LVSteve
Member
I'll bet the Sporthatch was a butt load more reliable. It had an almost indestructible slant-4 motor, basically half of a V8 with the crank and bearings to match. My car had the same motor, but the body fell off it.
Rarest Car
- Thread starter THE PILGRIM
- Start date
I'll bet the Sporthatch was a butt load more reliable. It had an almost indestructible slant-4 motor, basically half of a V8 with the crank and bearings to match. My car had the same motor, but the body fell off it.
The rarest car I've encountered is one I actually got to ride in, the BMW M1.
Only about 450 were made from 1978 to 1981, and like so many high performance European cars in those days, it was not certified for sale in the U.S. Nevertheless, the owner of the BMW dealership in Fort Worth somehow managed to procure a new one, and allowed a friend of mine to drive it (very carefully) to a BMW Car Club meeting. I just got a ride around the parking lot, so no chance to experience its 5.4 second 0-to-60 time, which was blazingly fast for that era. The thing I remember most is that even though I was in my 30s and still fairly agile, the M1 was so low to the ground that getting in and out was a challenge. But if I could have owned one, I could have lived with that.
Only about 450 were made from 1978 to 1981, and like so many high performance European cars in those days, it was not certified for sale in the U.S. Nevertheless, the owner of the BMW dealership in Fort Worth somehow managed to procure a new one, and allowed a friend of mine to drive it (very carefully) to a BMW Car Club meeting. I just got a ride around the parking lot, so no chance to experience its 5.4 second 0-to-60 time, which was blazingly fast for that era. The thing I remember most is that even though I was in my 30s and still fairly agile, the M1 was so low to the ground that getting in and out was a challenge. But if I could have owned one, I could have lived with that.
Ah, thanks.
Back in my youth I owned a '58 DelRay with a 348, and I didn't think the model -- bottom of the line that year -- hung around till '61.
Had this one for 45+years
1 of 3000
'65 MB 230 SL
1 of 3000
'65 MB 230 SL
Classmate had a DeLorean. Saw him out at the bars with it New Years Eve 1989.
New Years Day 1990 it was behind a wrecker.
Oopsie.
New Years Day 1990 it was behind a wrecker.
Oopsie.
4barrel
Member
Our local court retired reporter died last year and he had two. He was using one for spare parts. I forgot about them until I saw your post. One was in a tornado about 1982 and the insurance co. bought him another.
Last edited:
When I was growing up in the 70's (born in the (60s) my mom's daily driver was a '27 Pontiac 2 door. It's not rare by unusual car standards, but was a pretty cool and atypical daily driver. My first daily driver was a Triumph Spitfire.
Last edited:
Tubbsy
Member
My uncle drove a '59 corvette fuelie when I was a kid... one of the cars I remember him hanging on to the longest, and probably my favorite behind the '56 f100 he used to race.
A friend of mine is restoring a 1952 Muntz. These cars were built with components from other makes. His has a 332 flathead Lincoln engine hooked to a Hydramatic transmission. I can't find a picture of his car, so I'm attaching a picture of a '51 Muntz, which is about the same except for the color.
Here's the article on the car shown.
Car of the Week: 1951 Muntz Jet convertible - Old Cars Weekly
Here's the article on the car shown.
Car of the Week: 1951 Muntz Jet convertible - Old Cars Weekly
Attachments
Last edited:
4barrel
Member
With a little help you could make it look like a smaller '50 model Mercury. That bumper looks like it came off of a cop car.
Last edited:
Tubbsy
Member
They've definitely gone nuts... I vaguely remember him making a good bit of money off it, enough to buy a pair of gto's if im remembering right... he's been building and flipping cars for going on 50 years, and has had quite a few memorable ones...
The first Shelby Mustang known as "Little Red." It belonged to a fraternity brother of mine at the University of Wyoming. He bought it from a Ford dealer in Denver on the way home from Viet Nam. We used the car like an SUV - hunted deer and elk in it, cruised the desert for prairie dogs, you name it. We knew the car was special, but we didn't know it was THAT special. There are several Youtube videos about it but here's one with the story of finding and restoring it. There's also an interview with my old friend, Tom, the original owner.
The Hunt for Little Red - BARRETT-JACKSON - YouTube
The Hunt for Little Red - BARRETT-JACKSON - YouTube
Last edited:
Had a teacher in High School that drove a Triumph TR3 when the weather was nice. It was in good shape as it was 1958 model if I recall correctly.
Back in the late 1980's, in college, a professor alternated between a Studebaker pickup truck and a Golden Hawk. I would often take the long way to class and see what was parked in the reserved spot...
bigwheelzip
Absent Comrade
My late friend in Muhen Switzerland, Hanspeter Humbel, was a public school shop teacher with the heart of a mad scientist with a dash of anarchist for flavor. Around 1983, he challenged himself to create a motor vehicle which would adhere to all the requirements of a passenger car on public roads.
Beginning with an engine from Renault, he created a metal frame and body then added all the required parts. When he approached the national authorities to register his creation, it seemed they were unaware of how to proceed. After he walked them through a lengthy approval process, they issued him a passenger car registration under a company name and VIN number he made up.
Don't have a photo of the car, or even remember the name, but it was definitely a rare 1 of 1 vehicle, and it's driver was far from a "regular" person.
Beginning with an engine from Renault, he created a metal frame and body then added all the required parts. When he approached the national authorities to register his creation, it seemed they were unaware of how to proceed. After he walked them through a lengthy approval process, they issued him a passenger car registration under a company name and VIN number he made up.
Don't have a photo of the car, or even remember the name, but it was definitely a rare 1 of 1 vehicle, and it's driver was far from a "regular" person.
Baldwin-Motion Super Vega
Similar threads
- Locked
