The Ford Excursion didn’t hit the showrooms until the 2000 model year, so if you wanted a full sized “Suburban” style many-door experience in a Ford 1-ton pickup, you were fresh outta luck. Except that for big pile of cash you could pay Centurion Vehicles of White Pigeon Michigan to convert an F350 into a […]
I love the idea of owning a classic MG with an upgraded power plant and I love the look of this next car…and I’m not afraid of the price…but this next advertisement leaves a bit to be desired. Where are the photos of the engine bay? How clean was the installation? And what is up […]
This next tip comes from David who writes: Ach zo! – hey you need to lay ocular orbs on this Nippon spacecraft: I lived in a Japanese town once upon a time known for its retired Yakuza (look for the missing pinkie finger) and a burgeoning subculture of Bosozoku numbnuts who liked to ride around in motorcycle gangs and block the roundabouts. Oh the stories I could tell. Anyway, this van was very much the style of the Yakuza’s son or wealthy Bosozoku who wanted to flex. As I cycled through the photos I had no idea that there was a door to a WC … Find this 1993 Toyota HiAce offered for $14,850 in Oldsmar, FL via facebonzai marketzuck.
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 […]