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So synonymous with the Audi brand is the all-wheel drive moniker “quattro†that you’d be forgiven for assuming that the brand didn’t offer two-wheel drive vehicles in the same vein as Subaru. But before quattro fully gained traction, Audi’s bread and butter was the front-wheel-drive market and they produced some great examples. In part, that was because unlike most other modern platforms that copied the Mini’s transverse engine configuration, in the 1980s and forward to the Golf-based Audi built their platforms to accept the rearward heading drive shaft which necessitated a longitudinal engine configuration. While this pushed the engine weight farther forward than most other front-wheel drive packages, it also balanced power delivery and the driving experience in all of the non-quattro Audis in the 80s was remarkably sprite. Models like my favorite Coupe GT have gained a popular following as great drivers, but the large sedans – especially in turbo configuration – are less frequently seen. This is one of the last made – the 1990 Audi 200 Turbo:
One of the stranger special editions to come out of Porsche in the past few years was the 2017 911 Carrera S Endurance Racing Edition. It was produced to commemorate the marque’s 17 victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which was fine, but the color scheme based on Porsche’s LMP1 racer is really bizarre. That is because you can’t actually read what it says. It is supposed to read “Porsche Intelligent Performance” on the hood and roof, but the font is so large that you have no idea what it even reads unless you are a mega nerd for everything Porsche. Needless to say, this doesn’t appeal to the casual 911 buyer that turns in their lease every three years. Just 235 of these were made, so you probably won’t see many running around:
For as many really expensive cars I take a look at, I try to feature a fair amount of ones that are reasonably affordable in terms of how expensive this hobby can get. This is especially true when it comes down to pure valve for money. Today’s car, a 2011 Mercedes-Benz SL550 up for sale New Hampshire has a selling price of well north of $100,000 back in 2011 and was generally seen at the best buy if you wanted a German roadster. You know what you were going to get in terms of features and quality, and running costs aren’t anywhere near what you’d pay for an Italian counterpart. Now that we are over a decade later with these, that $100,000 price tag is just a reference point and actual prices are much, much lower. How does around $20,000 sound?
If you are going to go Dragonfly Turquoise Metallic, you might as well go all in. I’m sure that isn’t exactly what the old saying is, but in this situation, I’ll buy it. What we are looking at here today is a 2001 Porsche 911 Turbo in the paint-to-sample share of Libelltürkis Metallic. You might remember this exact color from the 1996 911 Carrera 4S I looked at earlier this summer. It looks like Porsche kept that color on top and had enough of it to also paint the legendary Turbo Twist wheels in that color as well. On the inside? Well, surely you weren’t expecting something tame.
Although it’s typically Alpina and Dinan that enthusiasts think of when it comes to high-level BMW modifiers, Hartge also offered plenty to consider. Today’s car is a Japanese-specific model called the H26SP, which was offered first in E30 and later E36 models. Like Alpina, they had special body kits, suspension, wheels, trim, and engine upgrades. Two things are interesting about today’s car – first, it’s a very early E36, and second, that it’s already in the US. Unfortunately things start to unwind a bit after that, as it’s been changed substantially from its original configuration. Still, this is a rare BMW, so let’s take a look:
