I was looking at a nice Porsche 911 Turbo the other day from 2011. It was silver, it was powerful and it was gorgeous. Problem is this is the same 911 Turbo that everyone else can get. There are no special scoops or under-the-table parts that one can have for a “reasonable” price.
Whatever happened to the good-o’ gray market? Where a guy could go into the back room of an importer’s office and “negotiate” a deal with a guy who wore a Hawaiian shirt and a gold chain that rested on a chest that had more hair than was on his head. This totally upstanding business deal went on all the time and gave us such automotive intricacies as the “slant nose” Porsche 911, the Lamborghini Countach with euro-spec bumpers and a slightly emissions-illegal BMW M5 that had a chin spoiler so deep, it looked like a locomotive. You could get cars in your driveway that weren’t even for sale in this country.
I think the gray market was a trophy store for rich guys who wanted to reward themselves with something that, at least, looked different from everyone else’s. No doubt, it helped the Florida economy and gave the guys from Shipping Wars something to look forward to. It also gave the average enthusiast a way to prove their mettle. After all, there was a difference between a 930 Turbo and a 935 Turbo that could only be detected by the trained eye and the well-studied car buff.
I miss the foolishness of whale-tail spoilers and bulging body kits. I’m thankful that modern styling has given us more fluid and less cartoonish design, but when I see a slant nose Porsche at the Barrett-Jackson Auction, I will still smile and remember my innocent days of automotive adolescence.
Do you miss those special “grey market” sports cars?
