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Author: Carter

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Afternoon Accessories: Ronal R8 15×6 Wheels

Published January 7, 2014 by Carter

Looking at that project Jetta GLi got me thinking about what wheels I’d love to see on there. In my quick search, I came across a set of wheels from a car that few seem to remember – the Renault Alliance GTA. Looking very similar to the A1 Jetta, the GTA was a two door sedan performance version of the regular Alliance, and wasn’t much of a performer but did look sharp thanks to some spectacular 15″ Ronal R8 alloys that were slightly modified in design specifically for the GTA. Differing from the normal Audi look, they had slight webbing in between the normal spokes. It’s not often you see either the car or the wheels anymore, but today there is a quite reasonably priced set on Ebay:

Year: 1987
Model: R8 (Alliance GTA)
Diameter: 15″
Width: 6″
Bolt Pattern: 4×100
Offset: ET 45
Condition: Used
Tires: Not Included
Price: $174.99 Buy It Now

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1976 BMW 2002 Turbo Replica

Published January 7, 2014 by Carter

This past weekend I wrote up a great looking 2002 Ti Touring Turbo-look, that unfortunately for most U.S. fans was a bit too far for most to contemplate. I loved the squat stance with fat tires over the Turbo flares, but where that car had taken the replica idea to towards the race track today’s replica follows the route of the original Turbo and is a bit more tame as a road car. Without a doubt the original featured one of the best graphics packages ever available from the factory, with reversed “obrut” to let the driver ahead know what was about to pass them. Take a look at this neat tribute:

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Heap of the Week: 1984 Volkswagen Jetta GLi

Published January 7, 2014 by Carter

So few remain around these days that it’s easy to forget that in 1984 Volkswagen introduced the hot 4-door Jetta, the GLi. Like the GTi brethren, these featured an upgraded 1.8 inline-4 mated to a close ratio 5-speed transmission, as well as upgraded brakes and a few external changes to set them apart from the run-of-the-mill Jettas. Not many were produced, and again like the GTi few remain around in good shape; in fact, I can think of only one that I’ve seen in the past decade. Like me, the owner is a high performance driving enthusiast and we’ve been trucking our old Volkswagen/Audi products out to BMW HPDEs for years. Despite neither of us having the fastest car out there, it’s always fun to see his red GLi, hunkered down over very wide semi-slick tires bouncing down the front straight at Lime Rock park. Today’s GLi isn’t quite ready to do that, but offers a glimpse into a rare car that’s quite affordable and should be saved:

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Afternoon Accessories: OZ Racing 17×8 Magnesium wheels

Published January 6, 2014 by Carter

I still remember well the first time I got to hold a magnesium wheel – I was at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut, and a bit of a joking and free-loving owner of a Pantera literally threw one – complete with steam-roller tire – towards me with the tagline “Here, catch!”. Grimacing in the impending pain I was about to experience as this dishwasher-box sized wheel lobbed at me came closer, I reached out and caught it, fearful that I would be on the hook for the wheel’s cost when I dropped it even though this joker wouldn’t be by my hospital bed for the multi-week recovery from my collapsed lungs and broken ribs. To my shock, I caught the wheel, and my tensed muscles experienced nearly no shock. It was comical how light the wheel was; something I wouldn’t experience again until I picked up a Formula One Ferrari wheel years later. Today, there is a set of ultra-rare OZ Racing wheels on Ebay for a very reasonable price:

Year: 1993
Model: Tarmac Rally
Diameter: 17″
Width: 8″
Bolt Pattern: 4×108
Offset: Not Listed
Condition: Used
Tires: Not Included
Price: $1,155 Buy It Now

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1986 BMW 635 CSi

Published January 6, 2014 by Carter

When my father started his foray into German cars, I was a young teenager. The first car he bought was a 1982 BMW 633CSi; to my eyes, still a beautiful car. Shortly after that he bought a companion 1985 635CSi automatic; and even though that car wasn’t quite as pretty as the earlier shark and was an automatic, it was much more fun to drive. It wasn’t because of the displacement increase in the motor, but rather the changeover to E28 mechanicals that really transformed the E24 from what was a stunning looker into a real driver’s car. These later 6s usually carry a bit of a premium over the early models, though truth be told the E24 market is really in a state of fluctuation where you can buy great looking cars for a steal or see very overpriced examples that need work. Currently falling into the former category is today’s black over cream 1986 model, sporting lower miles and the all-important 5-speed manual:

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