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Month: September 2017

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1989 Porsche 911 Speedster

1989 Porsche 911 Speedster

Published September 30, 2017 by Rob

It’s been a while since we checked in on the 911 Speedster so I figured it was as good a time as any to see how the market is appreciating these very collectible 911s. Plus, this one looks really nice. As we check in a couple things quickly become clear: despite the air-cooled 911 market generally showing some stagnancy that has not hindered Speedster values. They’re still quite expensive. Relatedly, there are still a good number of ultra-low-mileage examples to be found. The 911 Speedster found its way into many collections from the jump and that has meant they rarely see the light of day. We’ve seen a couple of them with more miles – and if you happen to want a Speedster so you can enjoy some driving it’s highly suggested you seek those out since prices are far lower – but they seem the exception.

This one ably demonstrates each of those points. Here we have a Grand Prix White 1989 Porsche 911 Speedster, located in Texas, with Tan interior and just 8,713 miles on it.

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Back Again and Still Impossibly Clean: 1989 Porsche 944 Turbo with 283,475 Miles

Back Again and Still Impossibly Clean: 1989 Porsche 944 Turbo with 283,475 Miles

Published September 30, 2017 by Carter

Edit 9/30/2017 – A little over a year later, the 5th owner of this high-mileage 944 Turbo has placed it up for sale with a $15,000 ‘Buy It Now’ after adding only about 20 miles to the odometer. The auction is also no reserve and the starting price is exactly what the seller paid in 2016. The seller even gave us props! – Ed

It’s easy to become obsessed with low mileage, absolutely pristine museum pieces. Walk up to one at a show and it’s like stepping into the DeLorean with Doc Brown, because apparently wherever that owner’s car is going they don’t need roads. On the other end of the spectrum are cars that have accrued countless miles; an old, torn pair of jeans that has more stories behind it than threads in its behind. Occasionally, though, a car pops up that is a testament to careful enthusiast ownership while still having been used for its original intent and purposes. Wearing mileage as a badge of honor rather than, as many do, acting like it is a death sentence, they are impressive cars without consideration of mileage but moreso when one does. Generally these high mileage heros turn up as Audis or Mercedes-Benz products that have rolled odometers into the stratosphere. More than occasionally we’ll come across an E28 BMW nearing a quarter million. Porsches, however, usually don’t see those types of numbers – especially highly prized turbocharged models. But though today’s 1989 Porsche 944 Turbo is pushing 300,000 miles, it looks like it has only seen a fraction of that number:

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1981 BMW M1

1981 BMW M1

Published September 29, 2017 by Carter

There are a few strange similarities between yesterday’s 1987 Volkswagen Scirocco 16V and today’s subject – the much more elusive and legendary BMW M1. Both were sporty cars developed from more pedestrian beginnings. Both featured high-revving dual-overhead cam motors. But the interesting part comes in the sublet of construction, and the design. Both have links to Giugiaro, but both also borrowed heavily from other designs.

In an article I penned for The Truth About Cars last year, I covered some of the development of the Wedge Era and how those spectacular show car designs channeled their design language down to more pedestrian models. One of the stars of that article were the cutting-edge looks from Giugiaro’s ItalDesign – the firm, and man, responsible for some of your favorites such as the basic shape for the Audi Quattro. But while the Quattro launched its brand into the luxury realm and redefined the 80s, the undisputed German star of the wedgey wonders was the BMW M1.

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1984 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet with 9,373 Miles

1984 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet with 9,373 Miles

Published September 29, 2017 by Rob

Ah the fabled barn find. It’s the stuff of legend in the vintage car world and it seems like no prestigious auction goes by without a car or two crossing the blocks under such a designation. I can’t say they’re necessarily the type of thing I look for – after all these are more or less neglected cars – but I will admit they can make for some very interesting discoveries. Take the 964 3.8 RSR auctioned last May, or the 1973 911 Carrera RSH I opened the year with as examples. Finds like those truly are legendary.

This one isn’t properly a barn find since it was sitting in a garage intended for housing the owner’s car collection, but it possesses most of the typical ‘barn find’ attributes, right down to a heavy coating of dust. This is a one-owner 1984 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet, located in Chicago, with a mere 9,373 miles on it. It’s been cleaned up and provided with servicing to refresh a good deal of the neglected materials and now sits looking not too different from how it left the showroom.

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1987 Volkswagen Scirocco 16V

1987 Volkswagen Scirocco 16V

Published September 28, 2017 by Carter

I can say with utter confidence that I’ll never own a Scirocco II. Here’s the weird part – I’m not exactly sure why.

It’s not as though I don’t appreciate the design, though how it came about is somewhat suspect. Volkswagen canned Giugiaro as the replacement designer for the exceptionally beautiful and unique first generation car, moving in-house to Karmann for the second go at the Golf-based sport coupe. The result looked suspiciously like Giugiaro’s Italdesign Asso di Fiori from 1979, though – the car that became the Isuzu Impulse. Two years later, and Viola! the Scirocco II debuts from Karmann with a near identical shape. On top of that, the mechanicals continued to be based upon the first generation Golf, while the A2 series went upwards in refinement. To me, because of the short wheel base and long overhangs – especially highlighted with U.S. spec bumpers – the second-generation Scirocco has just never looked quite right. The visually similar Audi Coupe was better balanced both in design and driving characteristics, and ultimately there wasn’t a huge price gap between them. A 1986 Scirocco 16V, with a few options, was yours for about $13,500 – only about $2,500 shy of the basic Coupe GT. But the performance nod went to the later 16V version of the Scirocco.

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