Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
Green is good, even in small doses. The Mercedes-Benz Pagoda series was all about utilizing two-tone color schemes beyond the normal silver over black or black over tan. They’d mix complementary colors together usually on the hard top, hub caps, and interior. They weren’t afraid to take chances, even with non-traditional colors. Case in point, this 250SL finished in white with a Dark Olive hard top and Green Parchment MB-Tex upholstery. Even better? It’s got a 4-speed manual too.
If you haven’t noticed, prices of the 996 GT3 have been on the rise over the past few years, and consequently, it’s no longer the budget Porsche special that it once was. But Porsches being Porsches, there are of course options! Probably smartest if you like the GT3 look but don’t have the GT3 budget is an Aerokitted 996, like the one I looked at in July:
At about a quarter the cost of a real GT3, you’re getting a lot more than 25% of the experience. However, there are also homebrew options, too, and this particular C4 coupe went a step further. Or perhaps a step too far. Or a few miles too far. You decide:
The other day I started to think of all of the various special editions of the M3, and how they proliferated our market. Go back to the first M3, and it was take-it-or-leave-it. Granted, it wasn’t *quite* as devoid of options as the E28 M5, in that you could choose color here. But we only had one configuration and one motor. Jump to the E36 and suddenly there were three M3 variants and one special edition. For the E46, we lost the sedan, and while no special editions came here, we did get the ZCP Competition Package option. Limited Editions exploded in the fourth M3, though, when the sedan returned and we got the choice of not only the Competition Package, but the Lime Rock, CRT, and Frozen Editions.
The names split for the F8x, but the steady stream of specials didn’t stop. In 2017, BMW commemorated its small chassis M history with this car; the 30 Jahre. Now, it was interesting in that they chose the M3, and not the M4, for this car. But of course, you say, that’s because of the name. Rightly so. But then it meant they were selecting the sedan body to celebrate. And, in many ways, the 30 Jahre was the antithesis of the original car. Okay, you get the throwback color of Macao Blue, and yeah – it’s gorgeous. But the E30 M3 was all about the driving experience; not many luxuries and a high-strung race motor with a lot of aero add-ons. The F80? Well, let’s just say this one has a few more goodies, and while the motor isn’t really race-bred, it’s a whole lot more potent:
Nomenclature has been something Audi fans have struggled with, but to be fair the naming scheme from Ingolstadt hasn’t always been particularly straightforward. For example, though ubiquitous as the Coupe GT, there was actually a trim and performance difference between B2 front-drive Coupes and Coupe GTs. Similarly, though U.S. fans often fair to recognize it, the B3 Coupe Quattro was actually the second generation with the name; Europeans enjoyed the option of having a non-turbocharged, non-flared version of the B2 platform which few but the most dedicated U.S. Audi Coupe fans are aware of. Then there’s the name – properly, a capitalized Quattro refers to the aforementioned legend – the model that launched the branding of Audi’s all-wheel drive system. Every subsequent model that followed properly has a lowercase “q†if it sported the optional all-wheel drive. That even goes for models that were only offered in all-wheel drive, such as the V8 quattro. That is, except for the Coupe Quattro, which Audi insisted should also be capitalized. So confusing is the naming scheme that fans have taken to using “Ur†to refer to the Quattro (though proper capitalization would take care of the problem) for not only the original model, but the C4 S4/S6 and I’ve even been seeing it used for TTs, A4s and a few others. It also means that every time one comes up for sale and someone slaps ‘Ur’ in front of it, someone else has to ask what ‘Ur’ means.
But the B3 and B4 Coupe wasn’t just offered in all-wheel drive; there were a long line of optional engines in the Coupe in both two and four wheel drive. However it only came to the U.S. in one configuration – the under-appreciated 7A inline-5 20V motor pushing all four wheels. The B3 ran the second generation of quattro, with the center differential controlled by a Torsen unit and the rear open with an optional, speed limited locking unit. It upped the safety and electronic options to respond to market demands. They were heavy with electronic features including power seats, and passengers enjoyed the confusing safety net known as PROCON-10 – essentially, a series of cables which pre-tensioned seatbelts in the event of a crash. Though the production run of U.S. Coupes was brief at only 2 years and roughly 1700 units, there were many changes over that time. The motor changed ISV valves and computers as well as swapping from a tubular header to a cast iron unit. Shortly into production, airbags became standard on both the Coupe and sedan models. A rear swaybar was added, along with changes to the hydraulic system. All of these went relatively unseen to consumers, making the only notable change the addition of a glass sunroof to 1991 models. For the most part, these cars came fully loaded with the only options being Pearlescent White Metallic paint and power heated seats, unlike the sedan which despite being fewer in number has much more variety in options.
I’ve looked at some cheap Porsche 911s over the years, but never a “rebuilt title US-spec car exported to Eastern Europe” cheap Porsche 911. The 1999 Porsche 911 is generally the cheapest 911 you can buy, with prices in the high-teens for a decent one, but I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen one this cheap that is being offered up in Georgia. The other Georgia, that is.
