When it launched in the late 1980s as a replacement to the ancient Scirocco, the Corrado was (once again) Volkswagen’s attempt to appeal to the Porsche crowd. With the supercharged G60 motor that may have been somewhat farcical, but when VW dropped the narrow-angle 2.8 liter VR6 into the nose of their 2-door coupe it became more of a reality. Though on paper it didn’t have much more power, the VR6 was better suited to the design and weight of the Corrado. Zero to 60 plummeted nearly a second and top speed went up to a then-impressive 137 mph. But it was the all-around flexibility of the motor ..read more

One could argue that the first reinvention of the 8-series moniker was a disservice to the original; I disagree. The E31 pioneered a new frontier for BMW, with electronics, a new design language and took BMW to a different market. There is no more fitting designation than the i8 in my mind. The slinky, futuristic coupe utilizes lightweight construction to keep the curb weight down; 3,200 lbs may not sound particularly lightweight, but keep in mind that the BRZ/FR-S twins were lauded for their light design and are only a few hundred pounds less without all of the heavy electric equipment and t ..read more

The 987 Cayman S occupies an interesting middle ground right now. It’s newer than the 996-generation 911s for around the same price, but mostly flies under the radar in terms of profile as a modern classic. Much like the 944 Turbo was a few generations ago, that means you get the most for your dollar – at least, in many cases. Today’s car is number 460 of the 700 limited-edition Sport models. Was the “S” not enough sport for you already? No problem, the S Sport upped the ante with a remap of the DME to 303 horsepower, some GT3-esque exterior details, and you could get them in GT3 Green, as we ..read more

While the M3 and 190E 2.3-16 took most of the laurels, a fair amount of DTM fans forget that it was the V8 quattro – replete with wood trim – that took the 1990 (Hans-Joachim Stuck) and 1991 (Frank Biela) crowns before its flat-plane crankshaft was deemed illegal. In 1991 Audi introduced an Evolution model, which sprouted adjustable front and rear spoilers. That’s what you see here – A rare Audi Sport race chassis that was initially run by race-winner Stuck and campaigned by Schmidt Motorsport. If you have deep enough pockets and happen to be cruising through Monaco, it can be yours! 1991 Aud ..read more

Whew, that’s a mouthful of a headline! And while I was familiar with the RS5 and the Sportback variant, I wasn’t immediately familiar with this special model. What is it? Well, for $20,500 on top of your RS5’s base price, the Ascari Launch Edition added 20″ forged wheels, Ascari Blue Metallic paint from Audi Exclusive, matte aluminum-optic trim, blue calipers for the ceramic front brakes, an RS Sport exhaust, RS Sport suspension, matte carbon inlays, Dynamic Steering, a carbon-fiber engine cover, adaptive cruise control, parking assistance, a head-up display, an Alcantara-wrapped flat-bottom ..read more

The…what? Clearly that’s a Jetta, right? Well, you’re both right and wrong at the same time. The Jetta was marketed as several different names across the globe, including Bora and Vento in Europe. In Mexico, though, the first generation was known as the Atlantic, and here today we have one of those that has relocated to the US. While it looks pretty racey on the BBS wheels with the lowered stance, you’ll not find many other go-faster bits on it. Still, if you want to cause some head scratches at the next VW meet… 1984 Volkswagen Atlantic GLS Coupe on eBay: From the seller: 1984 VOLKSWAGEN A ..read more

Back at the end of 2023 I took a look at a stellar Oxford Green Metallic E39 M5. A stunning color combination, it also rang in with just 30,000 miles and an $80k price tag. Ouch! Today’s car is equally impressive as it was ordered through BMW Individual in Velvet Blue Metallic. Wow! If you were curious, just 58 out of the total 20,482 E39 M5 produced were ordered in this shade. 39 of them were left-hand drive, and it’s claimed to be one of only three in the US in this shade. 2001 BMW M5 on Craigslist From the seller: Brooklyn Auto Sales Year: 2001 Make: BMW Model: M5 Series: Individual Velv ..read more

Although the B3 model had replaced it, in 1996 the B6 2.8 was resurrected for the Japanese market. Now only available in Touring form, the car was reportedly a reaction to BMW’s decision not to bring the 328i Touring to the market. Unlike the contemporary cars, these were badged as “Limited Edition” and mostly came with the standard automatic instead of Alpina’s SwitchTronic gearbox, and they were only made in Arctic Silver as we see here or Bright Red and Boston Green. Some 136 are claimed to have been produced, and this one is number 105 : 1997 Alpina B6 2.8 Touring on eBay: From the selle ..read more

From the dated underpinnings of the Type 44 chassis, Audi emerged in 1988 with an all-new four-cam aluminum engine that could be mated to an automatic transmission. Now, to most enthusiasts that probably sounds like a bad idea. But when it came to selling car – especially expensive luxury cars – the overwhelming majority of buyers wanted the car to do most of the heavy lifting. Audi’s response was the next generation of quattro drivetrains with a series of clutches in the center differential that helped to transfer power and allowed the car to be mated to an automatic transmission. That tra ..read more

It’s the time of year where’s it’s fun to take to Europe and consider what might be available for import in just a few days. I found a few fun ones to consider here but would love to hear what you’re looking for. First off, this clean ’99 Audi A3 1.8 manual with only 66k miles for under 3k Euro! 1999 Audi A3 on Mobile.de From the seller: Now finally available, the successor was delivered at the end of November 2023. Price is negotiable. It has signs of wear commensurate with its age and the front bumper has been painted. The previous owner had probably taken a bit of damage to the front of ..read more