Edit 10/8/2017 – This car is back up again on a new auction with the vinyl removed and/or replaced. The seller removed their ~$5,000 asking price but the car has gone through several reserve auctions and not cleared $3,000.
Do you ever see a car and think it looks awfully familiar? Probably like a lot of you, I scan listings nearly every day, and every day provides a wealth of new examples of rare cars that encourages a lot of what we do here at GCFSB. But, once in a while, one pops up that sticks out like a sore thumb.
Now, being the chief (and only) Audi Coupe GT enthusiast in the world at GCFSB, I’m obviously prone to remembering these cars. Sure enough, with so few hitting the market these days I tend to remember every single example I’ve written up – meaning, basically every single example which comes to market – sorry about that.
But this one is particularly interesting. I immediately recognized the Team Dynamics wheels that this 1986 was wearing, but the two-tone paint color was off. Not many Oceanic Blue Metallic Coupe GTs are still kicking around, but at least the sides of this one were the neat and oh-so-80s-electric hue. But closer investigation of some of the details in the description revealed what I thought; this was the same GT I knew from the early 2000s. Originally, the car was Graphite Metallic with black leather – a rare combination on an infrequently seen car – and had been upgraded to participate in track events in Pennsylvania with a cage, a hotter NG motor, rear discs and upgraded suspension, those great looking Team Dynamics wheels and a few other odds and ends. Later it turned up on the West Coast with a notorious flipper of Audis; now with European H1/H4 lights and little else but failing paint, the flipper was looking to make a profit claiming it was one of the best GTs in the country. In 2015 it turned up on eBay with a Missouri dealer who had wrapped the car in matte blue vinyl to cover up the failing paint; otherwise, there were no changes. The car sold for $3,250 and was gone.
Well, it’s back again. Now apparently in Indiana with a repainted top section in what appears to be matte black and with what appears to be much brighter blue sides, the H1/H4 lights are gone replaced by standard 9004 U.S. spec lights and strangely the black leather late B2 interior has been swapped for a brown leather Quattro stripped interior. Otherwise, few miles have been accrued. The seller is looking now for $7,450 – some $4,200 more than they (or someone before them) paid a few years ago. While the Quattro interior is worth a pretty penny in good shape alone, the removal of the Euro lights and no other additions have me scratching my head as to where the value came from. Nevertheless, I enjoy a mystery from time to time, so here you can look back at what I wrote in 2015, including links to the original build of the car, and decide if it’s worth it for yourself.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1986 Audi Coupe GT on eBay
The original post below appeared on our site in June, 2015
Being a huge fan of the B2 Audi, and with so few floating around, you’d be potentially forgiven for believing that I’d remember ever single one I see. But even though there are small amounts of them still floating around in comparison to the E30 market, let’s not forget that the Coupe GT was a relatively popular model for Audi, with over 100,000 produced. A reported 22,000 of those made it to the U.S., with the majority being the early Type 81 model with rectangular headlights. Only about 8,500 were the later, higher horsepower post 1985 models with updated interiors and exteriors – for argument’s sake, not many more than the original M3. So, it’s fair to say that I do recognize a fair amount of the survivors that pop up as I’d guesstimate that, unlike the E30, less than half of those originally imported post-85 cars still survive today. This one, in particular, looked instantly familiar – but not because of the color; in fact, in spite of it:
Year: 1986
Model: Coupe GT
Engine: 2.3 liter inline-5
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: 143,488mi
Price: Reserve Auction
New Description
Selling a “Graphite Black Metallic” 1986 Audi Coupe GT with full conversion similar to the 1987.5 Audi Coupe Gt models.
The Audi has a long history and a folder full of receipts dating back to 1993.Some of the major details:
– Rebuilt 2.3L engine with performance cam, have receipt to proof the rebuilt.
– Rear brake disc conversion
– 16” Team Dynamics light weight wheels. Tires are in good condition.
– H&R lowering springs and Koni shocks combo.
– Full Magnaflow exhaust system with a deep tone but not loud at all.
– Full brown leather, UR Quattro interior in excellent condition.
– Timing belt, water pump, timing belt tensioner, fuel pump, radiator, fuel filter, fuel accumulator, oxigen sensor and ignition module were replace at 137602 miles.
– Sunroof is working properly without leaking.
– Crack free dashboard.
– A/C delete.Body is in good condition, no signs of rust or damage. All original body panels.
Paint is the original color, hood was repainted due to clear coat pealing.
The roof was touch-up in a few spots due to clear coat pealing, no to bad after 30 years.
The fenders, doors and quarter panels were wrapped by previous owner in matte sky blue 3M vinyl.The Audi runs great and pulls hard, starts right up even on the coldest mornings.
Currently the it has 143488 miles but will go up as the Audi is my daily driver.
Garage kept since in my possession and used only 93 octane gasoline.Instrumental cluster will need a couple bulbs replaced and fuel gauge is working intermittently.
Speedometer and mileage counter is in proper working condition.I tried to list all the details/issues that i know about the Audi but if you have any additional questions about anything specified please contact me by email, text or call at 31736158one8.
Thanks for looking and happy bidding.
Old Description
1986 Audi 4000 Coupe GT!Flat Blue Vinyl Wrap
Black Leather Interior
Manual Transmission
Tons of Service Records
http://mongrelmotorsports.purpleflyingmonkey.com/pages/Audi.htmlOutside is in good condition as the pictures show, no dents, dings, or damage present. Inside is also in good condition, no stains or odors present, non smoker vehicle. Tires are in good condition, plenty of tread remaining for the new owner. Lots of service history, rare car in pretty solid condition. Feel free to email zach@zautogroup.com or call with any questions you may have.
Zach’s Mobile: 417-234-4753
Main Office: 417-863-9100
Sure enough, a quick look at both the interior, headlights and wheels along with the remnants of the original color on the bumper covers led me to believe this was a car I was quite familiar with. Around the same time that I got pretty heavily involved with modifying my Coupe GT, there was another in Pennsylvania running SCCA hillclimbs. In many ways, our modifications were pretty similar – heavier duty suspension, a swap to later 4-wheel disc brakes, upgraded 2.3 liter 10 valve motors to mimic the “1987.5 Special Build” cars. Both our cars had some unique attributes; mine was the rare Oceanic Blue Metallic originally, while Dwight’s was Graphite Metallic with black leather – a very rare item to come across. Dwight eventually moved on and sold the GT, which later on popped up with a notorious seller/collector in Portland; we’ve featured a few cars he’s grabbed onto to. He was attempting to flip the car, but by now, as with many of the Graphite cars, the clear coat had failed and the car needed a paint job and in my opinion he was asking too much money. He also postured it as the best built Coupe GT in the country, which I – and many of my fellow GT track enthusiasts – took umbrage with. Then it disappeared for a while, only to pop up in my regular Audi searches on eBay. The link to the original build tells you much, much more about the car than the dealer’s listing does, and it would appear that the car is still in the same shape it was in 2006, though the cage is gone and so, too, may be the 2.3 10V motor; under the hood are the tell-tales of the 2.2. As Dwight mentioned bigger valves in his post – something indicative of the 2.3 NG/NF head – I’m inclined to think that somewhere along the way the motor was changed out. That said, I built a hybrid 2.2/2.3 for my GT before I went to the 7A 20V, and outside of looking at the engine code on the block you’d never know the difference. It would appear that the dealer also installed the vinyl wrap to correct the paint flaws; understandable, though why they didn’t do something like a matte silver or graphite is a little beyond me. In any event, the car still has nice details like the black leather and Euro headlights, and along with the upgraded suspension, brakes and wheels this makes the car far above par in condition on the market. That, perhaps, helps to explain the relatively active bidding; with two days to go, the bidding has pushed over $3,100 with 29 bids. For a completely original, excellent condition example, we’ve seen a few trade in the high single digits, but I’d expect the ceiling for this example to be right around $4,000. For that money, you get a great GT car capable of fun on the track and one that stands far apart from the norm in the classic German car market.
-Carter
