As Paul and our reader John both noted in last week’s 1991 Audi S4 post, the price of that appealing and clean example of was fairly high relative to what you could purchase a slightly higher miles but still clean model in the U.S. for, even not taking into account the cost of importing the car to the U.S. To underscore that point, today we’ll look at both an early and later version of the venerable 20V Turbo C4 chassis Audi – the enthusiast dubbed “Ur-S” cars. First off we’ll look at a 1992 S4, then a 1995 S6:
Tag: Fuchs
So you want a classic 1960s/1970s Porsche 911. Well, it’s not a great time to jump on the bandwagon. We’ve watched prices on these early 911s jump to unprecedented levels – values on models such as the 1973 Carrera RS have tripled in the past year, where now Hagerty Insurance values a top condition example at $800,000. So, sufficed to say you won’t be getting one anytime soon; and even if you could afford it, then what? Would you feel comfortable taking your million dollar Porsche for a stroll with all those Camry “drivers” more intent on the latest recipe on NPR than signaling to change the three lanes over the to exit they just missed? Don’t worry, they’ll back up to take it. So, what’s an enthusiast to do? Well, many have been inspired by the model of Singer; backdating modern cars to look like older and more valuable examples. As a side bonus, you get improved performance and luxuries that the early cars just didn’t have – items that honestly make the drive more enjoyable. A few weeks ago, I saw a Singer-inspired car at Lime Rock Park that just looked awesome – an updated RS that was dependable and, more importantly, a car that could be driven and enjoyed on a reasonable budget. Today, there’s a similar example for sale on Ebay:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1990 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 “RS” on eBay
6 CommentsIn the days when 930s were a tad bit more affordable than they’ve become in recent years, it wasn’t uncommon to see blown-engine examples be turned into track creations. It makes a fair amount of sense – with upgrades brakes and wider flares, the Turbo model was a natural born track car. So with that in mind, we have two very different routes that seemingly similar cars could take; both based upon Turbo models, which is your track-flavored style? First we’ll look at the 3.6 flat-6 RSR-styled PCA racer:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1976 Porsche 911 “RSR” on eBay
1 CommentOkay, so most people don’t seem to get into the race cars I’ve been posting. That’s okay; I get that owning a race car is a bit of a luxury and doesn’t make sense for 99.9% of the population; they’re compromised vehicles that are expensive to maintain and generally spend a tremendous amount of time doing exactly nothing. Think of it then as a 401K, then; but instead of a crazy year end bonus to some CEO you’ll never meet, you get to once in a while take it out to the track. What better way to achieve this than with an affordable track/race car?
Many times when instructing students at the track, I’m asked what they should do to the car; often times the answer is that it’s better to look at a track car if you’re serious about going to the track. Two of the best and most affordable options are the Porsche 944 and BMW M3; sporting offerings in their original configuration from two sporting manufacturers, they offered near perfect balance, good aftermarket parts availability, plenty of competition if you want to go racing at the next level and – best of all – you can do it all on a budget. Let’s start with the M3:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1995 BMW M3 on eBay
3 CommentsNewer 911s not your thing? For a long time in the 1990s and even into the 2000s, it was very popular to modernize older 911s with updated bodywork, wings and giant motors to make them more effective machines. More recently, though, we’ve seen a return to the original roots of the car; simplified, wingless designs with more narrow bodies, built in the style of the original cars. To me, they’re much more attractive versions of the 911, expressing the very pretty original silhouette; purposeful, compact, and aggressive. They’re even more neat when they’re in spectacular colors, and today’s 1971 is a shining example of just that: