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Author: Carter

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1977 Aquila

1977 Aquila

Published November 25, 2022 by Carter

Kit cars don’t get much love on these pages. Well, to be fair, they don’t get much love, period. But kits cars do offer something; exotic(ish) looks on a pedestrian budget. And strangely enough, some kit car and limited-manufacture cars have begun to be considered collectable in their own right.

You might not have heard of the Aquila before, and that wouldn’t be a huge surprise – there are just a claimed 137 total that were built in the late 1970s. Like many kit cars, they are based on a pretty standard Volkswagen Beetle platform, but the styling borrowed heavily from Paul Bracq’s BMW Turbo concept – though many assume it was supposed to be the M1. These are far more rare that the M1, though. Does that make it more desirable? Well…no, not really. But it’s still pretty neat to find one! Let’s take a look:

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1988 BMW M5

1988 BMW M5

Published November 24, 2022 by Carter

The M5 might not have been the original super sedan. It wasn’t even the first hot 5-series. But just like the GTI is synonymous with the hot-hatch segment, the M5 became the standard by which all other super-sedans were judged the moment it rolled onto the scene in 1985. Power seemed other-worldly; 280 plus horsepower from the race-derived M88/3 hunkered down with beefy suspension upgrades and huge (for the time) alloy wheels linked with a limited-slip differential. At a time when “fast” cars had 180 horsepower, BMW’s first M-offering in the sedan range might as well have been a space ship.

BMW promised limited production for the U.S. market, too – and, indeed, only 1,239 were produced for the U.S. with the slightly de-tuned S38. Unfortunately, that was 700 more than BMW had promised to make, and that led to a lawsuit. It also wasn’t very long before the M5’s power reign was eclipsed; first by its replacement E34 model, by then the whole range of new V8 models emerging on the market, from the 1992 Audi V8 quattro to the 500E. Values quickly fell as these old-looking (even when new) boxy rockets fell out of favor, and they remained there for quite some time.

But recently there’s grown a much greater appreciation for all things 80s M, and though the E30 has grabbed the headlines as the market star, outside of the M1 it is the E28 M5 that was brought here in fewest numbers. Even fewer have survived, and finding clean, lower mile examples can be tough. This one appears to tick the right boxes:

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2018 Volkswagen GTI S 4-Door

2018 Volkswagen GTI S 4-Door

Published November 23, 2022 by Carter

Seems like I’ve been on the hunt for “perfection” over the past few listings, and a lot of it comes down to the package and colors. That’s no different today. This 2018 GTI is an “S” model 4-door. All three trim lines in the ’18 GTI had the same powertrain; the 2.0T inline-four rated at 220 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. Jumping up to the SE got you a sunroof and some driver-assistance features, while the Autobahn got you more tech as well. But the base spec was a nice trim, even if you lost the sunroof. And one other reason that it was nice was the interior; the Tartan inserts and cloth seats have always been my favorite on these, and they’re not an option as you moved up to the leather-clad top models. As a bonus, this one is also my favorite color of the time – Great Falls Green – and is a manual. With moderate mileage and a few mods, is it a hit or miss?

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2002 Audi S8 6-Speed

2002 Audi S8 6-Speed

Published November 20, 2022 by Carter

This is an interesting follow-up on the 135i. For that car, I loved the condition; I wish mine was close to that nice and had 100k less miles than it does. But I’d much rather have the spec that my car is; manual, red interior, non-M Sport (so light headliner) – it really makes the car feel more special.

Where am I going with this? Well, for a bit over 20 years I’ve wanted an S8. Like the 135i, it’s not a perfect car, but it does a lot of things really well and is (in the grand scheme) pretty affordable as a “dream” car. Today’s example also has already had a manual swap to deal with one of the larger long-term issues of S8 ownership; the weak gearbox. Is the result perfection? Like the 135i…no; but it is compelling. Let’s take a look:

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2010 BMW 135i Coupe M Sport

2010 BMW 135i Coupe M Sport

Published November 19, 2022 by Carter

What’s the price for perfection? Well, it can vary a lot – just like the definition of perfection. Is the 135i the perfect car? Far from it; it has some funky angles, old tech, and is surprisingly heavy for how diminutive it looks. That said, it also packs a lot of punch; in either N54 or N55 guise, it’s got 300 horsepower, Brembo brakes, and is a hoot to drive on the road. These cars were priced in the high 30s when new, and really good examples have never gotten very cheap. Today’s car is a great example of that – probably one of the best-condition and original E82s in the US, with a scant 15,000 miles on the odometer. It was also ordered with the M Sport package. Is it perfection?

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