Alex over at Car Throttle recently posted a neat video entitled “10 Things I’ve Learnt After 1 Year Of E36 M3 Ownership” (h/t to Jalopnik).  He talks about lusting after the M3 as an “affordable dream car” only to find that, when he finally gets his hands on one, he doesn’t fall immediately in love with it. All is not lost however: after spending some time with the car (including a number of weekends in the garage spent fixing all the things that go wrong with it), he’s slowly won over by its charms as a car that’s equally at home on the track or loafing across great distances. While US market cars were famously “neutered” by a less powerful motor than the one offered in their European counterparts, even without individual throttle bodies the E36 M3 remains a relatively fast, fun and capable car that can be picked up for not too much money. Increasingly, the challenge is to find one that hasn’t been beat into the ground or saddled with hideous mods.
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In stock form the E46 330i sedan was already a brisk, practical and rewarding car to drive. A capable sport sedan for grown ups, if you will. But when specified with the $4,000 ZHP “Performance Package,” the 330i could be given a slightly harder edge that helped to make up for the lack of a four-door M3 in the E46 range (at least, a bit). Offering a mixture of cosmetic upgrades (M-Sport bodykit, 18″ M-Sport wheels and splashes of alcantara interior trim) and some mechanical reworking  – firmer suspension, a remapped ECU and upgraded cams bringing power from the smooth 3.0 liter M54 engine to about 235 hp – ZHP equipped cars remain favorites among enthusiasts and tend to command strong money when they show up on the used market.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2004 BMW 330i ZHP on Bimmerforums
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9A. It’s a term most enthusiasts don’t know. Unlike most pedantic BMW owners that have memorized every signal chassis, engine and option, Volkswagen’s various iterations of the EA827 motor can get a quite esoteric even to lovers of the brand. But the 9A was something a little special, because that was the high-revving 2.0 liter 16V that was stuck into the GTI, GLI and Passat models in the early 1990s. Down on power to the more famous and ubiquitous VR6, the 9A was the VW’s equivalent of the S14. Like the E30 M3, the GTI and GLI wore special items to denote the racey motor under the hood; BBS wheels, wider flares, foglights, Recaro seats and special trim to help set them apart from the more pedestrian lineup. This was the period where a blacked-out VW badge really meant something. While the 9A might not be a name most remember, the “GTI 2 liter 16 valve” still is a magical formula to lovers of the hot hatch in the late 1980s and early 1990s:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1992 Volkswagen GTI 16V on eBay
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In my frequent searching for interesting 930s I sometimes forget about the mechanically similar 3.3 liter 964 Turbo that served as the 930’s successor. Even when looking for 964s themselves I’ll many times gloss over the 3.3-liter Turbo, preferring to focus on the rarer and much more sought after 3.6-liter Turbo that came at the end of 964 production. Given relative pricing of an early 964 Turbo and an ’89 930 I guess I’m not the only one that tends to neglect the 964 variant. Of course, the collectability of the one-year-only 5-speed 930 has a bit to do with these price differences, but for those seeking a driver the 964 steps in as a nice option with the same 5-speed as the ’89 930 mated to a more powerful flat six. Not a bad combination. The one we have here hasn’t blessed us with a great selection of pictures, but I don’t notice anything glaring and definitely think it’s worth a longer look. Here we have a Black 1992 Porsche 911 Turbo, located in California, with a Grey interior and 65,982 miles on it.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1992 Porsche 911 Turbo on eBay
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There’s good and bad to monotone. On some cars it looks good and everything works together well, while on others a little more contrast is probably welcome. Wherever you might fall on the color contrast continuum, I will say that these monotone examples – other than the fairly popular triple black combination – typically rely upon rare and interesting colors and in that regard they are almost always worth investigating further. Generally these combinations aren’t purely monotone as there tends to be some contrast with either a slightly lighter or darker interior to help break things up just a little, but overall the colors are close enough. The example we have here falls squarely within this realm and I imagine the question of whether it works will be quite subjective. Here we have a Wimbledon Green Metallic 1992 Porsche 911 America Roadster, located in New Jersey, with a matching Wimbledon Green leather interior. Big tennis fan I guess?