Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
Just when you thought last week’s 1995 Porsche 911 Carrera 2 was wild with Amaranth Violet, we have another Purple Porsche that is on a whole other level. This 2004 Carrera GT checks in with paint-to-sample Viola Pearl and I’m willing to bet it is the only one. It was delivered new in Missouri of all places but quickly transported to its first owner in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. From there, it went to a few owners before being exported to England where it sits having just 7,500 miles.
This E63 M6 sold for $28,500 on 1/29/2022
There were a lot of haters when the E60 series debuted, and it remains a polarizing design today. While the prior three revisions of the 5-Series had been evolutionary, there was little to identify connections to the previous generation beginning in 2004. But the M5 didn’t just break with tradition with the exterior styling.
Leaps in horsepower had been impressive, but not outrageous in the prior three generations. From the Euro-specification 286 horsepower M88/3 in the E28 came 315 horsepower in the 3.6 E34, then 340 in the last 3.8s. The world seemed shocked when the E39 announced a 394 horsepower V8 under the hood, but in all reality it was essentially as much of a jump from the E28 to the last E34. But the E60 – now that was a jump. Replacing the 4.9 liter V8 in the E39 was now a 5.0-liter S85 V10, and it was made to scream. It sported a forged crankshaft, lightweight pistons and valves, 10 individual throttle bodies, hollow cams, 12:1 compression, semi-dry-sump lubrication, and double-VANOS variable valve timing. The result? 500 horsepower and a shrieking exhaust note that is simply unforgettable.
As with F-Series I just looked at, the E60 5-Series spawned the E63 and E64 6-Series coupe and convertible, which were also offered with the full M treatment. About 3,900 coupes were sold in North America, making them quite rare, but though don’t look at these often, they’re currently a lot of value for your money*:
Following the ‘Hey, that worked pretty well for Porsche!’ sales model, Audi introduced an amazing assortment of special models with the R8. I’ve covered several of them, but I feel as though every time I see another I’m baffled – granted, I was not in the market for an R8 when new a few years ago, but I just don’t remember so many special models – most of which just seem to be a neat color. But that’s not the case with this one.
RWS stands for Rear Wheel Series, and of course that means that Audi gave up their famous quattro all-wheel-drive system in this particular model. It is, in fact, the only rear-wheel-drive car to be marketed as an Audi since the pre-War 920 model, I’m pretty sure. In addition to lower weight, the RWS also dropped Audi’s magnetorheological dampers – but you did still get a 540 horsepower V10 behind the seats, a limited-slip differential, upgraded suspension, and a few other special bits unique to this car. Pricing was about $160,000 when new and Audi limited sales worldwide to only 999 units – and just 320 came here. One’s up for sale:
I’ve covered quite a few of the special Audi R8s brought to our market, but most have been color-based and focused on the second generation. But before it bowed out, Audi offered a hotted-up performance version of the 5.2 model:
It was called the GT, and Audi only built 333 of them – a scant 90 of which were directed to the US market. Performance was increased thanks to 35 more horsepower for a total of 560, and weight was down over 200 lbs thanks to lightweight glass, panels, and seats. Audi ditched the magnetic ride damping system as well, opting instead for adjustable coilovers. Add in some aero and carbon-fiber bits, and this limited ride was pretty impressive – and expensive, with a sticker price of over $200,000. One is up for sale, and worth a look – and yeah, it’s a pretty cool color, too!
A counterpoint to the Porsche 911 Turbo is the Audi R8. Unlike most Audis, these have retained fairly reasonable residual value. In fact, something interesting has happened with one specific model – the one we see here. The combination of the R8 coupe, a 5.2-liter V10, and a six-speed manual transaxle is a fairly rare combination as we’ve previously discussed, and just a little over a week ago a really nice one hammered on BaT for $142,000 – in the grand scheme, not far off of its sticker price some ten years ago. What other Audi has achieved that? None that I can think of, anyway.
Today’s R8 is one of a claimed 208 six-speeds brought in for the 2010 model year, and one of just 31 finished in Ibis White. It also has less than half the miles of the ’11 that sold on BaT. What does that do for the price tag?
