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Author: Carter

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2014 Audi S7

2014 Audi S7

Published January 2, 2022 by Carter

About a decade ago Audi introduced the S7; a slinky four-door hatchback with a 420 horsepower twin-turbocharged V8 under the hood. While 420 horsepower was nothing to really sneeze at and a generation ago 350 horsepower was pretty impressive, in the top-tier luxury/sport cars executives expect 350-plus horsepower from the base models. As you travel up the ladder to the really impressive models that will get everyone to look, it’s now 550 horsepower that is the benchmark. Indeed, that’s where Audi went after only one model year in the US for the S7; it introduced the RS7, which kicked the horsepower up to 560.

So where does that leave the forlorn generation of “only” 400 horsepower road rockets? Well, a lot more affordable. Today’s S7 retailed for nearly $80,000 – though, admittedly, that got you a lot of kit. Standard was the S-Tronic 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox, a sport differential, adaptive xenon headlights, a powered tailgate, heated and power-adjustable front sport seats trimmed in Valcona leather with diamond-pattern stitching, three-zone automatic climate control, Bose surround sound, Audi MMI with Navigation Plus, adaptive air suspension, 19″ wheels, and a powered moonroof. Today’s example was ordered in Ibis White with Lunar Silver leather – a nice combination – and added in Cold Weather Package with a heated steering wheel and rear seats for good measure.

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2015 BMW i8

2015 BMW i8

Published January 1, 2022 by Carter

I closed out 2021 looking at the birth of BMW’s “real” M-car legacy with the M6, since the M1 was pretty much unattainable. It seems fitting to start of 2022 with BMW’s foray into electrification, then. One could argue that the reinvention of the 8-series moniker was a disservice to the original; I disagree. The E31 pioneered a new frontier for BMW, with electronics, a new design language and took BMW to a different market. There is no more fitting designation than the i8 in my mind. The slinky, futuristic coupe utilizes lightweight construction to keep the curb weight down; 3,200 lbs may not sound particularly lightweight, but keep in mind that the BRZ/FR-S twins were lauded for their light design and are only a few hundred pounds less without all of the heavy electric equipment and twin motors. Pushing the very aerodynamic lithe coupe are two motors that run together or separately – a 1.5 liter turbocharged inline-3 paired with a smaller version of the i3’s electric motor. The results of this combination are pretty astounding; a combined 357 horsepower results in 60 miles an hour in 3.8 seconds and a near effortless limited 155 m.p.h. top speed. Couple that with the ability to drive for around 20 miles with no assistance from the gasoline motor and return mid-40 mpgs, and the 911-like performance is truly impressive. No other car has yet come close to the combination of attributes the i8 offers.

When these cars rolled out now bordering on seven years ago, MSRP was thrown to the wind and dealer invoices rang in some $70,000 over sticker, with near $220,000 asking prices. While the i8 and i3 introduced BMW’s electric intentions, their more recent and impending offerings like the i4 are decidedly more mainstream. So for a bit more than the price of a loaded i4 M50, you can get into a much more exciting used i8, like today’s Protonic Blue Metallic example equipped with the Pure Impulse World package:

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1981 Porsche 928 Convertible

1981 Porsche 928 Convertible

Published December 27, 2021 by Carter

The rage in the 1980s was cutting the roof off of perfectly good cars, from the S-Class Mercedes-Benz to the E24 BMW. Not escaping this fate were sports cars as well, with Treser making a convertible Quattro. Carelli Designs gave it a go, as well – they were commissioned to create a run of convertible 928s between 1980 and 1981, one of which I looked at a few years ago:

Jiffy-Top: 1981 Porsche 928 Carelli C928

A total of 8 cars were produced by Carelli Designs in Costa Mesa, California, but the project never progressed past the initial design phase. Carelli actually put a lot of effort into making the cars work well as convertibles, and they cost a staggering $80,000 in 1981. Today’s car, though, doesn’t appear to be one of them. Instead, this car is claimed to be one that was developed following Al Holbert’s pre-production speed run in a 928 S4. Holbert took a mostly stock 928 to an impressive 171 mph, which Porsche claimed made it the world’s fastest catalyst-equipped car. According to the selling dealer of the car we’re looking at today, this convertible was specially-ordered to commemorate that achievement – maybe.

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1977 Porsche 911 Coupe

1977 Porsche 911 Coupe

Published December 26, 2021 by Carter

How crazy is the 911 market these days? Well, I’m reluctant to compare to tulips in 1600s Holland, but it also feels like it’s not far off. It seems like these days you can take pretty much any 911, do pretty much whatever you want to it, and end assured that someone will likely pay a mint for it. Want to turn your car into a “Safari” urban warrior? Someone will bid. Have a basketcase wreck? Someone will bid. In the middle lay a tremendous amount of very valuable 911s, some of which are completely stock, and some of which are more like today’s car.

Although the lead may look like a European-style 930, this is in fact a ’77 Coupe that started life as a plain Jane 911. It’s since been given Turbo-style bodywork, European lighting, 16″ Fuchs, a 3.0-liter flat-six, and some pretty cool Tartan inserts on its Cork leather seats. What does this all add up to? You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to expect a hefty price tag:

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1998 Audi S8

1998 Audi S8

Published December 25, 2021 by Carter

It’s Christmas, so I had to put one on my list up here. We’re already past the point of the first Euro S8s being legal to import; production began in 1996, amazingly, and though they’re rare to find they’re out there. Today’s car comes from a few years later, but still is a pre-facelift model. That means slightly less splashy looks and slightly less power; but as I said in a recent post I really like the extra understated nature of the early D2s. Couple that with some fantastic 18″ Speedline Avus wheels, which were chunkier than the Ronal version the US market saw, plus a wild interior and this one is a looker. But it’s more than that, as it is one of the rare European-only manual versions. Let’s take a look!

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