasher Hatchback

The Volkswagen Passat [née Quantum (née Dasher)] has always been a bit of the odd-man out in the Volkswagen lineup, but each successive generation has offered something special – even in the U.S.. As Paul wrote up last week, in the B7 you could get a TDi manual – something of an oddity in the marketplace last year, as automatic whirring hybrids have ruled the minds and pocketbooks of middle management for the last decade. The B6 had a fantastic hidden gem in the 3.6 4Motion; an unappreciated car in general but perhaps the car Audi should have built. The B5? It was the car that finally made the Passat successful in the U.S., and introduced the cool if too complicated W8 4motion package. The B3/4 had the you-can’t-kill-it-unless-it-rusts 1Z diesel and sonorous VR6 motors. The B2’s trump card over the Audi 4000 it closely resembled was the Syncro Wagon. And the B1? Well, if you wanted a 4-door Volkswagen hatchbach that was a bit more substantial than the Rabbit on offer, briefly your wish could come true:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1978 Volkswagen Dasher on eBay

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2006 BMW M Roadster

The perfect counterpoint to the pristine Golf Cabriolet from earlier is this E85 M Roadster. Now, the M Roadster – in either guise – is not the favorite German convertible, nor is it the favorite M product. Heck, we barely have ever covered the model, either – I wrote one up 3 years ago, but this may be only the second time we’ve looked at an E85 M Roadster. Critics detest the Bangle-era styling among other things, and some will point out it wasn’t even built in Germany, as the final assembly point was the Spartanburg plant in South Carolina. Excuse that for a moment and let’s consider that the E85 M might be one of the best values going in the used performance BMW market. There’s the classic Roadster recipe; two seats, front engine, rear drive. There’s the legendary S54 inline-6 under the hood, and it’s mated to a 6-speed manual. They’re rare, too as they ran only two years with some 3,041 sold in the U.S., which makes it one of the least frequently seen Ms. While not a market darling at the moment, it wasn’t terribly long ago that buyers ignored the E36/7 so there’s a reasonable expectation that they’ll appreciate. Pick up one in a great color and with low miles and it’s just about a sure bet:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2006 BMW M Roadster on eBay

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1981 Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet

For a decade the Mercedes-Benz R107 SL held a monopoly on topless motoring in Germany. Granted, the Beetle Convertible ran alongside the R107, but honestly they were no where near the same product and certainly didn’t appeal to the same clientele. The company narrowed the gap in 1980 though; Beetle Convertible production ended and a new topless VW came onto the market in the Golf Cabriolet. Modern engines and driving dynamics made the Cabriolet a much more appealing affordable option to those who wished to have some fun in the sun, and though Porsche and BMW would join the topless crew a few years later it still seems that the R107 and the Cabriolet personified the ends of the market and both were extremely popular in their own right. While the Mercedes-Benz has been gaining traction as a collector-status car, the Cabriolet has been slower to be appreciated by enthusiasts but a mint condition original model in European trim is certain to raise some eyebrows as it drops its top:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1981 Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet on eBay

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