Tag Archives: Audi
Our affliction for old Audis is colored by rose-tinted glasses, and brought into high-definition clarity with 20-20 hindsight. A 5000S, Ur-S4, or Coupe Quattro? Sure, back in the day they were junk fixable only at the dealer. But today we have the power of the Internet. Compound that with the fact the horrible cars have mostly fallen off the road – or landed in Craigslist backwaters like Olathe, Kansas – and only the nicest examples show up for sale on enthusiast sites like Audifans.com. Continue reading
4 Comments | tags: 20v, 90, Audi, Quattro, Ur-S4, Ur-S6 | posted in Totally That Stupid
There’s been a lot of chatter for a long time about the impending demise of the row-your-own manual transmission. I’m not talking about those automated manuals – with or without an actual clutch or two – with acronyms lifted from the annals of phone company documentation such as DCT, DSG, PDK, etc. No, I speak of the real, three-pedal mechanical gear changers with a friendly stick emerging from either the floor or – if you’re old – the steering column. Continue reading
4 Comments | tags: Alfa Romeo 164, Audi, BMW, Cambiocorsa, DCT, DSG, Ferrari, Gallardo, GTI, Laguna Seca, Lamborghini, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Nürburgring, Passat CC, PDK, Porsche, Rabbit, Tiguan, Tiptronic, Volkswagen | posted in Commentary
As my colleague here at TTS has pointed out, Old Bastard Winter is inbound on a fast train.
Winter for both of us is a “six of one, half-dozen of the other” proposition. My Minnesota winter is longer and harsher, but we know how to deal with it. Unless the snow is measured in feet… actually, even that doesn’t matter. His Virginia winter is shorter and certainly more temperate, but any amount of the fluffy white stuff cripples the entire system, sending the mid-Atlantic’s residents into delirious spasms of hoarding. Continue reading
2 Comments | tags: 200 20v, 5000S, Audi, E320, Mercedes-Benz, Quattro | posted in Totally That Stupid
Our penchant for wacky German sedans is obvious to anyone who has spent any time perusing TTS, but in truth the majority of what we consider wacky appeals to us because it’s uncommon here in the U.S. – usually those cars and configurations that just never made it here. Grey market cars with velour upholstery, manual transmissions, gasoline-fueled standing heaters, and stuff like make us giggle like schoolgirls, but this is not one of those cars. This NSU Ro80 is arguably better: they actually sold these here (VERY briefly and in small numbers), but chances are you’ve never seen one, at least not here and not in person. Frankly, even in Europe they are few and far between, but they represent an interesting time in the history of NSU/Audi/Volkswagen as a precursor to slippery futuristic designs like the sleek Audi C3 100/200/5000 that wowed the entire automotive world in 1982. Better than that, Ro80s run a Wankel rotary engine. That’s right, Mazda fans, this Bud’s for you. This one can be found here on mobile.de in Heilbronn, Germany for just 4,000 Euros.
Continue reading
Leave a comment | tags: 100/200, 5000, ATE, Audi, Auto Union, BMW E12, C3, Citroen, Claus Luthe, K70, Mazda RX, NSU, Ro80, Rotary Engine, Volkswagen, Wankel | posted in Totally That Stupid
I will always have a soft spot for the 1982-1991 Audi C3 sedan, better known as the 100, 200 and 5000. They were attractive and comfortable, a solid but valid step away from the typical BMWs of the day. They were quirky and unreliable. Like Saabs, but German.
We had one. My friend Becky’s parents had one. Ferris-goddamned-Bueller had one! How much more cred do you need? None. Move along. Continue reading
Leave a comment | tags: 100, 200, 200 20v, 5000CS Turbo Quattro, Audi, BMW, Saab | posted in Totally That Stupid
In addition to casually looking for the next superfluous funtime car for our fleet, I’m also spelunking for the next daily driver. I love Schultz, my trusty but increasingly rusty 1995 Mercedes-Benz E320, but someday the tinworm will win. Victory will be slow and ugly, like watching Bondo applied to a dissolving, ferrous-oxide-soaked Honda frame rail.
You should just take our word for that last bit. Continue reading
3 Comments | tags: 200 20v, 90, Audi, E320, Mercedes-Benz, Sport, UrS4, Urs6, W124 | posted in Totally That Stupid
Commentary: Death Of A Manual
There’s been a lot of chatter for a long time about the impending demise of the row-your-own manual transmission. I’m not talking about those automated manuals – with or without an actual clutch or two – with acronyms lifted from the annals of phone company documentation such as DCT, DSG, PDK, etc. No, I speak of the real, three-pedal mechanical gear changers with a friendly stick emerging from either the floor or – if you’re old – the steering column. Continue reading
4 Comments | tags: Alfa Romeo 164, Audi, BMW, Cambiocorsa, DCT, DSG, Ferrari, Gallardo, GTI, Laguna Seca, Lamborghini, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Nürburgring, Passat CC, PDK, Porsche, Rabbit, Tiguan, Tiptronic, Volkswagen | posted in Commentary