Have you checked out the base price of a Porsche 911 lately? It’s astounding. They’ve never been cheap, but they’ve always been attainable in a certain aspirational way. If you were fine getting a used one, they most certainly were within reach, but not so much anymore. Even the Boxster and Cayman (soon to be discontinued) can get outrageous.
I miss the days when Porsche produced a cheap car like the 924 but offered several upgrades that gave you much of the authentic Porsche flavor and performance. But that’s like saying I miss the days when Detroit ruled the world. You’ll find both kinds of cars in the AutoHunter Picks below.
1988 Porsche 944 Turbo
The affordable desirable Porsche, the 944 Turbo pulled mid-14 ETs—quite impressive for a big 2.5-liter four when 5.0 Mustangs were doing the same thing. Thankfully, it has a five-speed manual. I really dig the dark blue and tan combo.
In some respects, I appreciate this more than what Porsche is building today because it offers something visceral that seems to be missing from the contemporary, over-engineered sports cars from Stuttgart.
1962 Pontiac Grand Prix
Pontiac was not going to receive its own body like Buick would for the upcoming Riviera, so sharp Pontiac executives recognized a trend when they saw one. They got a Catalina, outfitted it with special trim and sporty options, then gave it a new name.
The Grand Prix was a trend-setting car, as evidenced by this very gorgeous example with Pontiac’s perennially stylish 8-lug wheels. Drool material, thy name is Grand Prix!
1956 Ford Customline Victoria
In the mid-1950s, both Ford and Chevrolet had old-fashioned ways of naming most of their cars, with Ford having the Mainline and Customline situated underneath the Fairlane (itself somewhat of a dowdy name). Was its successor, the 1957 Custom 300, any better?
Nonetheless, I like 1956 Fords, and this restored Customline Victoria is a rarely seen example that nicely shows the variety of trim and two-toning that was available beyond the ever-popular Fairlane. Add the V8 and Ford-O-Matic and you have a very nice cruiser.
1971 Pontiac LeMans Sport Convertible
Sure, this plays second fiddle to the GTO, but it offers 90 percent of the GTO’s goodness minus the Endura nose and engine (though both were legitimate options for the LeMans Sport). That means you get the bucket seats, fender louvers, and a high level of interior specifications that include flame-chestnut vinyl trim on the instrument panel.
Throw in the Rally II mags and Dark Sienna interior hue and this is a very nice bronze ragtop for the beach.
