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Author: Carter

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Heap(s) of the Week 2: Tres Audi Quattros with DTM dreams

Ahhhh, the Audi V8 quattro. It’s like that friend that comes over, crashes on your couch, eats all of your food and smears his greasy hands on your furniture, insults your wife and leaves the toilet seat up, burps and farts in a business meeting, forgets your birthday, and asks to borrow a hundred bucks (or several thousand) that you know you’ll never get back. But he’s your friend, and it would take a lot more than just those indiscretions to make him otherwise. Every once in a while, your friend really dresses up and looks great, but most times that you see him he’s disheveled, unshowered and hacking up some fairly disgusting looking phlegm – which, incidentally, he spits out on your carpet. Sound awesome? My experience with the V8 quattro was pretty similar, and yet it’s a car that I just look at and daydream about. Few are in good shape and serviceable today; many more appear as these do; discarded, forgotten, permanent projects. And much like your college bum friends, they seem to congregate in groups, because of course you need a parts car for your parts car. So what are they doing here? Well, one of this particular lot happens to be the best of the bunch brought to the U.S. – the coveted 1991 Audi V8 quattro 5-speed:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1985, 1990 and 1991 Audi package on Craigslist

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1986 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16V Cosworth

If you’ve been watching in dismay as E30 M3 prices have gone through the roof, there’s still two ways to get your 1980s German touring car fix. If you’re unconventional, you do what Audi did and choose the V8 quattro, the dark horse (and two time champion, don’t forget) of the DTM. People that complained that Audi “cheated” to create the winning force obviously aren’t familiar with the creative race constructions of Porsche, BMW or Mercedes-Benz. The latter, in fact, employed Formula 1 in the last of the barely-recognizable 190E racers. But the legend that was Mercedes-Benz created a lesser-known and generally lesser appreciated legend in those 190E racers; powered by Cosworth Technology-designed twin-cam 16 valve engines and originally intended to replace the 450SLC 5.0 in the World Rally Championship, the 190E 2.3 and 2.5-16 Valves found themselves at home on the track, and consequently with an enthusiastic fan base. Today, the 190E 2.3 16V can generally be had for significantly less than their more famous counterpart, the E30 M3. Take a look at this example:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1986 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16V Cosworth on eBay

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1988 Porsche 924S “Le Mans” Special Edition

Porsche must be the king of obscure special models; it seems nearly every week there’s some limited edition model virtually no one has heard of comes up for sale, generally with some premium attached to the asking price because of their rarity. But while many of these limited edition cars didn’t make it to the United States, one that did was the special edition of the 924S. Sure, the 924S wasn’t the most popular car in the Porsche lineup and still isn’t, but it was a competent performer and sold reasonably well. 1988 saw the 924S bump up compression with a touch more horsepower, so if you’re in the market look for one of the already more rare to find 1988 editions. But if you want really rare, to celebrate its Le Mans victories Porsche launched a special edition of the 1988 model; dubbed the “924S SE” in the U.S. and “924S Le Mans” everywhere else, these were effectively 924S Club Sports:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1988 Porsche 924S Le Mans on eBay

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Tuner Tuesday: 1998 Dinan S3 BMW M3 Sedan

If earlier’s Sir Mix-A-Lot’s 911 Turbo didn’t quench your lust for all things purple, I’m happy to offer another Barney-colored treat for you. However, unlike the friendly and more than somewhat irritating children’s star, the object of interest here is the very popular and quickly become a classic E36 M3 sedan. Offering practicality, a stiff chassis with lighter weight than the coupes, this car has turned into one of the more sought after BMWs in recent history. This is especially poignant considering the current state of the rest of the 1980s M market; if you don’t jump on the bandwagon now, you’re likely to miss out. Further heightening the appeal of this sedan is the more rare shade of Techno Violet; a polarizing but popular color, and of course the full spectrum of Dinan S3 upgrades. Take a look at this purple people eater:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1998 Dinan S3 BMW M3 Sedan on eBay

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Tuner Tuesday: 1984 Porsche 911 Turbo Convertible Slantnose Gemballa “935”

Oh, where do we start here? You shouldn’t be surprised that Sir Mix-A-Lot has a wide body, huge bespoilered Porsche 911 Turbo that’s purple; after all, he did tell you he “likes big butts”, and this Porsche’s got back. Rap stars from the 1990s really moved into a new realm of bling; West Coast saw the destruction through twist-and-bounce of countless classic 1960s cars, but rappers like Sir Mix-A-Lot moved into new territory, taking brand new “whips” and modifying them. But the self-proclaimed “Mack Daddy”‘s modern-day pimp style didn’t follow traditional trends of giant America sleds with fuzzy dice; the Sir liked European metal – including this turned up 911 Turbo Convertible Slantnose:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1984 Porsche 911 Turbo Convertible Slantnose Gemballa on eBay

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