1990 Mercedes-Benz 190E Evo II
The 190E Evo II is one of the famous Mercedes' ever built, and rightfully so. Whether it was the sight of full-fat 190Es going hammer and tongs against BMW M3s in the DTM series or a young Ayrton Senna fending off a braying pack of Formula 1 drivers in identical road cars, this car holds a special place in the hearts of many enthusiasts. Inevitably, collectors are beginning to recognise this – just last year, a low-mileage Evo II similar to the car above was sold at auction for a staggering £292,500. You’re certainly not going to get tailgated in the outside lane with that enormous rear wing…
1987 Porsche 959
If your heart beats a little quicker for those machines from Stuttgart than it does for those from Maranello, then the Porsche 959 will have been your ultimate 1980s supercar. Absolutely teeming with technology – much of which is still relevant today – the 959 was truly ground-breaking when it was launched, and a gigantic leap from any other 911 on sale at the time. This example for sale in London looks fantastic in Guards Red.
1984 Alpina C1 2.3
With just 35 examples ever built, the Alpina C1 2.3 is one of the most collectable BMWs in existence. Based on the E21 323i Series, it was among the first 3 Series that Alpina breathed its magic on. Producing 170HP and featuring a host of aesthetic tweaks, the car originally designed to bridge the gap between the regular 323i and the much more powerful Alpina B8. The specification of this example is one of the most tasteful we’ve seen, and follows the classic Alpina recipe of understatement fused with purpose. There are echoes of the 3.0 CSL ‘Batmobile’ in that front splitter, too.
1985 Audi Sport Quattro
You might think that, being a Group B homologation special, the Audi Sport Quattro would be unsuited to the autobahn, but quite the contrary. Of the handful of potent production machines built for the express purpose of homologating their fire-spitting Group B cousins, the Teutonic Audi was arguably the only one that you could genuinely use every day. Refined, comfortable and effortlessly quick, the Sport Quattro is a diamond in the proverbial rough. This dark blue car has covered just 12,000km, and looks to be in fine condition.
1976 BMW 3.5 CSL Group 5
We realise that this Group 5 Schnitzer BMW 3.5 CSL is not an autobahn hero as such, but strictly speaking the Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans – where this car competed in 1976 – is a closed section of public highway, and that’s as good an excuse as any to include this beast in Market Finds this week. The ultimate evolution of the hallowed ‘Batmobile’, this ex-Works car was raced to second overall in the 1976 season, by Dieter Quester, Albrecht Krebs, Brian Redman, Gunnar Nilsson and Ronnie Peterson. Quite a roll call, then, for what is one of just four Group 5 CSLs ever built, and one of just two still running.
