When judging future collectables, it’s sometimes hard to predict what will be a classic and what won’t. But, it’s a safe bet that halo cars in general will remain the most valuable. Audi re-introduced and re-imagined itself to the world with the introduction of its first halo car, the Quattro. Almost 30 years later, Audi once again re-imagined itself, thanks to acquisitions such as Lamborghini. Whereas the original moved turbocharging and all-wheel drive to the masses, the R8 instead took supercars to a new tier. A celebration of their many wins at Le Mans by the race car of the same designation, the R8 was initially powered by the spectacular 4.2 FSi V8 from the RS4. Later Audi developed its own version of the 5.2 V10 whose sound channeled the original Quattro, and the final development was the introduction of the Spyder model. With slightly revised bodywork – including the removal of the polarizing “blade” the coupe has – the R8 V10 Spyder is a compelling alternative to the 911 Turbo Cabriolet and truly offers supercar-level performance at a relatively budget price:
Author: Carter
Our reader Kyle recently requested to see more magnesium wheels; as I have a bit of a early magnesium BBS wheel fetish myself, I was only too happy to oblige. Here’s a quick selection of the magnesium wheels on Ebay – BBS isn’t the only magnesium wheel producer, but they’ve got some of the best designs. Interestingly, a few years back many people thought these wheels were throw-aways as no one wanted old race wheels, but a resurgence in popularity has once again made them a valuable commodity. From vintage racing Porsches to modern track cars, magnesium wheels are still some of the lightest you can get and in the 1980s they were one of the few ways to get really wide wheels on your race car. Generally, BBS wheels with an “E” prefix denote magnesium centers, though the new E88s below claim to be forged aluminum. I’m secretly hoping to find a set of languishing BBS E51s – they were originally 4×108 15″ and 16″ wheels fitted to 924s and would bolt right up to my Audi. What are your favorite?
CLICK FOR DETAILS: BBS E78 15×9.5 5×130 Wheels on eBay
Comments closedZender is one of those names that I really identify with the 1980s. While they continued on after, the real height of Zender’s popularity seemed to be in the 1980s. Body kits, wheels and even steering wheels ultimately resulted in a tuning firm that was able to produce a few of their own show cars; remember the Zender Fact 4 and Vision? Today there are a host of real and copy Zender pieces floating around – here’s a sampling of what I was able to find on Ebay. While the styling may be a bit polarizing, it’s hard to deny that Zender offered customers something unique and having period detail pieces like these can really set your car apart if done properly:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: Zender E24 front spoiler on eBay
Comments closedThe 1995 Mercedes-Benz C36 AMG we featured last month is back up for sale, it’s price having been lowered by $1,000. Some may prefer the M badged cars from Munich, but these early post-merger AMGs are an interesting and rare alternative to the M3s of the era.




