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Tag: Commemorative Edition

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Feature Listing: 1986 Audi Coupe GT Commemorative Design

I’m pretty sure that I’ve written up more B2 Audis for sale than any other site out there. You won’t get an unbiased account from me, but they truly are a great design. They’re handsome, comfortable, reliable and fun to drive in just about any iteration. They’re more rare to see than both period Volkswagens or BMWs, too. And while they’re not without their quirks, they’re the type of car that certainly rewards ownership and makes you feel special. Obviously, I’m a fan of the Audi Coupe GT. I’ve owned five over the past 23 years and get joy out of seeing each one. But there are a few configurations of the GT that really stand out.

There weren’t many special editions of the GT produced, but in 1986 Audi made an entire run of “Commemorative Design” cars. The 4000CS, 4000CS quattro, Coupe GT and 5000 models all got special upgrades and each were slightly different. The closest were the 4000 quattro and Coupe GT, which shared paint colors and interiors. Option code 761 got you the Special Build package on the GT (750 for the 4000CS quattro). The exteriors of both were either LB7V Graphite Metallic or L90E Alpine White, but inside they shared the same lipstick red “Mouton” leather (92). While the quattro got the slightly uprated JT code 115 horsepower 2.2 inline-5, the GT relied on the KX code motor with 110 horsepower. The difference lay in the exhaust manifold; the GT unit was a 5-1 cast manifold, while the quattro had a beefier 5-3-1 exit, along with a larger diameter exhaust. However, the lighter GT was quicker than the all wheel drive variant; and thanks to the nature of the GT versus the quattro market, more of the 750 special 1986 models have survived. The ’86 CE models also received the notorious digital dash, and if you selected Alpine White, they had color matched wheels, mirrors and rear spoiler. But the Graphite over Mouton color combination really makes the sharp Giugiaro lines stand out:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1986 Audi Coupe GT Commemorative Design on Washington, D.C. Craigslist

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1988 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet Commemorative Edition

It’s been a while since I’ve seen one of these 911s. This is the Commemorative Edition (aka the Jubilee Edition), which Porsche released in 1988 to celebrate the production of the 250,000th 911. Like other special editions of its time the special enhancements were almost entirely cosmetic. In this case that meant special exterior and interior colors: Diamond Blue Metallic for the exterior, with color-matched Fuchs wheels, and Silver Blue Metallic in the interior (the seller refers to it as Diamond Blue in the interior as well though I’ve always seen it called Silver Blue). It makes for an attractive combination that’s quite elegant as these things go.

You also got Dr. Ferry Porsche’s signature stitched into the seat headrests, a shorter shifter, and an electronic top for the Cabriolet. I suppose the most unique aspect of this particular Commemorative Edition is that it’s had the model designation deleted. You probably don’t care about that. These 911s are pretty rare with only 875 produced in total. I believe the seller’s statement that this is 1 of 100 imported to the US refers to the number of Commemorative Edition Cabriolets rather than the number of Commemorative Edition 911s imported in total. Still, there aren’t a lot of them.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1988 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet Commemorative Edition on eBay

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Tuner Tuesday: 1986 Audi 4000CS quattro Commemorative Design 20V Turbo

In 1986, to commemorate the 100th year of the automobile, Audi released a series of designs to celebrate the occasion. The consisted of a series of interior and exterior color combinations which were unique to the Coupe GT, 4000CS, 4000CS quattro and 5000CS sedan. Each car had a different interior (with the exception of the GT/4000CS quattro, which both received ‘Mouton’ red leather) and were available in limited quantities and limited exterior color choices.

Their name, appropriately, was Commemorative Design.

Despite that, the Audi enthusiast world at large insists on calling these cars the ‘CE’ – Commemorative Edition – models, rather than ‘CD’ for the appropriate Commemorative Design. Perhaps this stems from some confusion with the Canadian market, where the 5000CS model was marketed as the 5000CD. Does it matter? Not at all.

The two most desirable of this run were the Coupe GT and 4000CS quattro examples with red leather interiors, especially in Alpine White. Though mechanically no different than the standard models, they always make the collective pants of the B2 community a bit tighter when they pop up for sale. However, this particular one might be close to ‘Not Safe For Work’ level, as in addition to the color scheme it’s got a turned up 2.2 liter 20V turbo under the hood. Is this B2 perfection?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1986 Audi 4000CS quattro Commemorative Design 20V Turbo on eBay

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1986 Audi Coupe GT Commemorative Edition

I know, I know – another Audi B2 post. But hey, we hear about every single variant of 911 all the time too, and since I love the GTs I think they deserve to be showcased. There weren’t many special editions of the GT produced, but in 1986 Audi made an entire run of “Commemorative Design” cars. The 4000CS, 4000CS quattro, Coupe GT and 5000 models all got special upgrades and each were slightly different. The closest were the 4000 quattro and Coupe GT, which shared paint colors and interiors. The exteriors were either Graphite Metallic or Alpine White, but inside they shared the same lipstick red “Mouton” leather. While the quattro got the slightly uprated JT code 115 horsepower inline-5, the GT relied on the “KX” code motor with 110 ponies. The difference lay in the exhaust manifold; the GT unit was a 5-1 cast manifold, while the quattro had a beefier 5-3-1 exit, along with a larger diameter exhaust. However, the lighter GT was quicker than the all wheel drive variant; and thanks to the nature of the GT versus the quattro market, more of the special 1986 models have survived. The ’86 CE models also received the notorious digital dash, and if you selected Alpine White, they had color matched wheels, mirrors and rear spoiler. The color combination really makes the sharp Giugiaro lines stand out:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1986 Audi Coupe GT Commemorative Edition on Seattle Craigslist

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1986 Audi Coupe GT Commemorative Edition – REVISIT

It’s always a bit exciting to find a car you wrote up a while back return up for sale; such is the case with today’s 1986 Audi Coupe GT. As if the Commemorative Design models weren’t rare enough, finding a Graphite Metallic example is even harder. Then tack on low miles and great overall condition, and this is one rare package. Last time around, the seller was the dubious Audi flipper from the PNW; some of the faults of the car were corrected by the new seller, others were not. It’s now wearing the correct Ronal R8 wheels (though, not with the correct center caps – instead it wears early “nut” caps from pre-’86 models). A fair amount of mechanical work has been covered including most of the wear items. The air conditioning and cruise control have not been repaired and the sunroof doesn’t work; better stick to cool climates. But the price is much more reasonable this time around despite a general appreciation of values on the model; now offered at $6,250 with only 4,000 miles driven since 2013, it would cost you more to build an equal condition model out of a lesser example. I hope this rare Coupe finds a loving home soon!

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1986 Audi Coupe GT Commemorative Edition on Craigslist

The below post originally appeared on our site September 23, 2013:

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