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Tag: 1989

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1989 Volkswagen Golf Limited

The Golf Limited may be one of the best sleepers of all time. It’s such a sleeper, in fact, that most of the world doesn’t even know it exists. Yet this was the car that arguably gave birth to Volkswagen’s “R” lineup and along with cars like the Lancia Delta Integrale took hot hatches to a new level of performance. So why is it so thoroughly overlooked?

The root of the cause, I believe, comes down to availability. A scant 71 Golf Limited models rolled out of VW Motorsports’ skunkworks, and to the naked eye, they weren’t nearly as impressive looking as the Rallye, GTI G60 or even the Country models they were sold alongside of. But Volkswagen was looking to move into FIA Group A rally after its exploits with twin-engine Sciroccos and the Pike’s Peak Golf attempts from ’85 and ’86. I wrote about those crazy cars back in 2016 on The Truth About Cars:

Bi-Curiosities: Volkswagen’s Twin-Engine Terrors

Volkswagen had also simultaneously developed its own ‘syncro’ system to rival Audi’s signature quattro drivetrain. Audi’s system only worked with longitudinally mounted motors, so to mate all-wheel drive and the transverse Golf platform required a complete redesign. I talked about that solution back in 2017 when looking at a Passat G60 Syncro:

Forbidden Fruit: 1992 Volkswagen Passat G60 Syncro

Though only seen in the Corrado in the U.S., the supercharged PG 8 valve G60 was found in three models in Europe. But VW Motorsport had a trick up their sleeve; they took all of their experience from the BiMotor Golf, the syncro development, and the G60 and they combined it. The new 3G engine was both supercharged and a 16V, and cranked out 211 horsepower. Rallye suspension and special front fenders were fit into a relatively sedate-looking 4-door syncro chassis. Distinguishing features outside were few; BBS RM wheels, a pre-facelift 16V front chin spoiler, a Fuba roof-mounted antenna, and a blue outline grill with a VW Motorsport badge were all that let you know this was the highest performance Golf that had ever been built:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1989 Volkswagen Golf Limited on Autoscout24.com

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1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe Silver Anniversary Edition

Update 1/7/19: This Silver Anniversary 911 Coupe has dropped from $64,500 ask in 2018 to $59,500 today.

It feels like it’s been a good while since I’ve come across a nice one of these. This is a 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe Silver Anniversary Edition, which Porsche released as part of the sendoff to the 3.2 Carrera and as a commemoration of the 25th anniversary of 911 production. They were fairly limited production with only 500 total produced (300 Coupes and 200 Cabriolets). There was a time when I’d see these for sale somewhat frequently, but those days are long gone. This particular one looks exceptional.

The Silver Anniversary Edition was available in two exterior colors: Silver Metallic, which we see here, and Satin Black Metallic. Wheels were painted to match the exterior color, but the interior colors were the same. Of the two colors Silver Metallic was much more common with 240 of the 300 Coupes produced in silver. So this one isn’t quite as rare as it could be, but still very rare nonetheless.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe Silver Anniversary Edition on eBay

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80s 4-Banger Icons: 1983 Volkswagen GTI and 1989 Porsche 944S2

I’m back with another “Which would you buy?” scenario, but this one is quite a bit different from the twin S6s I took a peek at over the weekend. Today I’m looking at two very different 80s icons – the GTI and the Porsche 944. In their own right, both were also 80s film stars – the Porsche 944 in John Hughes Sixteen Candles, while the A1 Volkswagen appeared topless in nearly every other movie – most notably, ‘The Coreys’ License to Drive. Today’s subjects are higher performance, driver-oriented examples, and like last time both fall into driver-quality examples. Yet while the performance and original sticker prices of these cars is quite far apart, today in the market they’re not only within reach of budget-minded enthusiasts, but also they’re in direct competition with each other. So which would you score?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1983 Volkswagen GTI on eBay

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1989 BMW 325ix

I’ve been accused of ignoring the E30 325ix. True enough, I’ve flatly declared that I’m much more an Audi fan from the period. But the BMW was a pretty interesting development from Munich, and as these are still market darlings, it’s certainly worth taking a look.

While BMW wouldn’t launch the U.S. spec ix until 1988, Europeans were introduced to the concept in 1986. Unlike Audi’s quattro system which utilized a rearward driveshaft tacked on to a front-wheel drive transmission output shaft, BMW mated a transfer case and two viscous couplings, which effectively were front and rear limited-slips. This was very different from Audi’s contemporaneous system, which relied on the driver to lock the rear and center differentials that were otherwise open. The 325ix was able to be mated to an automatic transmission long before Audi would do so in the small chassis. BMW’s system was also more rearward biased, with 67% of the power being sent to the back wheels. While still more prone to understeer than a standard 325i, it was less so than the Audi.

Then, of course, there was the power difference. Because of suspension and other changes between the front-drive and quattro Audis, the system added about 225 lbs to the curb weight, while BMW claimed the ix system added around 150 lbs. Since both cars made use of otherwise standard engines, the advantage was again with the BMW. The M20B25 cranked out nearly 170 horsepower, some 40 more than the NG 2.3 inline-5 shared in the 80/90 quattros. The only real external differences between the 325i and 325ix were the addition of the color-matched fender flares and rear spoiler, slightly higher ride height and 15″ BBS mesh wheels, and the simple addition of one “x” behind the normal designation. Weren’t times so much more simple?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1989 BMW 325ix on eBay

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1989 Porsche 930 Coupe

How do we explain the 930? It’s appeal seems both undeniable, but also uncertain. It’s raw and powerful and appeals to all of our childish sensibilities. It’s kind of a Hot Wheels car come to life. In some cases you might really think that’s what has happened. But we’re grown now and not everyone wants a car with a massive spoiler and bulging rear fenders. All of that power requires your full attention in a world where paying attention has become a novelty. But there are times when I look at one – and I’m sure some of you do as well – and can’t think of why I might want something else.

Here we have a triple black 1989 Porsche 930 Coupe with 80,457 miles on it. This comes from the final year of 930 production, a significant point for those in search of one of these turbos since it was the only year Porsche equipped them with a 5-speed manual transmission rather than the previously utilized 4-speed manual.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1989 Porsche 930 Coupe on eBay

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