I spent the better part of yesterday wandering the halls of the Los Angeles Convention Center at the first Post-COVID era LA Auto Show. It is an interesting time to go to a manufacturers sponsored auto convention because of the events that have shaken the world — starting with shutdowns that put every new vehicle […]
This next Loony Labor Day submission comes from Safety Fast who writes; Seriously, what is this? Simple, it was a custom body on a Toyota HiLux chassis built at a time when Toyota product planners were insane. They built 100 of these to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the 1936 Toyota AA (which was a blatant copy of the 1934 Chrysler Airflow)…but I think they should have saved the design for the next generation of the Mirai because this is an improvement. Find this 1996 Toyota Classic offered for $49,975 in SF Bay Area, CA via craigslist.
Life in Brazil consists of pretty much nothing but playing soccer and partying in the streets…but that was before COVID, and today they mostly try to avoid this virus. Anyway, there is an fascinating automotive subculture in the former Portuguese colony and up until the 1990s Brazil (the world’s fifth largest country by population and geography) did not allow imported automobiles, so major OEMs around the world set up local manufacturing centers. At first the local plants built vehicles designed and engineered from the parent company’s home country, but eventually the locals starting building unique vehicles, particularly Volkswagen of Brasil. The SP2 was developed on the Type 3 Variant chassis with styling by Marcio Piancastelli. Find this 1976 Volkswagen SP2 bidding for $17,000 reserve-not-met located in Daytona Beach, FL via eBay.
Anybody who tells you that you need to spend a bunch of money to drive a nice classic car is full of it. Cheap, but nice, classics are available if you are willing to forget about owning something that all the cool/rich kids want. This next classic might be slow, but it looks rust free, in good mechanical shape, and is offered for a reasonable amount of money. Find this 1972 Honda N600 offered for $6995 in Imperial Beach, CA via craigslist.
A rough but drivable BMW 2002 is one of the few vintage classics that you might want to both own and drive. What do I mean by that? There are some classics cars that you really want to own, but not drive — mint condition classics come to mind (can’t let the kids get gummy snacks in the classic honey, let’s take your minivan on our coastal road trip), or something Italian that’ll leave you stranded the first chance it gets or anything with an aircooled VW engine. And then there are classic cars that you really want to drive, but don’t feel the urge to own — something with a high strung engine and 5-figure repair bills waiting to bite ya (like a Ferrari) or a Mazda Miata with super low miles on the odometer. But within the world of classic cars there is this sweetspot of cars that you want to own because of the upsides of appreciation and ease of maintenance, AND you want to drive because they are fun. This scruffy looking BMW is the thing. Find this 1974 BMW 2002 offered for $8000 in Austin, TX via craigslist. Tip from Rramjet.
With all the drum beating we do for Volvo 1800/1800S/1800ES we do around here, you’d think we were some kind of vintage Volvo nuts. CFlo, admittedly is a certified card carrying Volvo fanboy, but I have never owned one of these coupes from the land of Thor, but here’s the thing…I think they occupy a space in the vintage ’60s coupe world that is equal parts aesthetic beauty, proven durability, parts availability, happy face, and reasonable price that is almost unmatched in the marketplace. Prove me wrong in the comments. Find this 1967 Volvo 1800S offered for $7000 in Bridgeview, IL via ebay.
I was talking to someone the other day about the basket case Lotus Europa we featured the other day and from a front 3/4 view he mentioned that he didn’t understand the styling — was it a El Camino style pickup? This was a person who has likely never seen a Europa before in the flesh and what he didn’t understand is just how small the Europa is. You don’t need a large American pickup to contrast with the Europa but with a total height of 42 inches and a weight of 1500 lbs the Europa is dwarfed by just about any car on the market this side of a Smart Car. Even the miniature BMW i3 is 1/2 inch longer, 5 inches wider and almost 2 feet shorter. Now that you understand the scale, you can see that the rear end isn’t high like a truck as much as the front end is low like a skateboard…does that clear it up? Today we’ve got a nicer example of the Europa bidding for a reasonable amount of moneys. Find this 1974 Lotus Europa offered for $12,600 reserve-not-met with 1 day to go, located in Scott Depot, WV via eBay.
This next car comes as a tip from Johnny Bouncewell who writes: Would be a wonderfully funky car when complete but I value my spare time, spare money, and can’t afford the divorce that this would inevitably bring. Maybe one of the other DT’ers has a bit more flexibility to bring this svelte beauty back to its proper state? Find this 1970 Lotus Europa offered for $3000 in Las Cruces, NM via craigslist.
Glitterbug
Glitterbug
Glitterbug
Glitterbug
You put the boom boom into my exhaust (hoo, hoo)
You send my soul sky high when your engin’ starts
Glitterbug into my brain (yeah, yeah)
Goes a bang-bang-bang ’til my headgasket blows
But something’s bugging you (ha-ha, ha-ha)
Something ain’t right (ha-ha, ha-ha)
My mechanic told me what you did last night (ha-ha, ha-ha)
Left me sleepin’ in my van (ha-ha, ha-ha)
I was dreaming, but I should have been drivin you instead (ha-ha)
Rev’ me up before you go-go
Don’t leave me riding on the bus-yo
Rev’ me up before you go-go
I don’t want to miss this 1962 Volkswagen Glitterbug for $5500 in FL via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!
The original Ford Thunderbird was launched in 1955 as a lithe two-seater convertible to compete with European imports and Chevy’s Corvette. The T-bird actually outsold the original Corvette by large numbers in the first few years, but Ford’s product planners thought they could do even better by adding rear seats and redesigning the Thunderbird for more comfort and less sportiness. By 1965 the Thunderbird was so bloated and comfort oriented that you would have cross shopped a Lincoln against the Vette, but that doesn’t mean a cheap used Thunderbird doesn’t have a spot in your classic car garage. Find this 1965 Ford Thunderbird offered for $3,100 in Port Charlotte, FL via craigslist. Tip from Dascpcu.