Race-prepped cars exist within their own market and are notoriously difficult to correctly evaluate and price. Much of this difficulty arises from the simple fact that many racers have specific preferences or builds in mind and it might be rare to come across a car that checks enough boxes to make the purchase worthwhile, at least at a cost that also makes sense to the seller. From a simple market perspective, in the case of vintage racers, there are usually a few transactions or other benchmarks upon which reasonable decision making can be based, but for a newer model such as this 1995 Porsche 911 there may be few relevant comparables. The 993 racer featured here falls in the middle ground of the race-prepped spectrum. While it has upgraded suspension and a fully race-prepped interior, it has retained its stock motor, though shorter gear ratios have been implemented to improve acceleration.
Tag: 1995
If you wanted a fast, executive super saloon in 1995, your options were dwindling. 1995 was the last year of the Audi S6, and one year after both the V8 Quattro and 500E were taken away. 1995 would also be the last year of the iconic M5, and hints were that it might be a long time before we’d see another. Why? Well, the reality was that with the 6 speed 540i the performance gap between the “super” M5 and the “normal” V8 engined 540 was so close it just didn’t make a lot of sense to have the premium model anymore. The S38 was by now a quite old motor and was getting harder to pass increasingly strict emissions standards; indeed, shrinking sales and high price had resulted in the M5 being pulled from the U.S. in 1993. As a result, BMW offered a hint at what it could do with the V8 in the form of the M540i in Canada and the 540i M-Sport in the U.S. market. The Canadian model was quite close in spec to the European M5, except that in place of the venerable S38 it ran the M60 V8 out of the normal 540i. If that sounds like a letdown, it wasn’t – mated to the Getrag 6-speed transmission it was a great driver, and with the M5 suspension, brakes and cosmetic details it was 95% plus of the M5 for most drivers. The 540i M-Sport that the U.S. got differed a bit in not having the trick floating rotors of the M540i, but with nearly everything else out of the M5 bag of tricks these are cool cars, great drivers, and even more rare than the M5:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1995 BMW 540i M-Sport on eBay
2 CommentsThe mid 1990s would bring about a new flagship for BMW, one that would take on a more evolutionary than revolutionary styling change. The E38 7 series would go on to become one of the most revered large BMWs in history, as the 7 series that followed was not as well received due to its radical styling. Available in V8 and V12 form throughout its stint in the US, this 1995 740i represents the more “basic” short wheelbase form that was on offer to American customers. The earlier E38 had the 4.0 liter V8 that we see here, supplanted by a revised 4.4 liter unit from 1996 onwards. It’s uncommon to spot an early E38 with low mileage, as these would be tasked to devour highway miles at a rapid clip. This 740i has escaped the ravages of time and is closing in on a mere 40,000 miles.
Click for more details: 1995 BMW 740i on Hemmings Motor News
3 CommentsEver see a car ad and think “Well, they obviously don’t want to sell the car”? We see them a lot; from “feelers” to regular advertisements with ludicrous pricing, there are is no end to advertisements that make it apparent that the seller isn’t in a hurry to move the car. Jalopnik recently wrote up a WRX ad that was one such example – the husband agreed to put the car up for sale to get a SUV when the family expanded. Of course, he didn’t say he was going to sell the car, just that it would be put up for sale – which he did, at a little over double the current market rate. Clever. In any event, we do see some of these ads come up from time to time that it’s apparent that the seller either thinks they have something really, really special or are just not looking to sell the car. Such is the case with today’s 1995 Audi S6; it certainly looks splendid in Emerald Green Mica and has a clean looking Ecru interior, but at well over double the going rate for a 1995 S6 sedan, is the seller hoping it won’t move? Let’s take a look:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1995 Audi S6 on Washington DC Craigslist
2 CommentsBy 1995, it really seemed that the large fast executive sedan was leaving the U.S. for good. The E34 BMW was replaced in 1997 with the E39, but there was no word of an M5. Indeed, the 540i was considered so close in performance to the outgoing M5 it seemed BMW wasn’t planning one. The era of hand-constructed M-cars was over. The 500E had also left us in 1994, with the W124 chassis also on its way out. That legendary car and chassis still haunts the dreams of many enthusiasts both in and out of the marque. For Audi, it was also the end of an era with the demise of the turbocharged inline-5, an engine that had defined the company’s success in motorsport as well as the unique individuality of the brand. That motor last appeared in the United States in the 1995 Audi S6, like the other super sedans a high water mark for the brands whose memory would not be easy to shake. Now over two decades after its introduction in the 1991 200 and 1992 S4, the 3B/AAN motor is still a growing legend amongst Audi fans. Many of these super sedans were used hard and well over their life, providing countless memories of effortless overtaking and miraculous drives through snowy conditions. For those who haven’t yet experienced the great C4 chassis mated to the phenomenal motor that the WRC helped to create, time hasn’t run out. There are still good examples of the C4 chassis floating around, and unlike good examples of the E34 M5 and W124 500E, they’re quite affordable. Take this black over grey S6 for example: