OK Paul. I once saw a family tree of how all the rock bands of the 70's somehow related to eachother with different members of the bands moving on to other bands or to join up with members from other bands to form new ones. It was very complicated and it is a similar thinkin this case. However in summary:-
1. No. The early 220bhp models did not have an LSD as standard. It was an optional extra (code M220 i think). The later cars with the LSD equipped gearbox came with oil cooler. They also had strengthened 1st & 2nd gears, but i'm not aware of problems with 1st and 2nd gears on 220 boxes though.
2. Yes. However the later 250 turbo's and 220 turbos with M030 'sports chassis' option had larger brakes up front (carried over from the 928S4)
3. I beileive A/C and leather was standard on all turbo's - apart from the Silver Rose cars that had cloth interior (but did have A/C).
4. This is where it gets complicated. From what I can gather I don't think the standard suspension differs between the 220 and 250 cars. I think the 250 cars had beefed up ARB's (carried over from the M030 pack). Standard suspension uses Sach/Boge non adjustable struts up front and 23mm ish rear torsion bars. M030 suspension offers Koni adjustable struts up front and 25mm ish torsion bars with Koni adjustable shock absorbers. The limited edition Silver Rose cars and the 250 turbo cars for a limited period had M030 as standard. I'm sure i've made several errors in this point but be rest assured they will be cleared up!!
The 220 vs 250 debate has rattled round since the dawn of time with no catagoric conclusion. My personal view is to buy on condition - a good 220 car will be infinately better than a pup of a 250 car. Condition being equal, if you don't want to modify the car you are probably better off with a 250, however if you want to modify then a 220 car is the best way to go as all the uprated stuff on the 250 will probably want refurbing or replacing anyway as part of your mods. I'm lead to believe that in standard form the 220 cars are a bit better to drive - they are lighter and have less turbo lag, but are obviously a bit down on out and out grunt.
The standard LSD's are not much cop I believe. Even from new they were probably in need of a rebuild after about 50k miles so if an LSD is important to you then you are better off getting an aftermarket unit installed which again means there is no benefit targetting a 250 car specifically for an LSD. Gearbox cooling??? I'm not sure it was necessary in the first place. The cooled gearboxes are 15kg heavier and they dropped cooling on the 968 (different design of gearbox though), so for street driving plus the odd trackday is it really necessary?? In my experience it is a mixed bag on the LSD. There are times i've wished I had one (on trackdays), and there are times I'm glad i've not got one (90% of drivng on street as LSD's can induce oversteer in slippery conditions so are trickier to drive with).
My advice would be that unless you specifically want a 250 car for whatever reason then simply buy on condition. If you buy a pup it will be an expensive nighmare for you. Good luck and happy hunting!!
