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The Audi C5 chassis was a unique time when the American market got virtually all of the options that were available in other parts of the world. There were many different engine configurations; starting with 2.8 liters and working its way to 3 liters was the naturally aspirated V6 in either sedan or wagon form. Stepping up a notch got you twin turbos on the V6, which could be had with either a manual or automatic gearbox, again in either sedan or wagon form (albeit only in Allroad configuration). The Allroad introduced a concept pioneered by Volvo and Subaru and was hugely successful if hugely complicated, with an adjustable air suspension meeting a host of other electronic gizmos. V8s were optional as well, in the widened and lightened near-S-specification A6 4.2 sedan, or as we see here the full fat S6 Avant. Turn it up a notch further and you could twin turbocharge the V8 and get your 450 horsepower jollies in a RS6, though we only received the 4-door. Granted, we did miss out on some great TDi configurations and the V8s came as automatic only, but simply the option to have the 340 horsepower wagon was a novelty at the time. I, like most die-hard Audi fans, was both mystified and disappointed by the C5 S6 Avant. With no manual option and the much hotter RS6 only coming in a sedan, it felt like even with the plethora of options available that the top-of-the-heap Avant wasn’t really all that could be offered. Expensive and overshadowed by options cheaper that were nearly as quick but more gimmicky (and basically looked the same), they didn’t sell particularly well – but most were coveted by those that bought them, and when they do arrive to market they’re usually a far cry from the tired look most C5 Avants have assumed:
The Guards Red 2002 Porsche 911 Turbo we featured in early April remains for sale. After a few auctions that failed to meet the reserve the seller has decided to forgo the suspense and list it with his asking price. That price, $60K, is about $10K above where auctions have ended so we’ll have to see whether anyone has enough interest to go that high. We don’t see Guards Red on the 996TT very often and this one has pretty low miles so perhaps it will sell. That price does begin to eat into the great values we typically see with these cars, but even at $60K it’s a heck of a lot of performance for your money.
The below post originally appeared on our site April 5, 2016:
Following on to the 1999 BMW Z3 2.8 Coupe we saw earlier in the week, here’s a car at the other end of the E36/8 production run spectrum, the 2002 M Coupe. Enthusiasts know these are the ones to get, as the late model M Coupes are packing the desirable S54 engine. This example for sale in New Mexico is one of the few made without the sunroof, sure to please those looking for a track day hero.
I’m not sure what it is, but lately I’ve fallen out of love a bit with most BMWs from the last 15 years or so. I think a lot of it is the continual business travel abroad that I do, always seeing and riding in interesting Italian, French and miscellaneous machines that we can’t buy new here in the US market. In my drive to be different, I usually buy my clothes outside of the US, but sadly, I can not do this with cars. What to do then? Create something yourself, such as this 1976 BMW 2002 with the 2.7 liter inline-6 eta engine swapped in for sale in California. It’s rather interesting that someone decided to swap in the longer stroke economy engine, as it’s not the usual go-to engine for a 2002 swap. But the overall package is quite pleasing.
When I pull the cover off my M3, it still seems like a bit of a dream. I can’t believe that I finally was able to get the car that I really wanted for such a long time. Yet, I still wonder a bit – did I pick the right one? With only around 500 Phoenix Yellow Metallic coupes imported to the U.S. there aren’t a lot to choose from any day of the week, so it is always a bit surprising to see one which outwardly looks exactly like my car. Well, almost exactly…
