The Cadillac Calais was available as a coupe, sedan, and hardtop, but it was not available as a pickup or El Camino. But it should have been. So the builder of this next vehicle did to the Caddy what should have been done by GM way back in the mid 1970s, and that is to hack off rear of the cab and create an automotive mullet. Find this 1975 Cadillac Calais offered for $8,500ish via GrassrootsMotorsports classifieds. Tip from Cory.
The Renault R10 was a small French family sedan that offered a surprisingly Beetle-like architecture (1100cc rear-engine riding on a swing-axle). But today’s example has been electrified…and apparently the electrification work was done way back in the 1960s when gas was cheap and nobody knew who Elon Musk was. It was a simple time. Find this 1968 Mars II offered for $5500 in Junction City, OR via craigslist. Tip from Evan.
The new C8 generation Chevrolet Corvette is considered by mainstream automotive news outlets as the first American sports car to go mid-engine (sorry, the Fiero doesn’t count), but if you ask me…it was the Corvair. I know that the Corvair was rear-engine when it left the factory, but the number converted to mid-engine is enough to probably qualify it as a factory offering. Today’s example is cheap and ready for a new owner. Find this 1965 Chevrolet Corvair V8 offered for $7000 near Reno, NV via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!
This next car comes as a tip from Matt C who writes: I’m pretty sure I’ve seen one of these before, and your site is the most likely suspect. Hey, I take offense to that statement…because everything on this site is strictly perfectly restored concours approved classics. Just because the last few weeks has featured two Fiberfab Aztecs and a Jaguar V6 powered MX-5 doesn’t mean we aren’t purists at heart. Hah, who am I kidding — this plastic minitruck bodied Super Stepside Caprice has side pipes and a spot in DT’s garage any day of the week. At first glance I thought this was a one-off creation, but it is a kit built by Donald Fusilier in Lafayette Louisiana who also makes Cajun fiberglass truck fenders and crawfish tables. Find this 1986 Chevrolet Caprice El Caprimino offered for $18k in Olathe, KS via facemarket bookplace.
I have to admit that I’m not looking forward to the electric future. Yes, gasoline powered cars are inefficient, hard to operate safely, and pollute…and are eventually going to be replaced with super efficient Teslapplefacegoog cPods (TM) but I’m not looking forward to being zipped around on the electric superhighway in something that reports my serotonin levels to the Bene Gesserit. If I’m going to drive something powered by electrons, it’d better have a steering wheel and look like it is ready for Mad Max 17, Mel Gibson’s Revenge. Find this 1977 Sterling Kit Car converted to electric bidding for $6950 in Sparta, NJ via eBay.
The list of small 4-door pickup trucks isn’t very large — a fact pointed out by the builder of this custom machine, who writes: I built this because I have always felt that the US manufacturers totally missed the boat on the mid-size 4-door pickup market. They built some – but they were all weird-shaped, weird-looking, […]
Is a V8 powered, front engine Corvair an abomination or an upgrade? I’m sorta torn on that question, but I guess it is better to put a Chevy V8 powering the rear wheels than a transverse Buick V6 pushing power to the front…now that would be a real weirdo. Still…I can’t help but think this […]
This next car came with a burst of small block enhanced déjà vu. I swear I’ve seen this exact same car before…offered for a same price..but it appears the car listed here in 2017 for roughly the same price and condition is NOT the same car but a doppelganger. So…do the same reasons for featuring […]
The Chevrolet Corvair was a world changing car when introduced in 1960. Its combination of subtle styling, aircooled alloy flat-6 out back and unibody construction was a fantastic machine that was the unfortunate recipient of the attention of a savvy young lawyer/politician named Ralph Nader who needed to make a name for himself. But if […]
This next car pushes the acceptable limit of money you’d want to spend on a modified car…but it does offer a certain degree of classic charm, modern powerplant, and wheel roasting potential. The best part is that nobody will expect you are driving something from the year that Survivor had their break out hit Eye […]