Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
The “Honorable Mention” post from last week seemed to be a popular choice, so I’m back this week with another selection of cars we didn’t get a chance to get to. We’ve got one from each major manufacturer this time around which makes for an interesting and diverse group. Which is the one that deserved a better look this time around?
The word “melange” comes from the French word for a ‘group of diverse elements’. That’s not a sexy description, nor does it evoke images of some exotic race track or picturesque mountain range. However, I think it does sum up the S8 really well. It is a car which combines all-weather practicality, a healthy dose of sport, one of the best looking large sedan shapes ever penned, and of course it doesn’t hurt that it has 360 horsepower on tap to help motivate it. But you could also interpret the diverse elements as the building blocks of the S8 and its heavy incorporation of aluminum to keep weight down. Visually, the S8 looked like a massive car. But as just a tick over 4,000 lbs, it was no heavier in reality than the V8 quattro had been over a decade earlier despite the increased luxury, options, power and size. Diverse elements could also describe the colors of the U.S. bound S8 range, as nearly every color was unique to the specific model years the D2 was available. Some did carry over, but part of my joy in clicking on S8 links is to see just what shade the example appears in. Today’s is one of the more infrequently chosen 2001-only colors. Arguably, while the S8 is anything but beige, the color’s name – Melange Metallic – suits the multi-roll S8 well.
I’ve got to admit that I have a pretty big soft spot in my heart for the B7 Avant, and without a doubt my favorite is the one with one of the longest names Audi ever blessed a car with – the A4 2.0T quattro Avant S-Line Titanium Package. It’s not quite as bad as some of the recent BMW number/letter/word designations (I’m looking at you, X5 xDrive35d M Sport) but it’s pretty ridiculously long. Luckily, to make up for that, it is ridiculously good looking too, as well as capable and tunable. In fact, I’d wager that the 2.0T is long-term a much better ownership proposition and practically as fast when compared to the S4. Of course, I do have one complaint – the interior. S-Line cars came only with black interiors – which is another reason that today’s car is all the more interesting. At first glance, it appears to be just another grey colored A4 Avant. But get closer, and the details make the package pretty special. Underneath, this A4 has been thoroughly revised by noted race specialist tuner STaSIS, who through their “Touring Package” upped the power of the 2.0T by 25% to 245 horsepower with even more torque. Rolling on bigger unique wheels, the Touring kit also upgraded the suspension to STaSIS coilovers and hid S4-spec larger brakes. Along with some badging, the kit was a staggering $9,000 addition to your already expensive A4. But a neat package it makes, and this one is certainly interesting:
We get a lot of submissions from readers – something we greatly appreciate! But the reality is that we don’t get the chance to write up all of these cars, and some deserving examples slip through the cracks. For some time I’ve wanted to do a roundup of all the examples we missed out on, so today I’m doing just that. Here’s a group of neat cars that we didn’t get a chance to look at in more depth. Thanks again to all of our devoted readers who have sent in some of these suggestions – we really do love getting your suggestions, so keep sending them and tell us if this “Honorable Mention Roundup is a good idea!
We usually try hard to steer clear of nefarious characters, both in automotive products but more often in sellers. Today’s 4000CS quattro comes from a flipper in the Pacific Northwest who has gained a well-deserved reputation in the rather close-knit classic Audi community for misrepresenting, over selling, incorrect information about the cars, high and unrealistic prices and my personal favorite – the inability to take a whole picture of the car with normal perspective. So why am I once again showcasing a car of his? Well, two-fold; I’d like to correct the once again poorly researched information he’s provided (and, he managed to provide TWO whole frame photos!), and it’s just so infrequent that we get to gaze on a reasonable condition 4000CS quattro that I thought it was worth a look. Can we see past the seller to find a potential reasonable ride?
