By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

What’s with the irrepressible impulse to dream up wagon versions of the Corvette? There’ve been concept Corvette wagons as long as there’ve been Corvettes, and while most of them end up being hideous franken-wagons, this longroof C1 looks like it was truly meant to be. That’s because it’s modeled upon the original Motorama Corvette Nomad that Chevy showed off at Detroit in 1954. This updated version, by Superior 54, has a custom Art Morrison frame and C5 Corvette suspension front and rear. But I read through the ad twice and couldn’t find any mention of an engine. Come on, at $195K for the turn-key version, they better at least be throwing in an LS1. Via duPont Registry.

By Michael Berenis

Tampa Sports Car Examiner

One of the most famous hot rod bodystyles, the T-bucket will always enjoy a place in the automotive hall of fame. These were the cars that set the pace for the rest of the automotive hobby. Nothing beats an original, but salvageable survivors can be expensive and hard to come by. If you’re prepared to assemble your own, this video is laying rubber right up your alley. Read more at Tampa Sports Car Examiner.

By John Coyle

Deputy Editor

With the exception of the Shelby Cobra—which was kind of like a kit car anyway—replicas have never really appealed to me. The way I see it, the cool factor of driving something like a Lamborghini or a Ferrari is going to be completely lost when you have to tell people it isn’t real, and most gearheads are going to be able to spot a fake from 50 blogs away. So I was totally ready to mock this F430 Scuderia Project—until I figured out that the dude wasn’t using a kit, but making the molds and panels himself. That’s not to say I think this looks like an F430—the proportions are completely off—and even if it did, the MR2′s engine note would give it away immediately. But there was obviously a lot of work put in here, and the odds that the owner will be able to find a buyer who has the fabrication skills necessary to finish this are about as good as his being able to afford an actual Cavallino. You can read the original ad here. More pics after the jump.

Continue reading "Craigslist Find: MR2 F430 Scuderia Project" »

Here’s the deal. This is the video I want to link to.
 

Once hailed as "Canada’s first fiberglass-bodied sports car," this oddball roadster kit was actually produced in California between 1958 and 1965 after its Canadian builder moved to the US. This one’s got a trashed interior, but a strong Chevy 350—don’t miss the awesome video, which shows it driving around the seller’s lot. Run it the way it is and it’d be a pretty unique rat rod. Check out the auction!

I have always found it interesting to see how many "concept" cars never make it beyond the prototype stage. Typically, they show up at a few motor shows and then are never seen again. Often these cars are just being used as test beds for drivetrains that will go into standard models, or they have simply been a marketing tool to heighten interest in a brand. One example that comes to mind is the 2004 Ford Cobra concept. It was a great looking car, but sadly it never went into production. Not to be deterred, Denis Bedford from Australia decided that he would build a 2004 Cobra replica kit. Those who know their Aussie motoring history would realize that if anyone could pull this off it would be Denis. He earned his place in automotive history by first producing his Volkswagen-based Sabre kit cars, and went on to produce a vintage Cobra kit as well as a GT40 kit. While he eventually sold his interest in DRB Sportscars, retirement apparently did not sit well with Denis and it wasn’t long before the first 2004 Cobra kit, rebadged the "SC 540," rolled out of his factory. Because the car is based on a modern BA Ford Falcon drivetrain, construction should be relatively simple as it uses the complete wiring harness and other major components such as brakes, gearbox and motor. I’d really like to know what Ford and Carol Shelby think. What’s your take on this new kit car?

After AutoMotto posted this picture of a custom Phoenix van the other day, I had to investigate—what the hell was this thing, anyway? Turns out it’s a conversion kit that first became available nearly 20 years ago. The Phoenix isn’t any pre-fab Ikea unit—though you start with a VW van platform, it’s only the plans you can order. All of the construction, including the fabrication of fiberglass-covered urethane foam panels, is up to you, and assuming all goes well you end up with is a lightweight gull-winged "futuristic" camper vehicle with standing room for a 6′ adult. Think of it as an Aztek made out of surfboards, just way less safe and somehow more cool. Check out ordering info at RQRiley.

Continue reading "Phoenix: World's Weirdest Kit Car?" »

Carscoop found this pretty cool replica conversion kit on eBay, intended to dress up a BMW Z4 as the limited-run Z8 "supercar." I’m not familiar enough with the Z8 to tell if it’s a convincing replica or not, but the ad promises that "only you will know." At $5995 for the kit alone, it’s many, many times more than I’d pay for a whole running car. But I guess it’s still a lot cheaper than the $100,000+ you’d have to shell out for an original aluminum-bodied Z8.

While I was in Florida for last weekend’s Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach auction, I decided to check out Russo and Steele’s inaugural Hollywood collector car auction and then head up to Daytona Beach for the spring swap meet. Coincidentally, I found a Chevrolet-based Ferrari knock-off at each event.

First, at Russo and Steele, what the seller was calling the Camarossa, “a one of a kind hand built, steel exotic car” based on a 1986 Camaro. While the auction description went into lengthy detail about how the new body panels were applied, it simply appears the builder stuck most of them on over the top of the stock Camaro sheetmetal. Granted, the builder did indeed go the distance with the interior–including the gated five-speed shifter–and with an alleged 500hp small-block under the hood. But it appears his efforts to sell the car at Russo and Steele went for naught and his reserve sat a little too high.

Next, while cruising the car corral in the infield at Daytona Beach, I came across a fourth-gen Corvette-based “Testarossa.” The seller claimed it came from California, where it was assembled from a kit and a 1985 Corvette donor, which included the Tuned Port Injection small-block V-8, the four-speed automatic transmission and the removeable targa-style top. “Very fast car,” he said, before revealing his $25,000 asking price.

I really hope seeing these two cars in the span of two days was some sort of coincidence rather than an indication of an overall lack of taste and sophistication in that little corner of the country. You can see the rest of the pics after the jump.

Yep, it’s a fake Indy car. A street-legal, two-seater, V6-powered "replica" with an automatic trans—and it’s got about as much in common with an Indy car as a Ford Tempo does. You can bid on it if you like, but don’t expect to hit the reserve price anytime soon: the seller clearly thinks this ride is a lot cooler than the market does, and he’s not letting it go for even the astronomical sum it’s already been bid up to. If you’ve always kind of wished that Power Wheels made imitation cars for grownups as well as kids, this might be for you. Knock yourself out!