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Author: Carter

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1993 Volkswagen Corrado SLC VR6

1993 Volkswagen Corrado SLC VR6

Published June 22, 2017 by Carter

Edit 11/23/2017 – the asking price on this Corrado has dropped to $16,995.

I think this Corrado SLC is an interesting comparison to yesterday’s Misano Red ALMS Edition Audi TT 225 Coupe. Like the Audi, in 1993 The Corrado SLC with its throaty 2.8 liter VR6 engine was the top of the heap in the 2-door product offerings. It too was a 2+2 hatchback best suited for only the first part of that equation. While the heavyweight Audi packed more punch from the turbocharged 1.8T, the all-wheel drive meant it was quite a bit heavier – so acceleration between the two wasn’t as much of a gulf as you’d expect, with both ticking 60 mph in under 7 seconds. Both have a unique style and both are fan favorites, with the nod probably going to the Corrado on greater market appeal to “enthusiasts”, while more people who drive appliances to work view the TT as a “cute” weekend car.

Yet here we are, in a market where you could buy a very nice example of either for the difference of a latte.

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2002 Audi TT 225 Coupe ALMS Edition with 18,000 Miles

2002 Audi TT 225 Coupe ALMS Edition with 18,000 Miles

Published June 21, 2017 by Carter

I watched this past weekend’s Le Mans with diminished interest compared to the past few years. The loss of the great champion Audi narrowed the likelihood of overall victory to a two-horse race. And within that duo was one horse who, if it didn’t have bad luck, would have no luck at all. To be honest, I was rooting for Toyota to finally come good on their promise of the (gasp) last 30 years of racing at Le Mans.

Of course, the curse of Toyota struck once again and with a vengeance, leaving Porsche to smirk in their pits until an equal fate befell them. It would have been Audi’s year, almost for certain, had some engineers not decided to push the limits of diesel technology.

It brought me back to the golden era of Audi’s dominance; the early R8 period, when the cars seemed unstoppable in endurance racing. So successful was the company in making the leap to Le Mans that they generated a special model just to celebrate; two alternate color options for the 2002 Audi TT 225 Coupe. All were laoded manual quattro coupes only in 225 horsepower form; the only choice you had was whether you wanted Misano Red Pearl Effect with Silver Gray Nappa leather interior or Avus Silver Pearl Effect with Brilliant Red leather. As like the rest of the S-Line models of this period, the TT also got a special set of “Celebration” alloy wheels inspired by the RS4 design. Lastly, you got a commemorative sticker and a membership to the Automobile Club de L’Oeust for a year.

While no performance gains were to be had, these smart looking 8Ns are still among the more favored examples of the first generation TT – and this one might be the best out there.

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1978 Porsche 924

1978 Porsche 924

Published June 19, 2017 by Carter

I’m going to continue my string of 924s with an interesting 1978 today. This car represents the early run of the original design. It was a simple, no-frills, lightweight sports car – in essence, what Porsche was all about. However, Porsche’s headlining cars had moved on to powerful 6- and 8-cylinder designs, and turbocharging ruled the roost in performance options – so the EA827 derivative normally aspirated 4-cylinder from corporate partners Volkswagen and Audi was selected. That relegated the 924 to only about 100 horsepower, but with good handling and excellent aerodynamics they were still entertaining – albeit relatively slow – drives.

And, at less than $10,000 new, they were an affordable sports car with good build quality and a name established in winning prestigious races around the world. Yet, as Porsche does, sales success didn’t stop them from launching marketing-targeted limited production models nearly every single year – and charging a lot more money for them with options (up to around $15,000!). Today, if you want to collect an early 924, they’re generally the ones to grab. 1976-7 saw the Martini World Championship cars, while in 1978 you could have the Limited Edition model, and in 1979 the Sebring model. There was a 1980 Le Mans edition and further specials that we’ve seen, too. Along with the addition of the Turbo to the lineup in 1980, then, there generally isn’t much of a call to look at a non special edition early 924. But, this is one that might buck that trend….

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Tapas Turbo: 1977 Porsche 924 Carrera GT Replica

Tapas Turbo: 1977 Porsche 924 Carrera GT Replica

Published June 18, 2017 by Carter

If the 924 Turbo was an impressive development of the first water-cooled chassis for Porsche, the subsequent developments were outstanding. Porsche brought the Carrera name to the 924, added GT and turned up the boost, widened the flares and created a legend in its own right. The 2.0 in GT form produced over 200 horsepower; in later GTS form, nearly 250 horsepower. Instead of the 6″ wide wheels of the 931 we saw yesterday, 911SC front 7″ Fuchs were matched with 8″ wide 930 spec rear wheels. Konis were standard, but early 924 springs were used to actually lower the car slightly. Boxed flares in the rear were met by better integrated flared fronts to cover the much wider track. But the big story was the boost; the M31.50 engine was a tower of power in period, giving the lowly 924 Le Mans winning speed and making it faster than the 911SC. Indeed, the model was a homologation special to allow Porsche to race the car in Group 4 racing. Porsche would use the development GTR models to score impressive class victories in 1981 and 1982 at Circuit de la Sarthe, but it was the 1980 result of 6th overall that was most impressive.

The model was largely the basis for the more mainstream 944 Turbo that was developed later, and often is mistaken for being the later model because of the similarities between the body and look. But a fringe of Porsche enthusiasts appreciate the early Carrera GT even more than the 951, and consequently quite a few have undertaken making replicas. As only 406 Carrera GTs were made, they’ve become fairly unaffordable for most, so this exacting replica in Spain offers a chance to drive a legend at a fraction of a real one’s price:

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1980 Porsche 924 Turbo

1980 Porsche 924 Turbo

Published June 17, 2017 by Carter

Because it’s an early 1980s Porsche and the model ends with “Turbo”, it must be automatically unaffordable, right? Not so fast. While the air-cooled market has lost some of its forced-induction steam as of late, few would consider the 930s out there “cheap”. But there is still plenty of value in the transaxle marketplace; and from early 928s to the fledgling 924 Turbo, automotive journalists are pegging these cars as the ones to buy before they, too, head upwards.

The 924 Turbo, or 931 internally, was a huge upgrade from the standard 2.0 924. The addition of a KKK K26 turbocharger and 6.5 lbs of boost did the best part of double the power in Europe – even in U.S. trim, an impressive 140 horsepower was available. Yet they developed a reputation as expensive to run and finicky; when later, equally powerful normally aspirated 944s and even more potent 944 Turbos came along with fewer drawbacks, the 924 Turbo fell into relative obscurity. Today, find a good one though, and it’s a recipe for an instant classic collectable:

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