Thanks to a Road & Track tuner feature, AC Schnitzer (along with Ruf, TechArt and HPA) was one of the first tuners to really catch my imagination. Big chunky 5-spokes and wings fore, aft, and midship were plenty to turn middle-school me into a daydreaming Autobahn master. In this day and age and much like the cars they tune or the pop stars we are force-fed, aftermarket design has become a caricature of hyper-stylized aggression. There was a time, however, when bodykits and wheels were subtly aggressive extensions of classic designs. This 325i sedan is exactly that, having received a bodykit, exhaust, wheels, and suspension that make it look more like an appetizing foreign model rather than a crazy tuner cartoon. Originally a Euro model that was imported to Japan and then Florida, it’s covered 43k miles on the road and nearly half that amount in shipping. The automatic is a bummer, but with so few miles and such beautifully restrained modifications it can be forgiven. The exhaust and suspension will help make the drive more exciting (as long as it doesn’t have the sad sound of good exhaust droning across an auto trans’ overly-smooth revs), and the bodykit and wheels will put a smile on any BMW fan’s face. Eventually a manual swap and some engine mods would help it keep up with its appearance, but for now it’s a very cool E30 that won’t break the bank.
German Cars For Sale Blog Posts
It will be really interesting in another 10 years to see how we look back on the 2000s and specifically the beginning of the horsepower race between auto makers. In a just the span of a generation, we saw average power more than double in most performance cars while simultaneously technology filled their cockpits and dominated the driving experience. Take Audi’s S6; rising from the nomenclature change in 1995, it came to the market with a 2.2 liter turbocharged inline-5 developing a then inspired 227 horsepower. By the launch of the C5 platform, power was up to 340, now with a V8 developed out of the S6 Plus and S8 units. When the C6 was launched in 2006, the S6 now had a V10 motor displacing 5.2 liters and churning out 430 horsepower. What was perhaps more amazing was that it was overshadowed by the big-brother S8 with another 20 horses, and the twin-turbocharged RS6 positively dwarfed it with 580 horsepower on tap. On top of that, it quickly became evident that the way forward would be forced induction to generate even greater power, and consequently all of the major manufacturers have moved in that direction. Better response, better fuel economy, and even more power mean that the new TSFi motors make these V10s look like the dinosaurs they consume. To further sully the waters of contemplation of ownership, these exquisitely built sedans seemed just rather ho-hum. Fast? Sure, without a doubt, but they weren’t very flashy or wild. However there were two options to spice up your S6 – Brilliant Red was a great way to make a spash, but the one seldom selected that I think had the most character was Sprint Blue Pearl Effect:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2007 Audi S6 on eBay
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Moving on from the low mileage 560SL we saw yesterday, let’s take a look at that car’s sedan contemporary, the 560SEL. Germany has always been renowned for large luxury sedans, but the standard bearer of this segment for years has been the S-class. Of all the S-classes to have come and gone, my favorite was perhaps the one from the era of my childhood, the W126. Combining the durability of a W123 with the stateliness of a presidential limo, these cars were really in a class of their own for over a decade. Even when production ended in 1991, they were still at the head of the class when it came to safety, performance and luxury. Sure, it might have looked a little dated in the early 1990s, but looking back, this Bruno Sacco design has aged quite well. If I was about to take the W126 plunge, I would probably stick with the ministerial look and choose black. This 1989 560SEL for sale in Florida is quite mint, though, showing only 52,000 miles on the odometer. It does, however, remind me why I would never move to the Sunshine State. I don’t have enough white belts. Or cars.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1989 Mercedes-Benz 560EL on eBay
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Here is something we definitely don’t see everyday. From the outset I’ll say that there are a lot of questions to be asked about this 911, but once those questions are answered then this one probably won’t be around long. Here we have a 1995 Porsche 911 Carrera RS, located in Texas, with 17,893 miles on it. Since the 993 Carrera RS was never imported into the United States and because we have not yet reached the 25 year window in which such a car can more easily be imported, I’m always curious how the rare few of these that do exist here manage to find their way to our shores. There are always ways to get around such obstacles and this isn’t the first one I’ve come across, but in each case there lingers that same aura of mystery. Those concerns cover our first set of questions, and frankly those are probably the most important as they help establish the authenticity of this 911 and its road legality. I should state, this does appear to be a genuine RS so I don’t want to heap doubt upon it in that regard, but at this sort of price caution is always warranted.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1995 Porsche 911 Carrera RS on eBay
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At the first Audi Club track event I went to, I excitedly hurried my 4000CS quattro through the hills of Northwest Connecticut to Lime Rock Park. The year was 1997, and while I had been heading to the track for many years this was my first foray to an Audi event. Back in ’97, old Audis were pretty uncommon – hard to fathom considering how scarce they are today. So going to an all-Audi event promised to be a special collection of audacious Audis, and I was certainly not disappointed. There were no less than ten Quattros in attendance, and may have even been more – I struggle a bit to remember, but a fair chunk of the instructor core had them and even a few students showed up with the legendary cars. It was a bit like those nature shows of Ridley Sea Turtles arriving on Mexican beaches once a year to lay eggs; a baffling display of the entire world’s population arriving in one spot at one time when for the rest of the year they’re spread around the world’s oceans. Quattros, especially large numbers of Quattros, are like that. Let’s put some figures into perspective – E30 M3s are rare, right? Sure, only around 5,000 made it to the U.S. with a pretty good amount still being sold on eBay today being driven as they should. 190E 16V owners enjoy pointing out that their cars are much more endangered, as just shy of 2,000 made the Atlantic crossing. Low residuals mean a lower percentage of those original 1,953 still are dog-legging around. E24 M6, E28 M5, E34 M5? Sure, all very low production cars. But the Quattro? 664 came here, and how many are left today is a good question. I’d estimate the number of Quattros remaining alive and in good condition to likely be less than 2/3rds of the original 664 – figure maybe 400 are still around and serviceable. Think about the last time you saw an E30 M3 cruising along down the road (it doesn’t count if you own one or were at a show)? You’re at least ten times less likely to happen across a Quattro. Finally, they’re starting to be appreciated for their special nature, but they’re certainly still critically endangered in the U.S.: