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If you were to believe the history of Motorsports as told by some E30 enthusiasts, nothing would have existed before the M3 and nothing can compare since. Sure, the M3 was an impressive car and had a long and illustrious career, and in terms of a single type of racing it won more than any other single model has. But was it more dominant than the Porsche 956/962, for example? 8 overall wins at Le Mans is certainly quite impressive in a life that spanned over a decade. Or how about the all-conquering Lancia Delta, which won the WRC Championship for 6 years straight? Or Ferrari’s successive and evolutionary F2002, F2003GA, and F2004 – one of the most dominant streaks in Formula 1 history – the F2004 won 15 out of 18 races and nearly all of the track records it set that year still stand over a decade later. While I’d agree that it doesn’t diminish from the achievement of the E30, I’d argue that it’s not the most impressive achievement in Motorsports history. Still, that winning heritage paid dividends for BMW in the sales and reputation department, and the E30 M3 has become a rocketship still heading towards its apogee. $90,000 for an E30 used to sound laughable, but suddenly it’s the market reality for the limited and low mileage examples. Even track-dog M3s are experiencing a resurgence in value; which raises the question – would you rather have the legend of the M3 or something of racing pedigree from the same generation but with a much higher performance envelope?
There aren’t many more highly regarded classic 911s than the Porsche 911 Carrera Club Sport. Any Porsche Club Sport model likely will be well regarded, but with demand for an air-cooled 911 continually increasing it is the 911 Club Sport that receives the most serious attention. The 911 CS followed the standard protocol of track-oriented models by going on a significant diet that stripped away most everything that wasn’t necessary. It lacks fog lights, rear seats, A/C, power windows, locks, and seats, as well as a few items, such as the passenger sun visor, that we may not think much about, but which still added extra unneeded pounds. Handling was improved through a lower suspension and a set of stiffer Bilsteins and while the engine mostly was similar to the standard 3.2 Carrera its rev limit was raised by around 500 rpm providing a few extra moments of top-end ferocity. The example we see here is a rare Dark Blue 1988 Porsche 911 Carrera Club Sport, located in New York, with 26,842 miles on it. Most Club Sports were produced in Grand Prix White so coming across one in another color is certainly uncommon.
Motorsports seems to undergo a giant leap every decade or so, where rules changes or massive shifts in technological innovation immediately render the existing designs antiquated. I was thinking of this while watching Le Mans a few nights ago; only a decade after the swoopy 917s ruled the tracks of Europe, the ground effects era of the 956/962 would be ushered in. Fast forward another 10 years and they’d be effectively completely gone because of rule changes as prototypes moved towards open cockpit designs once again. Innovation was not limited to prototypes, though; everything from touring cars to Formula 1 goes through similar cycles of design and innovation, and for fans of each series there are favorite periods. For many in Formula 1, there are the evocative memories of the wingless Cosworth-DFV powered V8 missiles sliding around Spa’s course – or perhaps the flame-spitting Turbo Era and the birth of the Senna legend. For Touring Car fans, it comes down to preference, but I love watching those early to mid-1990s BTCC races, personally. And in World Rally, for many it’s the era that defined the spectacle of the WRC; the roaring Quattro and it’s complete revision of the rules of how to go off-road racing. Big budgets, legendary designers and drivers, an unconventional layout and one absolutely roaring 5-cylinder soundtrack was a recipe worthy of the notoriety the Quattro has gained:
Yesterday, our editor Paul sent me a quick message with a link enclosed – “Enjoy a late birthday present!” he said. The link was to the movie Le Mans, the 1971 classic staring Steve McQueen piloting the equally iconic Gulf-liveried John Wyer run Porsche 917Ks. But while that combination would be emblazoned in history as the defacto color for the Porsche 917, to me the more memorable combination was the car that actually won the 1971 Le Mans 24 Hours. That was the magnesium-framed number 22; a pale white car that debuted an equally iconic combination for me as it was sponsored by Martini Racing. Later in the 1970s, the livery would become more famous as the multiple winners with both 935 and 936 chassis, but few remember that the connection went back into the era of the light-blue Gulf cars. The Martini livery is still popular today, carried on by a proud tradition into Formula 1 as well as being recreated by amateur enthusiasts in the Porsche Interseries, a Cayman-only race program that notably offered drivers to run famous Porsche colors. Very few can afford the opportunity to even see 917s in action – never mind own one. But a Cayman S racer? While not cheap, they’re considerably more affordable than you’d expect:
A friend of mine and I were sitting around recently, musing over what kind of 911 we’d own if we had the money. The genesis of this was his Porsche 911 ownership; he had a ’85 911 cabriolet, and while he enjoyed the car it was a bit….well, basic in terms of creature comforts and ride quality compared to his current M3. There’s some charm in that, but having driven both I’d agree that the M3 is the better day-to-day car in nearly every way. But both of us agree that, money no object, the idea behind the Singer 911s is pretty compelling; take a more modern 911 and give it the classic look, but keep most of the modern amenities plus the modern powertrain, brakes and handling. It’s become quite a popular recipe, and with classic 911 values seemingly on an endlessly rising trajectory it’s quite viable to restore or resto-mod a 911 into a dream ride and make your money back, if not then some. Today’s example is pretty interesting and unique, though – I believe it’s the first time I’ve seen someone take a 930 chassis and turn it into a “regular” 911. Backdating the late ’70s look to the early 1970s and adding in some of the iconic IROC bits, the builders took modern Fuchs replicas and a built up 3.8 naturally aspirated motor and created one pretty awesome package:
