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Boy, it’s been too long since I did a Wednesday Wheels – amazingly, it seems like late January was the last wheel roundup. But it’s something I love and with the sun shining and most of the potholes on their way towards repair in Rhode Island, I can finally shift my attention from snow chains to summer tires! Today I returned to my favorite subject; BBS wheels, with a roundup of some of neat ones that appear. There are the eponymous 80’s semi-aftermarket wheel choice, the BBS RSs many manufacturers offered at the dealer. This is a set of 16×8 and 9s for a 944 Turbo. Equally neat to see are the the 4x100mm BBS RM wheels; not as prevalent as RSs yet with a similar look, these were the perfect fit for the 16V GTi in 1991 and 1992. If you were looking earlier, you might have been interested in some BBS Mahle wheels; these are a pretty early Mercedes-Benz specific set that would look great on a SL. In more modern times, BBS was still a great option – Volkswagen specified the RXII 2-piece model for the Jetta Wolfsburg 1.8T, and again the BBS RC seemed to be the go-to option in the mid 2000s for a great looking performance wheel – this set is for an Audi. What’s you’re favorite and why?
It goes without saying that the Porsche 911 is one of the most popular modified chassis ever conceived, and a fair amount of those modifications are track-based. The results are sometimes mixed; however, one of the more popular trends which I think is pretty slick is backdating 911s. It’s ironic, since for some time it was more popular to update the looks of many of the older race cars to new 964 or 993 bodies. However, the surge in pricing in the 1960s and 1970s 911 market has resulted in many backdated cars coming to market. Obviously, the advantage is that you get a better driving and more powerful car with more options than original, but it’s got the look of the sought after early models. However, probably the biggest advantage is that of price; with a lower entry cost, prospective buyers aren’t afraid to use the 911 where it is well suited; driving fast on a race track. Today I have two different takes on backdated 911s, both with a nod towards the mega-buck RS model. Which is the one you’d choose?
A rather sad thing is happening within the Porsche world; the 911 is increasing in value so rapidly that its original dual purpose nature is being threatened. The 911 was, for some time, one of the few cars that really was effectively track-ready right out of the box. While it’s seldom been the all-out fastest circuit car available the 911 has been the dependable choice; lightweight with enough power to thrill you and enough idiosyncrasies to challenge you as a driver. Today I’ve rounded up two track-ready examples that still can be street driven; both 3.0s but with different yet classic interpretations of the 911 design, which is the winner?
Like the M3 from earlier, the Carrera RS has been a model that is the dream of many Porsche enthusiasts and the subject of many replicas. Some are merely cosmetic, others go for wild and exacting recreations. But the value of 911s has progressed to the point where something interesting is happening; track cars now make a viable option to convert back to street cars. It wouldn’t surprise me if we see the same thing occur with the E30 M3 market where tracked out original M3s get converted back to street cars. But this later 911S has been given the RS treatment by notable builder Musante Motorsports. I had the pleasure to work with Chris Musante before his business was fully off the ground; his attention to detail and knowledge of building Porsche air-cooled motors is certainly top of the field, and an early 911 that Chris just rebuilt recently won the Lime Rock Vintage Festival show. It’s no surprise then that this 1977 model that Musante Motorsports built looks awesome:
Time to look at another Corrado SLC that’s crossed these pages before; back in July, I wrote up this very clean looking 1993 example with some stellar BBS RSs. Unfortunately, the car is an automatic and the big stereo was a turn off; I guessed this car would likely trade hands in the high single digits. Well, it’s back up for sale with a different seller, a pretty extensive gallery of photos showing the very good detailing job they did and a new higher price. It also inexplicably now has 26 miles less than it did last time. Now for offer at $10,900, I don’t see any reason that it’s worth more than it was the first time around. I’d still peg the value between $8,000 and $9,000; for nearly $11,000, I’d much prefer to offer a bit more and try to nab the pristine 1992 5-speed we featured with 100,000 miles less. What do you think is top dollar for this car?
The below post originally appeared on our site July 14, 2014:
