Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
If I’m honest, while I really like the R8…were I going to spend $100k on an Audi, it would be something a bit older and that would stand out. Can anything stand out much more than this car?
That’s right, this is claimed to be a one-of-one Rubystone RS4 Avant, and for good measure it’s got only 25,000 miles. It also seems to be a bit upgraded with lowered suspension and AP Racing calipers. But while the RS4 Andrew looked at seemed to be a good deal, this one…well, it’ll cost you.
After a few of not-so-nice or fake R8s, I thought I’d take a look at one you might actually consider buying. Now, jumping into the R8 world is not particularly cheap, but relative to the 911 markets these are still fairly affordable for what is otherwise a borderline supercar. Take today’s 7-year-old example. It’s got stunning looks highlighted by the Somoa Orange Metallic paint – but it rings in under $100k. And though it looks a lot like the GT model I looked at in 2021, it’s also $40k cheaper but still has some neat options. So let’s take a peek:
The Audi…60? Yep, you read that right. For a short time after the union of NSU-Auto Union and Audi in 1969, Audi launched a series of model names that were in effect slightly reworked DKW F102s from the early 1960s. If they look like older Mercedes-Benz models, you have a good eye – in fact, for a short time Daimler-Benz owned Auto Union, and the F102 had been updated during their ownership from the oddball two-stroke engines DKW utilized to new Mercedes-Benz four-stroke powerplants – the M118, which was unique to Audi’s use and only lasted a short time. With displacements between 1.5 and 1.8 liters, the F103 came in three power outputs initially; 72 horsepower, 80 horsepower, and 90 horsepower – and as a consequence were named the Audi 72, 80, and Super 90. In 1968, the 72 was replaced by the 75, and a new, lower-output version was launched; the Audi 60, which actually only had 54 horsepower. As mentioned these were short-lived cars, because in 1972 the revolutionary Volkswagen EA827 water-cooled motor was used and slotted into every pretty much everything the company produced.
The F103 is thus a strange bit of Audi history, helping to cement the brand’s reintroduction. A bit over 400,000 were made, which doesn’t sound too bad – except that the follow-up B1 chassis sold nearly three times that amount in about the same amount of time. Sufficed to say, these are rare cars to come across today, but a nice-looking ’72 – the last model year for the F103 – popped up in North Carolina. Let’s take a look:
This slick ’85 Quattro is still available, now with much better photos and an asking price that dropped to $75,000.
For U.S. Quattro fans, ’85 models are a bit special as they held numerous upgrades over the prior models. Like the rest of the Type 85/B2 lineup, those included revisions to the exterior, most notably the slanted grill and color matched spoiler, but also inside a new dashboard and revised seat fabric patterns. Like the ’84s, wheels were 8″ Ronals, and the more reliable fuse box was also carried over with the upgrades.
A few unique colors were offered on the ’85 up models, but since importation ended after one ’86 made it here, all colors are a bit special. Unique too was the headlight treatment, which had chrome aero bezels to match the grill. A total of only 73 of these upgraded 85s (plus the one 86) made it to the U.S., and they’ve pretty much always been the most sought of the scant 664 original Quattros sold here. This particular ’85 comes to market looking minty fresh in what appears to be Tornado Red.
VAG’s decisions on who would be able to shift their own gears have always been a bit confusing, but the period of the 3.2 VR6 is really where this came to a head for U.S. customers. In 2004, Volkswagen brought their hottest Golf (finally!) to our market, featuring the singing VR6 in 6-speed manual only form with the R32. Great, but Audi offered the same platform in slinkier TT 3.2 Quattro form. However, fans of manual shifting were overlooked as Audi opted to bring the top TT here only with DSG.
On its way out of production, Audi threw the kitchen sink of options at the top-spec TTs; you could get Celebration 18″ alloy wheels, baseball optic leather upholstery, navigation, Bose sound, and a bunch of other special equipment. Additionally, the 3.2s came standard with most of the lower-range optional equipment, such as xenon headlights and a power-operated top – and the 3.2’s got a neat vented front bumper cover that was also shared with some special European-only models like the Clubsport. Today, they’re harder to find than most TTs, but that doesn’t always mean they’re super expensive:
