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Tag: 1981

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1981 Porsche 928 Convertible

The rage in the 1980s was cutting the roof off of perfectly good cars, from the S-Class Mercedes-Benz to the E24 BMW. Not escaping this fate were sports cars as well, with Treser making a convertible Quattro. Carelli Designs gave it a go, as well – they were commissioned to create a run of convertible 928s between 1980 and 1981, one of which I looked at a few years ago:

Jiffy-Top: 1981 Porsche 928 Carelli C928

A total of 8 cars were produced by Carelli Designs in Costa Mesa, California, but the project never progressed past the initial design phase. Carelli actually put a lot of effort into making the cars work well as convertibles, and they cost a staggering $80,000 in 1981. Today’s car, though, doesn’t appear to be one of them. Instead, this car is claimed to be one that was developed following Al Holbert’s pre-production speed run in a 928 S4. Holbert took a mostly stock 928 to an impressive 171 mph, which Porsche claimed made it the world’s fastest catalyst-equipped car. According to the selling dealer of the car we’re looking at today, this convertible was specially-ordered to commemorate that achievement – maybe.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1981 Porsche 928 Convertible on eBay

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1981 Porsche 924 Carrera GTS Clubsport

One of the more surprising models ever to leave Stuttgart was the 924 Carrera GTS Clubsport. Yes, Porsche made a track-ready racer 924 that was originally destined as a homologation model for FIA Group 4 racing. It was a 924 Turbo with aluminum body panels, 16″ Fuchs wheels, 930 Turbo-style brakes, Bilstein coilover suspension, an integrated roll cage, plastic window treatments, 935-style seats, and a fire suppression bottle. Also it looked really menacing compared to the standard 924 Turbo. Only 15 road-legal cars were produced, which puts this in the rarest of the rare category when talking about the special cars from Porsche. Today, we happen to have one for sale up for sale in Miami with a crazy 37,000 miles on the odometer. Although that maybe isn’t so crazy after I tell you the price.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1981 Porsche 924 Carrera GTS Clubsport on eBay

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1981 Mercedes-Benz 240D

Long live the W123, may it ride forever. It probably will too, if not for one eternal enemy that we’ll get into in a moment. There seems to be no mechanical limit to these machines as long as a reasonable amount of effort is put into regular maintenance and repairs. A few weeks ago we saw a 1979 300TD with over 782,000 miles sell for nearly $10,000, and that probably wasn’t even nearing the end of it’s life.

Today, we have the trust 240D with the OM616 paired with the basic 4-speed manual gearbox. There is no much to go wrong with this, except maybe the clock turns fast than you are able to accelerate. This example is finished in English Red, which is more like bring orange, but none the less a great color. The catch? Well, I wish it was easier to fix.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1981 Mercedes-Benz 240D on eBay

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1981 Porsche 911SC Targa

After the aircooled Porsche price spike about seven or eight years ago, prices have been pretty stable. This has been true for the G Body market given the crazy number of them out there in every single variant you could want. From the early 2.7-liter cars all the way up to the 3.2-liters with the G50 gearbox, you can pretty much guess they’ll all be in the ballpark of the same price. What really made one car worth more was the condition, mileage, and of course the color combo. If you brought somewhere between $35,000 to $50,000 to the table, you could walk around with a car that way probably close to what you wanted. Then 2020 happened.

What I’ve seen over the past eight months are so is strong rise for the best G Body example and it seems to be raising all boats. The very best cars are into six-figures now, and even somewhere average cars have bumped up in price. I think this has to do with forces outside the Porsche world in general, but I’m sure a lot of people are trying to get in while you still can. Or rather if you can. Today’s car, European-market 1981 911SC Targa, is still priced somewhat competitively given what is going on. Plus, I love Moss Green Metallic. Speak now or forever hold your peace.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1981 Porsche 911SC Targa on eBay

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1981 Volkswagen Scirocco S Callaway Turbo Stage II

Back to our old friend, the Scirocco. I’ve mentioned in previous posts that Volkswagen’s water-cooled coupes aren’t my favorite cars in the lineup. And that’s mostly true, with one notable exception. I adore the first generation Scirocco. To me, it’s the early 911 of the water-cooled Volkswagens. Flawed, but full of style and charm. And just like the early 911s, the real treat is to find an ‘S’ model – if you can.

In all reality the Scirocco S was just an appearance package. It shared all of the basic aspects of the Scirocco, but the optional 5-speed was standard, it came with 13″ alloys, a special interior, red stripes, and a front spoiler. Doesn’t sound like much, eh? In all honesty, it wasn’t, and on top of that you only could choose from a few exterior colors. But while finding a clean and original Mk.3 GTI can be tough, finding an original S model Scirocco in good shape borders on impossible. While today’s example is a bit of a project, when you throw in a dose of the heavy-hitting name ‘Callaway’, it’s worth taking note:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1981 Volkswagen Scirocco S Callaway Turbo Stage II on Craigslist

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