Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
In the U.S., few Audi models have quite such a devoted following as the 1995 S6 Avant. Not many were imported, and those that were generally have been snapped up by enthusiasts and had miles piled on to them. Some have succumbed to accidents or been organ donors, leaving even fewer on the road 20 years later. However, we have 4 today available – amazingly all in different colors. Which would be the one you would choose? Let’s start with an Emerald Green Mica example:
The strange thing about “unicorns” in the Volkswagen world is that they’re not always the most rare, the fastest, the rarest, or the prettiest model. Unicorns are the models that everyone wishes for though, the cars that are so hard to find that people are willing to pay a serious premium when they pop up. What constitutes “hard to find” in the Volkswagen world is an unmolested example and that seems to be especially true in the higher performance models; the GLi, the GTi and above all the Corrado:
The less glamorous version of what was a fantastic chassis and engine combination, the Audi 4000 quattro brought rally-bred performance to the masses. You really could think of it as the original “WRX” because while the big-brother Quattro that stole all of the headlines in its day is currently a reasonably good value compared to some of its contemporaries, when they were new the turbocharged, box-flared brother was simply out of reach of most enthusiasts. Original sticker price of the Quattro put it around the same price as a well-equipped Porsche 911; equivalent today to a base model R8. It was therefore very exciting to see a nearly identical drivetrain layout passed down to the more pedestrian sedan version, complete with a similar-sounding inline-5 and locking differentials. You got all of this in a slick-looking 4-door package for around $20,000 – not cheap, mind you, but half the price of the Quattro. For many fans of the Quattro package, it proved to be legendary in its own right:
Thought they recently have surpassed the 25 year importation boycott into the United States, it’s not likely that you’re ever going to see many of this model car on these shores. Sure, there’s a group of Audi enthusiasts who are particularly excited when they see a B2 Coupe Quattro pop up for sale – a truly rare event in the U.S.. However, clean models demand a serious premium because of their rarity – a premium which pushes them squarely into the price point of the turbocharged, box flared big brother. Though the drivetrains are for the most part the same, the addition of the turbo, bigger wheels and flares changes the category of ownership from neat footnote to headline splash. As such, it’s understandable why the Coupe Quattro is such as niche vehicle. Nevertheless, it’s really neat to see one for sale in the U.S., and this occasion is no different.
There are a lot of folks who long for European versions of the cars that we got here in the United States, and this author is amongst them. For the most part, the Euro versions were closer to the original design; in general they had smaller, better fitting bumpers, better headlights, and some options that were deemed too expensive or not appealing enough to bring to the U.S.. They also typically had better performance from non-de-tuned motors and lighter weight. So, better looking, faster and more special; but in talking with Paul, we both agreed that there is also an element of wanting the things we just can’t have. One Volkswagen model that never made it here was the GTX trim Scirocco. The GTX was one of the higher spec versions in Europe and looked quite sporty; put some of those Euro bits onto what would otherwise be a pretty mundane 1984 U.S. spec Scirocco, add some desirable tuning modifications and some fresh paint, and you have a tidy package: