One-Off Sports-Racer Project: Triumph TR2-based "Gibbens Special", $2500

While nothing is said regarding this car's history or provenance, or even what kind of supercharger the engine has, this one-off open sports-racer, based on a Triumph TR2 chassis and mechanicals is an intriguing project. So intriguing, that I felt compelled to post all four pictures of the car. The styling is a pleasant mix of Lotus Super Seven, 1932 Ford and MGTD, and the body appears to be in good condition. However, nothing is said about condition of the body, mechanicals or chassis, and there would be a long list of things needed to return this to the road or racetrack, but at the price of $2500 for what may be a genuine 1950s or 60s special race car or would at least be a great change of pace from a stock Triumph or a Lotus Super Seven-style sports-racer, this seems like a great deal.

Find the car here, in "G Valley" (Grass Valley?), California:

http://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/1546463378.html

Unusual Project: Heavily Modified 1976 Lotus Esprit Chassis with McLaren M6GT Replica Body, $10,200

This 1976 Lotus Esprit chassis was converted to take a McLaren M6GT kit car body made by Marauder (although the pictures seem to say Manta Montage more than Marauder to me), and has had many suspension, brake, chassis and engine upgrades performed by professionals. Quite a bit of work still needs to be performed, but this could be a very nice car and much better than the other M6GT replicas out there, many of which are Volkswagen-based and can't back up their appearance with the kind of performance suggested by the body.

Find a detailed photo gallery of the car here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31392838@N04/sets/72157608499289035

And for the link to the car for sale, here it is. Find this Lotus/McLaren in Carnation, Washington here:

http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/ctd/1544954015.html

British Stovebolt: Chevrolet "Stovebolt Six"-engined 1954 Bentley, $14,500

This 1954 Bentley R-Type sedan is different from most others in its engine/transmission type. Instead of the Rolls-Royce/Bentley inline six and modified, General Motors-licensed Hydra-Matic transmission  or 4-speed manual gearbox that came with these when new, there is a 1950s-era Chevrolet "stovebolt" six-cylinder engine and Powerglide two-speed automatic. Not what you'd expect when you lift the bonnet on this!

As far as condition goes, what I can see of the interior looks good for a 56-year-old car but could use a good cleaning, the body is said to have very little rust, but no mentions of dents, Earl Scheib-type paint jobs or Bond-O are made. The engine was said by the previous owner to be "tired", and s/he also stated that the transmission leaked fluid. The engine conversion was done "years and years ago" (the seller's words, not mine) in California, and it was used as a wedding limousine at one time. The car is right-hand-drive and appears to be quite original apart from the engine and transmission, and the seller mentions a good-quality Bentley engine and transmission somewhere in Ohio that is not included with the car and must be purchased separately. If restoring this car to original condition is desired, transmission linkage and mounts for the engine and transmission will need to be sourced, and those parts are mostly located in the UK.

Find this project here, in Skagit County, Washington:

http://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/cto/1548474478.html

West Eugene Street Sweep: Everything from a Pierce-Arrow to a Volkswagen Beetle

VW Bus high-top camper. Note the extremely rare original "sport" hubcaps.

1964-65? Ford Falcon and Ranchero. Both are in very rough condition.

Falcon and Ranchero, again. Notice extensive body damage on Ranchero.

 Very well-preserved Ford Pinto, likely a 1970 or '71 model judging from license-plate letter combination, hubcaps and slim bumpers.

Front view of above Pinto. You don't often see any kind of Pinto, especially not one in this good of condition.

1967 Dodge Dart. Very nicely restored.

1935 Pierce-Arrow. Never in my life would I have thought I'd find one of these in this state of neglect, on a gravel street, 75 years after it was made. The car next to it is a 1939 Buick touring sedan with added-on portholes.

Circa-1952 Cadillac sedan and 1966 Buick Riviera in the same carport as the Pierce-Arrow and 1939 Buick.

1935 Pierce-Arrow, viewed from the front. This must have been someone's pride and joy that they poured many hours and dollars into restoring, only to let it deteriorate in an exposed carport.

Look closely at this picture, and you will see a 1970s Jaguar XJ6-C inside the carport.

Derelict 1974 Volkswagen Super Beetle Sun Bug edition.

1972 or '73 Fiat 124 Spider. The elderly owner of this car was gracious enough to let me into his carport, take pictures and even sit behind the wheel.

Fiat 124 Spider interior. You can see that some restoration is needed, but it's not to the point of needing to be gutted and completely redone. A good cleaning, new seat covers and new carpet would do this car a lot of good. The dashboard and console are in unusually good condition and are very original.

Front of Fiat 124 Spider. The grille badge is not correct (where there would be a circular red badge with "FIAT" written in the center and a gold laurel wreath encircling it, there is instead a badge from the vinyl top of a mid-70s Mercury Cougar.

Very nice Ford Mustang II hot rod.

 Equally nice Colonnade-body Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme.

Early 1980s Toyota Celica coupe, in nicer condition than most others.

Dodge Route-Van camper conversion, circa 1955, and Chevrolet Camaro Rally Sport, circa 1978.

1959 Chevrolet El Camino, in need of restoration.

Morris Minor 1000, circa 1959. This would be an excellent project car.

Ford Galaxie 500 coupe, late 1960s vintage.

Datsun 620 pickup, converted to utility trailer. Normally, just the bed is used to make a trailer, but here we have most of the cab as well.

Oldsmobile Cutlass hot rod, circa 1969.

Classic Street Racer: Modified 1969 Lotus Europa, $3500

'69 Europa, as it appears now.

'69 Europa, as it appeared when first built to this specification.

Nice interior... I love the dash and steering wheel. The seats aren't bad either.

This Lotus was built in the late 70s/early 80s by a driving instructor and race-car driver who is associated with Team Continental of Portland, Oregon (http://www.teamcontinental.com). The original Renault engine and transmission were pulled and replaced with an Audi 4000 5-speed manual transaxle and 1.8-liter fuel-injected Volkswagen engine, which are still with the car. However, the VW engine is seized, and will need to be replaced. Other upgrades include the fender flares, Minilite-style alloy wheels, rear disc brakes, a second custom petrol tank giving the car a total of 21 gallons in fuel capacity and a second brake pedal for left-foot braking. The car will need to be repainted, although the interior is good enough to use as-is. The transmission needs shift linkage and brackets to be fabricated, and the original builder of the car can be contacted for information regarding the car and its modifications, including sharing more photos and giving advice on upgrading and improving the car.

Oddly, the car is listed as being located in Albany, but one of the pictures appears to have been taken in the Harlow Road area of Eugene. I remember seeing a red Europa with yellow Oregon plates in almost exactly the same area as the picture appeared to have been shot not too long ago, but I recall it being a twin-cam body style with the lower rear quarter panels.

You can take this classic street racer home with you for $3500, and find the ad here:
http://eugene.craigslist.org/cto/1542602340.html 

Right-Hand-Drive Rarity: 1979 Citroen 2CV-based Three-Wheel Speedster, $12,500

Citroens of all types are rare in the USA, the last officially-imported models coming Stateside in 1975 with unofficial grey-market imports trickling in between the late 70s and roughly 1993, and three-wheel cars are rare too, with the exception of the increasingly common ZAPCAR electric pickups and sedans. But combine the elements of Citroen and three-wheeler, and add right-hand drive and an attractive boattail speedster body style to the equation, and you get something truly distinctive.

This car was imported to the US from England, and the brand of kit used to convert the donor Citroen 2CV to a three-wheel sports car appears to be a Lomax. The Lomax kit car was and is popular in the UK as well as Continental Europe, and information on these kits and other three-wheeled kit cars can be found here: http://www.3wheelers.com/lomax.html.

This car comes with a full soft top assembly, side curtains and a spare wheel, parts are readily available in the US, the owner claims 57 miles per gallon, and three-wheeled vehicles are legally considered to be motorcycles in the USA, regardless of body configuration or seating capacity, so there are less stringent emissions and safety regulations in most states with these.

And no, you don't need a motorcycle endorsement on your driver's license to drive a three-wheeled car.

Find this car, located south of Seattle, here:

http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/cto/1542484753.html

Rare in the USA: 1984 Jaguar XJS Spyder by Lynx of England, $1995

This 1984 Jaguar XJS convertible is rarer than one might imagine, since this is the Lynx Spyder conversion not often seen in the USA, as opposed to the part T-top/part ragtop XJSC, the Hess & Eisenhardt convertible of the late 80s or the factory-built 2-seater XJS convertible made after the execrable XJSC and the Hess & Eisenhardt convertible ceased production. 

This car, #43 of roughly 65 made, is a restoration project needing paint, minor bodywork, upholstery and new top fabric, and (of course) electrical work, due to the pesky Lucas electrical system. It was kept in California for many years, and only recently arrived in Washington. It was last registered in 1999, and has spent the last few years outside, thus necessitating the top and upholstery replacements. All of the custom Lynx-only components are intact and usable, including the unique power-actuated rear quarter windows. 

There are some issues with the emissions-control devices being disconnected, although they are still present, the spare tire and jack are missing but readily available, and there is currently no title, although the owners are in the process of rectifying that problem at the time of writing. 

That said, this is an excellent project car for the right person, and it is located near Olympia, Washington. 

Find this rare and desirable project car here: 

http://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/cto/1534899661.html

Model Car Coverage: Yat Ming Road Signature 1/18 Scale '61 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato

Our inaugural model-car feature is a pretty special one: a combination of British engineering and Italian styling, made in Hong Kong by a company that built replicas that were mediocre at best until only about 5 years ago.  This is the Yat Ming Road Signature 1961 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato, in an attractive light metallic green over black color scheme. 

Front view, close-up. 

Interior view. Almost looks real, doesn't it?

Rear close-up. California "black plate" added by owner.
Left 3/4 view.
Side view.

This replica, as well as many other styles of Aston Martins and other marques, is available from an online store called Diecast Direct (http://www.diecastdirect.com)