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Tag: Turbo

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Tuner Tuesday: 1989 BMW 535i Dinan Turbo

Published March 11, 2014 by Carter

When I was a younger lad, I diligently followed the car magazines. It was in the late 80s that a small California-based firm named after its creator, Steve Dinan, started gaining the notice of the car magazines. The reason why was simply; just as Reeves Callaway had done on the East Coast, Steve Dinan was taking already potent cars and turbocharging them in the Golden State. In this case, it was E28 and E24 M5 and M6s that were getting forced induction, and the results were unreal. At the time, having 400 horsepower put you into the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini, and a few other exotics. Dinan didn’t rest on those laurels though, and since has become a defacto factory tuner in a similar vein to AMG, though they remain independent. That’s a testament to the quality and reliability of their work. What they produce are improved versions of already fast cars, and today’s 1989 535 is a great example. The E34 was a solid performer in its day, but with a turbo and 300 wheel horsepower, it’s an undercover M5 assassin:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1989 BMW 535i Dinan Turbo on R3vLimited.com

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Motorsport Monday: 1976 Porsche 935

Published February 3, 2014 by Carter

The Porsche 935 is one of the most iconic racing sports cars. It’s also one of the most extreme mutations of a street 911, pushing the envelope of aerodynamics and the rule books. Porsche engineers found there was no stipulation of where the headlights needed to be located; in short order, the super aerodynamic “slantnose” appeared. There was, however, a stipulation that the original rear window had to be retained – but there wasn’t a rule that there couldn’t be a second, more aerodynamic window – so later 935s got a more slippery profile channeling air to that very important rear wing. That wing was so important because the 935s were at times pumping up to 800 horsepower through those rear wheels – enough to make them as fast as prototypes had been only years before.

The 935 was so successful that many were continually modified and raced from their original launch in the late 70s until well into the mid-80s – unusual for a top-spec race car, which is usually antiquated in a year or two. This was the case with the last 935 I wrote up, a 1977 Porsche 935 that was later updated to the top Kremer spec. Today’s car took a different path, originally beginning life as a 934 before being sold to the Minister for Sport in El Salvador who upgraded it first to 934.5 spec, then to full 935 spec. It was in this full 935 spec that the car ran Daytona in 1981 and 1982, though it was uncompetitive compared to those Kremer prepared cars. At that point, the car was again modified – this time back to 934 spec until 1985. Since then the car was both crashed and restored back to the 1981 spec, in the “El Salvador” livery celebrating the Central American championship heritage:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1976 Porsche 935 on eBay

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1986 Porsche 944 Turbo with 30,000 miles

Published January 26, 2014 by Carter

Friends, I’m afraid. I’m afraid that the already somewhat affordable hobby of 1980s cars is quickly becoming endangered by speculation. The first victim was the E30 BMW, and poaching resulting quickly in the endangered status of decent, affordable examples. But the poachers weren’t done; the E24 M6, E28 M5, Ur-Quattro, original GTis and Porsche 911s have been on their list as well. That has meant in some cases spill-over into poaching similar looking models; even more recently, we’ve seen a spike in Audi 4000, Coupe GT, 635CSi and 535is examples trading for previously unheard of amounts that have most enthusiasts despondent and questioning the sanity of the poachers. There are some glimmers of hope; on the endangered list but so far not hugely impacted by this trend are a few real gems of cars. Most notable of this group in my mind has to be the Porsche 944 Turbo.

The 944 Turbo – referred to as the 951 by insiders or anoraks – has been a giant slayer since it’s inception as a test platform at Le Mans in a heavily flared, super cool 924 GTR chassis – dubbed the 944 LM. The new 2.5 liter turbocharged power plant was truly an impressive feat; the aerodynamic body of the 944 returned quite good fuel mileage per the original intent of the design, but step on the loud pedal and there were few cars that could keep up – and none of them were at the same price point as the 944. Since then the Turbo has become legendary as one of the best handling chassis Porsche has produced, its near infinite tuning potential, the spectacular 80s flares and pop-up headlights, and a comfortable GT. As an all-arounder, few cars can achieve what the Turbo did. Because of the relative undervalued nature of the model though, few remain in really pristine condition; but if you’re in the market they do arrive from time to time, and this one certainly deserves to be on that list:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1986 Porsche 944 Turbo on eBay

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1991 Audi 200 20V Avant – REVISIT

Published January 26, 2014 by Carter

In a new location, from a new seller and with 700 more miles, the “White Christmas” Audi 200 20V Avant I wrote up in late December is now back up on the market. I included both descriptions as there was information in the original that was not present in the new advertisement. The car sold in the mid $3,000 range last time, so expect that’s where the reserve is set this time too.

The below post originally appeared on our site December 22, 2013:

-Carter

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1991 Porsche 911 Turbo

Published January 24, 2014 by Paul

While Porsche introduced all-wheel drive on the Carrera in 1989, it wouldn’t be until the 993 generation a few years later that Turbo 911 with all four wheels being driven would work its way into the lineup. Thus, in 1991, the rear-drive Turbo would have its last shout in the form of the 964. The first 964 Turbos, introduced in 1990, had an evolution of the 3.3 liter engine from the 930. It wouldn’t be until early 1993 when the 3.6 Turbo would arrive on the scene, of which less than half of the amount were produced in comparison to the 3.3 version. This early 3.3 Turbo is on offer in Texas, the perfect place to live out your Cannonball Run fantasy.

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