Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
Just the other day, I reviewed a 1980 Audi 5000S which I said was a very nice example. While it certainly was, today’s must be considered exceptional. Coming across two mint condition Type 43s in a week is certainly cause for a smile and without doubt a review. This one ups the ante with lower miles, more original condition, a shocking scant 38,000 miles covered since new and a 5-speed manual:
Last week I featured a 993 Carrera RS with the Clubsport package and this week we’ll look at its predecessor a 964 Carrera RS, similarly equipped as a Clubsport, a.k.a. the Carrera RS NGT M003 as designated by the option code for the model. Of the air-cooled RS models Porsche produced the version for the 964 remains, for me, the best looking. Not necessarily the best, but best looking. It finds a better balance between aggressive and understated looks relative to its peers all packaged within a design that quite clearly makes known its classic 911 roots. The 993 certainly takes a variety of areas of performance to better heights and for pure historical significance and rawness the original ’73 Carrera RS is hard to top. But the 964 works for me and should provide a road-going experience that meets most every demand I could concoct. The Guards Red example we see here is located in the Netherlands and sits with a shade under 42K miles on the clock.
Astute readers will have noticed that I don’t tend to write up many Audis. To be honest, I’m really more of a Mercedes/BMW guy and there aren’t that many cars from Ingolstadt that get me going. However, there are a few exceptions. I’ve always thought very highly of the B6 platform S4, the B7 RS4 and the D2 S8, the car that famously had a starring role in Ronin alongside an E34 M5. It should come as no surprise that I’m a fan of this generation S8: I like conservatively styled uber-sedans that conceal their power beneath restrained exteriors. Costing nearly $100k new depending on how they were specced, these cars now show up on the used market for between $5 and $15k depending on condition and miles. Of course, these were technologically advanced cars for their day with lots of expensive-to-replace components. So if you’re in the market for a bit of late 90s German stealthiness, condition and maintenance history matter the most.
The last report I saw had 97% of the world’s governments owning a Mercedes-Benz S-Class. By process of elimination of car manufacturing countries, you can probably figure out which countries don’t need the services of the S-Class. Statistically, this means that some governments with less than stable political climates have been subject to attacks on politicians riding in the S-Class with some ending up OK while others ending tragically. A big part of that has to do with armoring.
In 1980, Anastasio Somoza, then President of Nicaragua, was attacked by a Sandinista commando team while riding in an armored W116. Two machine guns, two AK-47 assault rifles, two automatic pistols, and a RPG-7 rocket launcher with four anti-tank grenades and two rockets were used to bombard the car. One rocket even hit the upper part of the windshield and blew the roof off. Amazingly the car still ran but sadly, no one inside survived. In 1995, then Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze was attacked while riding in an armored W140 by a group yielding AK47s and was hit twice by RPGs. One hit the hood, the other hit the grill. Two body guards in the front seats didn’t survive but Shevardnadze? Riding in the rear of the car, he survived. In 2008, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s motorcade which included a model similar today’s featured car, an armored W220, was hit twice in the windows by gunfire. No surprise – if a rocket couldn’t get through, neither did the bullets.
That record of survival alone is worthy of us taking a look at this 2001 S500 Guard for sale in Los Angeles.
I think that one day we’ll look back upon the E36 generation 3-series and regard it as a classic. The “dolphin” body shape continues to age well, and sits atop a finely balanced chassis that makes for a spritely and engaging drive. The six cylinder motors found in these are smooth, stout units that offer satisfying (if not blistering) performance and return decent fuel economy. When they do go wrong, they are quite simple to work on and spare parts are relatively cheap and plentiful. The M3 of this generation is already quite desirable and is a bit of a performance bargain, especially since it remains cheaper to pick up than the E30 and E46 versions that sit either side of it. But clean, low-mileage non-M cars often get overlooked, and I think this is a little unfair. Take this 328i for example. It’s a convertible and an automatic, both potential turn-offs for some. But a 3-series in this configuration is not supposed to be a track car or a street racer. It’s supposed to be a classy little boulevard cruiser. And on that score it’s a winner.
