Posts Tagged ‘german’

Karmann Coupe – 1980 Volkswagen Scirocco S

October 24, 2013

As a replacement for the antique-looking Karmann Ghia, which dated back to 1955, VW designed a new replacement. Heavily influenced by the wedge cars of the period – take a look at yesterday’s Alfetta GTV, a Lotus Esprit, or even a Lamborghini Countach – they successfully came up with a new interpretation of the sports-coupe-on-econobox-platform story. As they were inexpensive cars, many have disappeared, having succumbed to youthful overexuberance combined with youthful budgets. But there are still a few around if you look hard, and that’s how you can find this 1980 Volkswagen Scirocco S for sale for $1499 in Puyallup, WA.

1980 VW Scirocco right front

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Cheap Cossie – 1986 Mercedes 190E 2.3-16

October 22, 2013

Cosworth-powered cars are fairly rare on North American soil. Compared to what was available in Europe, we only received the Chevrolet Cosworth Vega, which was a great concept that fell down in the execution, and the Mercedes 190E 2.3-16, which was a great car that has lived in the shadow of the contemporary BMW M3. Mercedes had originally asked Cosworth to develop an engine for a rally version of their new 190E, but when Audi came out with the all-conquering Quattro, Mercedes side-stepped and took its car to touring races. This required homologation sales, so the road-going 190E 2.3-16 was developed for sale. Adding a twin cam 16-valve head, lightened pistons and upgraded rings yielded 49hp over the regular 2.3’s 136hp, though the engine was detuned to 167hp for the North American market. You can find your own Anglo-Teutonic screamer in this 1986 Mercedes 190E 2.3-16, available for $3500 in Berkeley, CA.

1986 Mercedes 190E 2.3-16 left front

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Yellow Fish – 1974 Opel Manta

October 22, 2013

For such an attractive, reasonably powerful sports coupe, competitive with a Ford Capri or Fiat 124 coupe, the Opel Manta receives a lot of scorn in its home country. The original car could be considered a Camaro equivalent for Europeans, and that could begin to shed some light on the scorn. If you ignore all the baggage Camaros carry, they’re actually a decent-looking, competent sports car, within the context of their time and what was going on at GM. And it’s the same for Mantas – while many were poorly customized in the 1970s and 1980s, they’re a neat little sports coupe whose design has held up very well over the decades. You can find this 1974 Opel Manta with bidding currently at $810, reserve unmet, and 15 hours left to go.

1974 Opel Manta left front

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