The Mk1 Volkswagen Jetta we featured last week is back up for sale at no reserve. You don’t see a lot of these first generation Jettas knocking around anymore, so grab a good one when you can!
Tag: 1984
There are a lot of folks who long for European versions of the cars that we got here in the United States, and this author is amongst them. For the most part, the Euro versions were closer to the original design; in general they had smaller, better fitting bumpers, better headlights, and some options that were deemed too expensive or not appealing enough to bring to the U.S.. They also typically had better performance from non-de-tuned motors and lighter weight. So, better looking, faster and more special; but in talking with Paul, we both agreed that there is also an element of wanting the things we just can’t have. One Volkswagen model that never made it here was the GTX trim Scirocco. The GTX was one of the higher spec versions in Europe and looked quite sporty; put some of those Euro bits onto what would otherwise be a pretty mundane 1984 U.S. spec Scirocco, add some desirable tuning modifications and some fresh paint, and you have a tidy package:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1984 Volkswagen Scirocco “GTX” on eBay
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To me, it’s pretty amazing that the Quattro hasn’t really received the attention of the E30 M3. The Quattro beat the M3 to the market by 6 years with its squared, chunky boxflare stance. It was all-wheel drive, turbocharged and cutting edge. It revolutionized the World Rally Championship and firmly cemented Audi in the halls of motorsports and enthusiasts minds. The offbeat 5-cylinder hanging in front of the wheels seemed an odd choice, but Audi has returned with an updated version of that power plant in some of its newer models, and the sound and performance is no less memorable than it was in the original. Indeed, in terms of what a single car did for a brand, the Quattro was much more influential for Audi than the E30 M3 was for BMW in my mind. Yet today, if you want to get a great condition E30 M3 with under 100,000 miles you’re looking at over $50,000 to play; if you want to get into the original Quattro, nice examples can be had for half that amount:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1984 Audi Quattro on eBay
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At the other end of the gray market scale from the 500SL we featured a few days ago sits this car, the 280SL. For most of its lifespan, European customers were able to specify a six cylinder variant of the popular R107 roadster, the first examples having the engine we see here, the twin cam M110 inline-6. This example for sale in Wisconsin has remarkably low mileage and features a few nice options like alloy wheels, heated seats and the rear “kinder†seat.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1984 Mercedes-Benz 280SL on eBay
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When I was a younger lad, my father was looking for an upgrade to his BMW 635CSi for a track car, and we were scouting out E28 M5s. He finally picked one up, and we headed to the track – these were the days when, short of a modified 930, there wasn’t much faster on track than an E28 M5. We were at Lime Rock park, and I excitedly waited for him to come blowing down the front straight, decimating his competition in a wave of speed, power and sound. Yet, when he did appear on the front straight, his arm was out the window – pointing by what appeared to be a fairly unassuming 535i. My 15 year old self couldn’t really contemplate what had happened; how could a 535i possibly be faster than an M5? The answer was under the hood, where a Dinan Turbo kit subtly hid; with a reported 400 horsepower on tap at full boost, the M5 was no match for this supercar slayer. That power figure may well have been exaggerated by the owner, but it was no slouch, so I was excited to see a similar 533i 3.5 Dinan Turbo pop up in our Self-Service Classifieds: