This is an early Giugiaro Esprit, from the wonderfully uncompromising wedge era when Lotus apparently owned nothing but rulers and protractors. Originally, this would have carried the Lotus 907 2.0-liter DOHC four-cylinder, mounted longitudinally behind the seats. Instead, somebody in the 1980s stuffed in a Rover 3.5-liter aluminum V8, making this a period hot-rod rather […]
Most of the cars we feature around here are photographed by folks with potato phones in settings such as rotting in a barn (that’s a barn find), parked at the gas station at night (no low balls), or parked on a flatbed (bring a trailer). So it is with some degree of fanfare that we […]
A 1976 Jaguar XJ-S was originally supposed to be a grand touring coupe with a silky V12, leather, walnut, and enough British complexity to keep a gentleman occupied between gin refills. This one has been cured with 440 cubic inches of Chrysler violence. The photos show a surprisingly clean exterior presentation: purple paint, widened rear […]
This next car comes as a tip from Dave in Tampa who writes: Of all the submissions I’ve made, this one takes the prize. I love Spitfires, it was my first car. I also love fast cars. This obviously is the Venn Diagram of that. Yes, indeed this V8 powered Spitfire with a ginormous hood […]
This next car comes as a tip from MCB who writes: LS swapped manual transmission longroof. Price seems a little steep, but the heart wants what it wants. I can’t tell for certain, but while this keeps a BMW transmission, it appears to have given up the all-wheel-drive system for a rear-drive burnout setup. Find […]
This is a Series 1 Jaguar XJ6, built from 1968 through 1973, which is the original and arguably prettiest version of Jaguar’s long-running XJ sedan. In stock form, the XJ6 used Jaguar’s XK inline-six and was known for its ride quality, quiet cabin, low roofline, and elegant proportions. This one has traded Coventry smoothness for […]
New England was a very normal state until the spread of Harbor Freight stores in the early 2000s. Residents aren’t sure what happened to the inspection sticker worry days of yesteryear, but the car guy mantra became: If the hood does not fit over the engine, remove most of the hood. If the bumper does […]
Before the Corvair became Ralph Nader’s favorite punching bag, it was Chevrolet’s most unconventional production car: rear engined, air cooled, independent suspension at all four corners, and marketed as Detroit’s answer to European engineering. However, today we’ve got a Vair where the transmission was flipped around and a 283 cubic inch small block Chevy is […]
Before the 190E ever existed, Mercedes’ compact executive entry was the W114 and W115 sedans, durable rear wheel drive cars built from 1968 to 1976 that cemented the brand’s reputation for overengineering. Today’s 1972 example keeps the stately four door silhouette but swaps Stuttgart conservatism for small block American excess, replacing the original inline engine […]
This next feature car offers an interesting nod to the DTM/Group A cars from the 1984 Race of Champions at the Nurburgring GP course where Mercedes invited the F1 World Championship grid drivers to race identical modified 190E Benzes. The race is one of those pieces of insane racing history because newcomer Senna won the […]