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Truck Hunt 2016: An Excursion in the Barest of Bones
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I wondered if the 2001 Yukon’s luxury bits would its (or my wallet’s) undoing and while appreciating the rugged simplicity of the 1991 Suburban found its condition appalling. With that setup, this 2000 Excursion comes bursting through the wall like a cross between Goldilocks and the Kool-Aide man: utility-grade interior, but impeccable condition. Unfortunately, we…
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Truck Hunt 2016: The Perfect Suburban that Wasn't
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Every type of old/classic car has the “bad year(s)” and “good year(s)” to get. With Toyota 4x4s, it’s 1985 for the solid axle and EFI. With Box Body 3/4 ton Suburbans, it’s 1991 for the combination of solid axle and 4L80E overdrive transmission. While Box Body ‘Burbs lie thick on the ground in rust-free California,…
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LeMons Ranchero: Stripero y Swapero
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The day’s work is over, but I find myself circling the subject, simultaneously admiring its new condition and brainstorming the next billion steps in the project. If my neighbors weren’t already familiar with my project car antics they might’ve called the cops to report a grimy weirdo with a beer just standing there in the driveway staring. Finally.…
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This Must be the Cleanest Renault Alliance GTA Convertible on the Planet
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In today’s edition of Rare Does Not Equal Valuable, we’ll be examining a Renault GTA in 7.5/10 condition. The GTA was a special version of the Renault-built-in-Kenosha Alliance that had the first $1,500 worth of mods anyone would do to sport-up car: body kit, seats, exhaust, motor mounts, lower gearing, sway bars, alloys, etc. According…
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Hoss Approved: 1969 Fiberfab Bonanza
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Raise your hand if you’d heard of a Fiberfab Bonanza before today. Yeah, me neither. The gist: a VW Type III pan, Corvair drivetrain and fiberglass kit from Fiberfab (in their original German guise). The front end is a pretty clear Saab Sonnet knockoff, and the drooping rear is driving me crazy. I swear I remember…
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Overambitious, Incarnate: "500hp" Half-Built Maserati Biturbo
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It’s one thing to attempt to revive a complicated, poorly engineered car; it’s another thing entirely to revive a half-finished show car project built from a complicated, poorly engineered car. Such is our subject today: a 1987 Maserati Biturbo Si that, some time ago, was capable of 500hp and a 3.7s 0-60 time courtesy of…
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This Willys CJ2a is Tragically Complete and Original
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Tragically? Yes, tragically. You see, the problem with an all-original CJ2a is that it’s an absolutely miserable vehicle to spend time in. The ride’s brutal and the running gear leaves you maxed out on a major suburban boulevard. Luckily, they’re a simple enough platform that any number of drivetrain and suspension bits can be swapped in…
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Pile of 912 Shaped Rust Sets New Record for Seller Optimism
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Beverly Hills Car Club has a reputation for stocking classics and exotics in “ambitious” project condition, to put it lightly. This latest listing for a 1967 Porsche 912 raises the bar in terms of optimistic seller description and pricing at $3,950 obo. We sometimes jokingly ask if a car’s spent the last decade at the…
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Two Gals at the Same Time: $15,000, OBO
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Convertibles only make sense if they’re very small or very large. If not a Miata, S2000, all the British ones, etc., then chopping the top massively compromises the sportiness of the car it’s based on. If we’re not carving corners, then we might as cruise (or blast in a straight line) in comfort with a few friends…
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Chevy Monza Spyder: How Bad Could it Be?
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You can always tell someone’s age by their reaction to the GM H-Platform vehicles. Baby Boomers experienced them in real-time, buying new Vegas that scared them away from GM products for decades. Older Gen-Xers experienced them as hand-me-downs or purchased used by parents still determined to Buy American. I’m young enough to have no personal connection…
