Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
This is a refreshingly not-drab green Unimog, a long-wheelbase 416 model looking awesome in white on black with a convertible top. The paint makes it look significantly more modern than a lot of the Mogs we see, even though they were exactly the same for 25 years and look similar still. The aesthetics make me want it, but the auction starting significantly higher than similar models we’ve seen makes me want to stay away.
914s have been on my mind again for the first time in a long while. One of my first attempts at misguided car purchase was well before I even had my license, was a call to a guy on a forum advertising a $950 914 project. “Yeah, I’ll save and fix it up by the time I can drive!” I thought. “What the hell is my seventh-grader doing on the phone discussing buying cars!?” my poor mom asked. Well, the basest of Porsches seemed like a fun way to tinker, and the go-kart from Stuttgart had my mind working over time. Now again, I’ve been longing for a weight-free tossable treat, and some choice 914s in the area have them back in my consciousness. None are as sweet as this though, which had just one owner and covered less than 70k miles in the first 40 years of its life. A beautiful repaint and cared-for interior have it looking like a showroom example. There aren’t many out there like this and it’s going to command a commensurate price, but as vintage 911s rise beyond the reach of many, the 914 is still a quick and fun option available to most.
I often wonder if you need the real article, especially when discussing rare automobiles. I can think of a few cases where having the replica wouldn’t bother me very much; generally, they’re replicas of rare cars that are just hard or very expensive to come by. For example, I’d love to own a 917K or LH, but first off it will never happen due to monetary considerations, and secondly if I did own it, I’d be afraid to take it anywhere and drive it in anger. But Race Car Replicas make a pretty convincing replica of the 917 that can be had for around $60,000, and to me the look is good enough that I can deal with it not being the real item. The same goes for Daytona Coupes, some rare Ferraris and even some factory-built replicas; Audi’s Auto Union Type C streamliner comes to mind. But what about road cars? If they’re rare, difficult to come by or expensive to keep running, I think the case can be made that a replica is just fine, especially when executed well:
Recently, a Facebook fanpage called Flussig Magazine – centering on watercooled Porsches – did an interesting comparison of side drawings comparing the 944, Ferrari 365 GTB/4, and Volkswagen SP2. While that may sound like a very interesting assortment of unrelated cars, the reality is if you put them side by side, there are pretty similar profiles to the designs. That’s a big compliment to the much more affordable Volkswagen and Porsche models, though the SP2 is a rare to see treat. There are very few kicking around the U.S., and while you can import one here it’s not the most common model to bring here. Is it worth it, then, if there’s one already here that needs some work?
About two weeks ago, I wrote up two ex-Turbo 911 racers that took the builds in different directions; one, an ultimate street car with track potential and a crazy V8 LS7 swap, and the other a more traditional RSR-inspired PCA club racer. Well, today we’re back at it with another ex-930 that has been converted to more traditional RSR style, with a big IROC whale tail and some pretty trick Jongbloed wheels, along with some Skoal Bandit/Group 44 inspired decals. What do you think?