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The quest for the ‘Holy Grail’. Everyone has their own holy grail among 911 models and for those that are really particular that search gets parsed even further into specific color combinations on said models. Well, among 911 models themselves the one we see here is the one many will seek. Here we have a 1994 Porsche 911 Turbo S Flatnose with a scant 2,306 miles on it. The colors here are Guards Red over Cashmere Beige – a not uncommon, but still eye catching combination on any 911. As you’d expect there aren’t many of them (39 were built for the US) so we don’t see them come up for sale often and they’re very expensive. Interestingly, these aren’t the most rare and sought after of these cars. The even more rare ‘Package Car’, distinguished from these by having the standard 964 nose rather than the 968-derived Flatnose, takes relative rarity even further with only 17 having been produced in total, all of which were for the US market. Holy Grail indeed!
I always thought of the B6 as the compact executive sedan for people a little too quirky to buy a 3-series or a C-class (a bit like a Saab). The handsome, turn-of-the-millennium design has aged well and continues to exude a note of well-heeled class even today. While humdrum four and six cylinder examples can be picked up very cheaply for everyday commuting duties, it’s the high-performance S4 version that really gets the pulse racing. Wearing some sporting exterior upgrades – door blades, redesigned bumpers, chromed wing mirror covers and, usually, 18″ Avus wheels – it remains a rather understated car in outward appearance. But squeezed under the hood is a thumping 4.2 liter V8, good for nearly 340 hp and 155 MPH on the Autobahn. Rev it hard and this thing pulls like a freight train. While the drawback of the B6 was always its questionable reliability and build quality, that motor, combined here with a six speed manual gearbox in a wagon bodystyle, might just be enough to make up for it.
While Andrew and Craig have been the typical purveyors of all-things Mercedes-Benz over the past few months, I’m always drawn to the clean, simple and classic look of the 70s and 80s MB products offered in the rest of the world. Today’s 1982 280SE is a perfect example of this. A W126.026, this European specification S-Class is powered by the M110 double-overhead cam inline-6 which was never offered to U.S. customers. Admittedly, the engine looks a bit lost in the bay you’re used to seeing V8s in, but it’s a proven unit with adequate power – 185 raging ponies, to be exact. However, the 280SE is the short wheelbase model and with European bumpers and missing some of the heavy luxuries, performance should be on par with some of the U.S. spec early V8s, if not better. Even if buying the short wheel base, six-cylinder model may sound a bit ego-deflating, these Euro-spec cars always get my attention:
I think I’ve been neglectful of the GT3, and that’s stupid. These are phenomenal cars. They are perhaps overshadowed by the more extreme GT3 RS and that’s probably the cause of my neglect, but really they shouldn’t be as their capabilities lie well beyond what most drivers can usefully exploit. And unlike the GT3 RS with all of its vents and wings the GT3 makes due with slightly more aggressive lines to separate itself from the rest of the 911 lineup. Well, when one popped up in Signal Yellow my attention was grabbed. Of the various yellows Porsche has produced, I feel confident Signal Yellow is my favorite. With Green, Blue, and Orange (really any of the jelly bean colors) I’m less certain and can sway toward one or another based on the model or just whatever has been capturing my focus at the time. But with yellow, it’s no contest. On a GT3 the color is brought to even greater heights as it marries its beauty with the superb performance of these modern 911s. Very little will grab your attention better than a long-hood 911 in Signal Yellow, but I dare say this GT3 does a pretty good job.
