Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
The late production Porsche 968 Cabriolet we featured in mid August is back up for sale, having no takers last time around. Ever wanted to own the ultimate expression of the front-engine, four cylinder Porsche? Here’s your chance. Let our resident guru and fellow 968 Cabriolet owner, Pablo, walk you through the finer points.
In the world of Porsche tuners, Gemballa is one of the wilder companies. Starting out in 1981, Uwe Gemballa’s first creation was the Avalanche, based on the 911 3.2 Slantnose. Wider fenders, side strakes akin to what was seen on the Ferrari Testarossa and a host of interior upgrades were the order of the day. The wild excess of the 1980s led to a bit more subtle aftermarket kits in the 1990s and greater performance. For a time, a 600 bhp Gemballa 911 held a lap record at the Nürburgring before being surpassed by a Carrera GT. The company’s fortunes took a sad turn in 2010. Uwe Gemballa suddenly went missing in February of that year, only to be found murdered several months later. The CEO, Andreas Schwarz, along with an investor was able to buy the brand rights and in August 2010 Gemballa GmbH was formed.
The car we see here for sale in Phoenix, Arizona is a 993-based Turbo Cabriolet. After the 3.3 liter Turbo Cabriolet of the 1980s, Porsche would never again offer an air-cooled Turbo Cabriolet. So what should have been a no brainer in the product portfolio turns out to be rather special in this case. It’s an interesting mix of 1980s styling cues with more current 911 underpinnings.
Last fall we featured a 1995 Audi A6 that was in great shape for a low price. Life changed a bit for the seller and after a few weeks on the market he pulled the advertisement and drove the car for the past year. The seller is once again ready to part ways; there are a few additional miles that were accrued but the seller has adjusted the price accordingly and also performed a complete timing belt service. If you’d like a lot of style, class and a smooth performer in any condition capable of carrying a massive load, this A6 looks the part and is ready for the next owner. It’s hard to get a much nicer, more capable car for less money.
Audi fans are an interesting bunch. To be fair, I think that most devoted followers of a specific brand in any circumstance are an interesting bunch, but knowing the Audi folks a bit I’m closer to the understanding. What I find interesting is that there’s such a schism between the model fans and who they attract. Each has a devoted following, and each of those groups is a microcosm in and of itself. Take my model group, for example – the Type 85. In that model group, there are the three major notables: the 4000 quattro, the Coupe GT, and of course the Quattro. Then within each of those subsets, there are further fan specializations; 84 4000S quattro versus the 85-87; early GT versus 85-87 and then the “87.5” crew; and of course each one of the model years of the Quattro has its followers. As with the GT, Audi fans have come to naming half model years to differentiate the upgrades; 87.5 GTs received a revised engine and brakes along with some other minor details, but then there are “95.5” S6s and “2001.5” S4s; heck, there are even “2005.5” S4s. Fans become semi-obsessed with differentiating each of the subset models and what makes them special. Today, though, seeing any of these cars in great shape is special to me – and these three each have their special fan base. Thanks to our reader John, here’s a roundup of three fan favorites that are sure to make some smile:
We’re a fickle crowd, automobile enthusiasts. We’ll sit around critiquing cars all day long; what we would or wouldn’t have done, and where the current seller has stepped up or fallen short. Without knowing the whole story, we’ll question motivation, driving habits, cleaning regiments or part choices. Piece by piece, we’ll pick apart what often isn’t an unreasonable asking price for a used car, spending money that isn’t ours and making bold claims about how little we would pay for such a ride. But for those of us who have gone through attempting to rebuild a vehicle to a high standard or return a car to stock form, it’s a little easier to be objective when viewing an asking price on what is a pristine example of a rare car. Simply put, there’s a balance between buying an example that fits the “wants” – you “want” a perfect, pristine, low mile, low owner count maintained car, but you “want” to spend as little as you can. Let’s take a look at a car with a serious fan following in seriously good condition and break it down – in this case, it’s a pristine 1995 Audi S6: