Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
This completely redone 318is – replete with M3 parts including S52B32 engine and widebody kit – is back on eBay. It’s clearly taken a lot of work and isn’t a bad looking car (I’d say the wheels are the most glaring ugliness), but the seller is clearly determined to get his $30k out of it, as the price is exactly the same as when it was for sale 3 months ago. It’s a cool car, but unfortunately another example that one man’s expensive project does not make another man’s highly-valued dream car.
Cars are much more than the sum of their parts. They are touchstones in life and can bring back fond memories of years gone by. It’s the cars that hail from the early 1990s that do this for me, right around the time I was learning how to drive. Before the days of the Internet, I would peruse the pages of car magazines and lust after the Porsches I’d come across from the period. Especially the 968. There was something about this car that hooked me. A lot of the attraction was due to its rarity in comparison to the ubiquitous 911, being a sort of “alternative” Porsche but keeping the hallmarks of what drew people to the brand. Thankfully, the 968 is a relatively affordable proposition today and remains high on the list for me. When I find myself in a situation with more plentiful parking, this could very well be the brother to my R53 MINI Cooper S.
John from flüssig magazine brought this Wimbledon Green 968 Coupe to our attention. Much like the 1993 928GTS we featured last month, this is one of those eye catching colors from the heyday of colorful Porsches. After speaking with Jeff Coe, 968 guru and owner of the Mint Green 968 Cabriolet, he learned this particular 968 Coupe was one of nine produced in this color combination with these options.
The Eurovan may be the least-loved generation of VW vans, but it’s grown on me. Similarly, non-poptop campers have become a new object of desire, bringing simplicity and sleek looks while still providing significant capability. This teal van has a convertible bed out of the rear seats as well as a table in the middle, with a rare drivetrain combo in the inline-5 and manual. All told, it looks like a great deal to be able to tackle all kinds of adventures for well under $10k.
Last week we featured a pretty rare Polar Silver Metallic RS America that had a few modifications, which will probably hold down its final selling price, but it nonetheless remains a car that we will not come across very often. Now we are going to take that level of rarity up a notch. Here we have a Fly Yellow 1993 Porsche 911 RS America, located in Maryland, with 45,000 miles on it. Unlike the Polar Silver example this RS America retains its originality and looks pristine throughout. Those who have been reading here for a while will know that I love most any bright-colored 911 and that I am particularly fond of those in yellow. So when I came across this one I instantly knew it had to be shared. This is indeed a special car.
In my post from earlier today, I looked at the dilemma in my fictional enthusiast life; the Porsche 944 Turbo versus the 944S2. To throw a monkey wrench into that theoretical debate, there is of course the car that replaced the 944S2 – the 968. With updated styling, the addition of the Variocam variable valve timing and a 6th gear, the 968 is arguably one of the best front-engined water-cooled Porsches. Now with better fuel economy, modernized looks and 236 horsepower, it was really a match for the 944 Turbo. However, as I’ve covered before, most of the competition left it behind; in the marketplace, the 4 cylinder Porsche not only squared up against the V8 Corvette, but the refined trio of Japanese turbocharged cars in the RX-7, 300ZX Twin-turbo and Supra Turbo. If you just wanted performance, it was hard to argue that your money was best spent on the 968. However, a few decades on, the 968 is really starting to come into its own as a potential collector and is widely recognized as a great driver with classic Porsche attributes. Today, I have an interesting pair; a cheap 6-speed coupe and a supercharged cabriolet. Which would you choose?