Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
Hang on for the ride, folks. I have not one, not two, but six Mk.2 GTis to cover here. Like all good Mk.2 GTis, none of these cars is stock, so you’re going to have to pick you poison. From engine mods to suspension, interior and exterior mods, we’ve got it all here – but don’t judge a book, because I don’t think they’re all bad. Let’s start with the one I think it the strongest example – a neat grey example with a VR6 swap:
It’s been a while since we saw Paul’s near perfect Silver Euro 450SEL 6.9 during V8 week last fall. These super-sedans established a trend Mercedes-Benz continues today; stuffing the largest V8 they can find into the largest sedan they can build. For many, it’s a winning combination – while the 6.9 was no slalom-assassin, there was simply nothing else that came close to this combination in the 1970s. Remember, this was the time period where the fastest Audi had around 113 horsepower in Europe. Then there was BMW, producing the 733 which made the Audi look downright slow but was still nearly 100hp shy of the Mercedes. But 1979 signaled the end of an era and the start of a new one, with two turbocharged sedans introduced signaling the future: Audi would release the 200 5T Turbo and BMW the 745i Turbo, and while both still couldn’t come close to the power output of the 6.9 they were much more efficient, modern motors. It wasn’t just the era of the giant motor that was on its way out, either, as the aging W116 was also on the verge of being retired in favor of the newer and more stylish W126 – a car that subsequently has become such a legend even in its own time. It’s easy therefore to discount the importance and significance of a car like the 6.9, but what it did was show us what would happen when engineers dared to let their hair down. Today there’s a lower mile example on Ebay:
Motor swaps are always a lot of fun, especially when someone else has done the heavy lifting. In the case of the E30 platform, it seems there is no end to the different motors that get swapped in. We’ve seen S14 retrofits into 325s, plenty of S50, S52 and even a few S54s pop up. But let’s say you really like torque. And aluminum. What’s an E30 enthusiast to do? Well, of course you could swap a M60 4.0 V8 out of the E34 540i into a 325es. In its original form, the 325es was a bit of a slowpoke good handler looking for more power. The E34 540i was a great motor toting around a fair amount of weight. Couple the two together, and Viola! You make the folks at the local tire depot quite happy. Take a look at this tuned 325:
When people think “E28”, they immediately think “M5” – those two combinations of letters and numbers are both magical and intertwined in the history of performance sedans. Indeed, like the original GTi defined the hot hatch segment and has always been at the forefront since, the M5 has similarly defined fast executive sedans. However, I’m going to let you in on a little secret – 20 years on, it’s pretty expensive to own and run the S38 motor in the M5. There is no doubt it’s a screamer, but for most people, a warmed over 535is is probably a better option; they look nearly identical to the M5, they get better fuel mileage, around town they’re practically as fast as the M5, and critically they’re usually had in good condition for less than half the asking price of the M5 and are cheaper to run, to boot. On top of that, you could get them in colors other than black – not something everyone wants, but for those not really into the Model T scene it’s a welcome addition. Today’s 535 is a excellent case in point; looking quite catching in red with Euro bits complementing the original shape of the E28 and with a very inviting looking black sport interior, this 1987 535is sure is a looker:
Last week, I popped a quick ad up on our for a stock Mk. IV GTi 337 Edition. Not only are GTis in just about any form rare to find stock once the warranty in over, but in the case of the 337 and 20th Anniversary Edition GTis, it is nearly impossible to find one that hasn’t been modified to death. Lucky for us, we can take a closer look at this 337 because it failed to sell and was relisted this week. The 337 was an attempt by Volkswagen to bring the GTi back towards its roots; the VR6s made a great noise and were more refined highway cruisers, but the basis of the GTi was back in those peaky 4 cylinders that combined economy, light weight and performance into defining the hot hatch category. In that light, Volkswagen equipped the 337 – called the 25th Anniversary edition in Europe – with the 1.8T motor now churning out 180 hp coupled to a 6-speed manual gearbox. To keep weight down but looks up, the 337 received specially painted BBS RC wheels with a revised sport suspension and larger brakes. Additionally, the 337 came with a unique body kit and some awesome Recaro seats that again evoked memories of the 16V GTis and you could get it in any color you wanted – as long as it was Reflex Silver: