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Author: Carter

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Tuner Tuesday: 1986 Porsche 911 Turbo DP 935

Published August 19, 2014 by Carter

Ah, the DP 935. It’s a car that in the world of Porsche generates both enthusiasm and enthusiastic hatred of the modifications. There’s no denying that they were one of the more spectacular modified Porsches in the 1980s, though, and while Duran Duran seems to be playing in my head everytime I see one, I nevertheless love to find them. We last looked at a blacked-out and modified 1986 DP 935 almost exactly a year ago. Today’s model, like the all-black model from last year, is not 100% correct or the full-crazy European-spec slantnose, but the U.S. spec toned down package that retained the original bumpers. Also like that car, this example has non-original wheels and an engine rebuild/refresh. Is it the one to buy?

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Hidden Pearls Double Take: 1991 Audi V8 3.6 quattro 5-speed and 1994 V8 4.2 quattro

Published August 18, 2014 by Carter

Like the closest counterparts, the BMW M3/M5 and the Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3 16v/500E, the Audi V8 quattro has long enjoyed a cult following. Unlike those other cars, though, finding a decent V8 quattro these days is quite tough. First, not many were imported – a few thousand may sound like a lot, but it’s less than the total number of E30 M3s imported, for example, by a long shot. By the time they got to their last production year, only a few hundred of the super-sedans were imported. Second, because they’re complicated, older cars that lost a lot of their value in the 1990s, many fell into states of disrepair. Over its short life, the Audi V8 underwent numerous changes; from the introductory options of automatic or manual, the 3.6 liter quad-cam all-aluminum V8 pumped a respectable 240 horsepower but by the end of the run the automatic-only 4.2 liter displacement bump resulted in nearly 280 horsepower. Sure, that’s small potatoes today, but outside of the limited Sport Quattro, these were the most powerful production Audis made before 1995. Today we’ll take a look at two of the more desirable models for different reasons – a 3.6 5-speed and a late 4.2 model, both Pearlesant White with Grey Connolly leather

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Motorsports Monday: 1967 BMW 2000CS

Published August 18, 2014 by Carter

While BMW was a well-known name throughout Germany in the 1960s thanks to their prolific motorcycle history and pre-War exploits in the Mille Miglia and other sports car races with the 328, outside of Germany they remained fairly unknown in the 1960s. Indeed, in the late 1950s or early 1960s, if you asked someone to identify where the kidney grills belonged in Britain, they’d probably point you towards the BMW-derived Bristols of the day – straight copies of some of the first post-war BMWs, right down to the grill. So in the 1960s and 1970s, BMW went racing to try to spread the reputation of their engineering out of motorcycles or perhaps some veiled World War airplane references with their “New Class” sedans. It was independent tuners like Schnitzer and Alpina that first really started to get the small sedans noticed in Touring classes. While the large coupe based upon the New Class design wasn’t raced much in its day – efforts instead focusing on the smaller, lighter and similarly powered sedans – it’s none-the-less exciting to see a 2000CS that has been modified in the style of the period racers:

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1979 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 with 44,000 Miles

Published August 17, 2014 by Carter

While the M5 may have the notoriety of being the first serious super performance sedan, it’s easy to forget that Mercedes-Benz really started the trend. As early as the 1930s, Mercedes-Benz was building some of the fastest large cars in the marketplace. They were expensive, complicated, and beautiful works of engineering. It took a while post-war for both the marketplace and the company to come back to full strength, but two cars created in the midst of an international oil crisis I really think point towards the character of their respective companies. First was BMW’s hard-edged, barely disguised racer for the road, the 3.0CSL. It was expensive, relatively lightweight, stunning to look at and pretty quick to boot – a sporting nature that would carry through to the current generation of BMWs, still considered the benchmark in sporting sedans. On the other side of the fence was the 450SEL 6.9; who else but Mercedes-Benz would put the largest production V8 into a sedan when there was a gas crisis? If the 3.0 shouted about it’s racing prowess, the Mercedes was subtle and understated. Indeed, option number 261 even removed the displacement badge on the rear, and outside of that you’d only see hints of the car’s performance by the bulging tires and slightly more showy exhaust. But stomp on the loud pedal and the best part of 290 horsepower was on tap for you – and this was 1975. Remember 1975? It was when the base Corvette had 165 horsepower and if you wanted to just break 200, the L-82 was your only option at 205 horspower. A full 40% more powerful, the Benz was the match for sports cars of the day in a straight line but offered extreme luxury at the same time:

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1980 Porsche 924 Turbo

Published August 17, 2014 by Carter

Two events transpired yesterday that, for me, relate to this car. First, I was watching some of the Mecum auction action, and a low mile Porsche 993 Turbo in Arena Red came across the block. I watch in semi-horror as this modern Porsche crested $170,000 quickly. Now, I’m sure to someone that car is worth $170,000 – and speculation will probably continue to drive prices on the last of the air-cooled cars higher – but to me, that market is just absolutely insane and in need of a serious correction. The second event was that I took my very much not-perfect, not low mile and fairly compromised Audi for a drive down the road. The suspension is set to punish, the heat is stuck on, there’s no radio, and it smells vaguely of mold; I smiled all the way. Do you need a perfect car to just enjoy a drive? No, I don’t think you do. Would I have felt better if my car was an absolute pristine 100 point Sport Quattro? No, I think I’d be afraid to drive it, honestly. That’s what makes second-tier cars so appealing. The values aren’t high enough that you’re afraid to purchase or drive them, but they’re still special enough to give you a smile when you take them out. Driving down the road, not many people know what my Audi GT is anymore, and I’m okay with that. I imagine the same feeling occurs for Porsche 924 Turbo owners:

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