It’s another Wednesday and time for another rare wheel roundup! Today I have some more of my favorites lined up, starting with ones close to my heart – Ronal R8 option wheels. These are the lower offset wheels that have the spokes curve in to create a nice lip; were they 4x108mm, rest assured I wouldn’t have posted them and they’d be in the mail to me. They’re rare to find in either bolt configuration but would suit an early GT/4000, Volkswagen or (gasp!) E21 or E30 well. There are two sets of OZ Racing Vega wheels – one for Porsche, the other for Mercedes-Benz. They’re a neat BBS alternative and rare to see. The Audi A3 S-Line wheels may be one you haven’t seen before as most of the S-Line cars came with either larger 17″ wheels or the more BBS-esque wheels. Boy, they’re cheap – a great rare winter setup, perhaps? The Gotti wheels are so over the top they’re almost cool again! And the same goes for the polished Zenders – a rare find with plenty of character to set you apart. What’s your favorite?
Tag: Ronal R8
If the GTi from earlier was expensive for an economy car in 1984, the Audi Quattro was near ridiculous in its pricing; at over $35,000 in 1982, it was more expensive than most Porsche models at the time, including the 911. But the Quattro was the R8 of its day, redefining Audi’s place in the market and introducing exotic performance to a more mainstream crowd. It wasn’t revolutionary in any one particular way; turbocharging and 4 driven wheels has previously hit the market in other applications. But the Quattro combined World Rally Championship performance in an everyday package that could comfortably carry 4 adults with luggage in style. They’ve been legendary since new, but not always appreciated as such – though Audi’s recent acceptance and acknowledgement that it did indeed build cars before the A4 has helped the rising market value of these models. Arguably the most valuable in general are the last model year; updates to the weak point computer and fuse box, coupled with the perfect stance 8″ Ronals and updated interior, along with slightly revised headlights and trunklid meant these were special cars amongst an already rare bunch. Less than 100 made it to these shores, so coming across them today is something of a treat:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1985 Audi Quattro on eBay
6 CommentsSometimes when opportunity knocks, you need to answer the door. If you haven’t been following the trends of all of the mid-80s metal on its way up the charts, pretty much every single one of our favorite cars has quickly been appreciating over the past year or two; many upwards of 100%. I’ve called it the “E30 effect”; I’m not sure if I coined that phrase or I picked it up somewhere – I don’t think so, but lack of sleep and a screaming two year old blur the lines time to time. But regardless, I don’t really think it was the M3 that started this all – I blame the early 911 trends from about two years ago. Suddenly those 911s crested and blasted past $100,000, and enthusiasts looked towards the next fun, race-bred and good looking transportation; the E30 M3 was a natural choice. Because of M3 appreciation, suddenly everything around the M3 is being pulled up, too – the 944 Turbo, the M5, M6 and 500E, and of course, the Quattro. But as I’ve covered previously, finding a good, clean and well sorted example with reasonable miles can be exceedingly difficult. Audis woes in the late 1980s and early 1990s meant that many examples fell into disrepair; at one point a few years ago, I was even offered a Quattro for free if I could take it away. Opportunity knocked, and I didn’t answer the door – though it’s a long story and you can blame General Motors for that one. In any event, today on Ebay a barn-find, low mile and all original Quattro has popped up and once again there’s a knocking at the door:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1983 Audi Quattro on eBay
4 CommentsLast week’s 1985 4000S Quattro was a death toll in the days of the affordable clean 1980s Audis. There was a point in the not-too-distant past where you could buy clean examples of Coupe GTs or 4000 Quattros for under $3,000. But those days, like most of the decent Type 85s, are long gone and if you want to play in the early Audi market it’s going to cost you. While we’ve seen really clean 4000s and GTs push up towards and over $10,000 in the past few months, the trend is pulling up even the less-pristine examples. Such is the case with today’s all-white 1987 4000CS Quattro; a car with high miles but some potential for the right buyer. Will it be a White Christmas for you in this 80’s snow icon?