In The Clearing Stands a Boxer: 2016 Factory Five 818

Factory Five is a kit car manufacturer that is known for making those flashy Cobra replicas that are probably a blast to drive but mostly sit in garages when the weather is too cold or too hot.  But Factory Five sells a variety of other kits, some that look like a GT40 and Cobra Daytona Coupe and 33 Ford...but in the past few years they've started their own designs, which I personally prefer to the derivative retro designs and am keen on the Subaru boxer powered model called the 818.  Find this 2016 Factory Five 818 offered for $14000 somewhere in Washington State.

Fraud v Fieroarri: 1969 Fiberfab Avenger GT V8

The seller of this next thing starts his advert off with the casual question; Did you see the movie "Ford Vs Ferrari"?  The answer, of course, is yes...but I do have a counter question; Did you see any Pontiac Fiero parts in Ken Miles' GT40?  Mmmmmm. I guess the guys at GM didn't get a shout out in this movie, so you could do it yourself by driving this thing around after some serious price negotiation with the seller. Find this 1969 Fiberfab Avenger GT V8 offered for $15000 in Fresno, CA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

Mint Mojito: 1979 Bradley GT

If you want a color that'll make any car look happy -- this is it.  Lime green.  It is no small coincidence that the color of a mint mojito looks good on a car that would be perfect for a summer drive to your local beach spot.  Who's ready for summer?!?  Find this 1979 Bradley GT offered for $4500 in Tucson, AZ via craigslist.

DePimp My Ride: 1964 Volkswagen Beetle Porsche 917 Kit

Another day, another hideous Poorch 917 replica...I know what yer thinkin.  You're thinking that the guys at DailyTurismo are hitting the bourbon early these days.  No, not yet...the coronavirus drinking games are still mostly done after 5 o'clock...but what I can tell you is that I'd love the idea of driving something with a ludicrous driving position that only cost me a few thousand smackeroos, a few weekends of wrenching, and one divorce.  Imagine the feeling of hitting the throttle as the sweat pours down your brow...and that's only in regular traffic...because no AC and no windows are gonna make this thing amazing in the summer...but the primary reason we are featuring this car is because it used to be a flame throwing hovercraft batmobile.  Yup...it appears that the next owner removed the flamethrower, taser hood oranment, and 110V generator + AC unit and tried to get it back to basics.  Find this 1964 Volkswagen Beetle Porsche 917 Kit offered for $3200 in Scottsdale, AZ via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

Beetle Based: 1969 Porsche 917 Kit Car

Why have I been featuring so many kit cars these days?  Is wanting to drive a home built car that looks like a crappy version of something awesome a lesser known symptom of coronavirus?  I thought I was coughing from the fumes from this leaky Volkswagen engine, but maybe its the COVID??  Is it social distancing if I leave a big gap in traffic because I'm uncertain the brakes are gonna work on the first pump?  Find this 1969 Porsche 917 Kit Car offered for $13,999 in Encino, CA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

Mazda Inside: 1967 Jaguar XKE E-Type Kit

Every time I make a blanket statement, I get in trouble.  Arrgg...I just did it again.  The statement I made the other day was something about kit cars being mostly replica Cobras and things based on Volkswagen Beetle chassis and that the Jag kit was interesting and unique...and then we got a tip for another Jag kit car, this one based on an RX-7, complete with 13B rotary power?  Whaaa??  Why didn't I know about this?  Who wouldn't want the nimble reflexes of an FB RX-7 mated with the gorgeous looks of an E-Type convertible...even if it is a "gasp" kit car.  Find this 1967 Jaguar XKE E-Type Kit offered for $22500 in West Babylon, NY via craigslist. Tip from Cory.

Needs Mohr Cylinders: 1951 Jaguar XK120 Kit Car

When somebody says "kit car" I instantly think of Cobras, 550 Spyders, 356 Speedsters, Lotus things, and Kustom Fieros made to look like Ferraris...but I have never really thought about Jags.  Particularly XK120 looking Jags from the 1950s that just need an injection of V8 to get going.  Now, I know what you're thinking. You're gonna stick a Chebby 350 mated to a TH350...but don't do it.  Slap some sense into yourself and get a V12 -- maybe a 6 liter BMW N73 V12 good for 439 horsepower or a  6 liter W12 from a VW/Audi  also good for 400+ horsepower or be a real man and drop a Rolls Royce Meteor V12  which is a 27 liter tank engine for those who've been out of the loop.  GET INTO THE GAME, SON!  Find this 1951 Jaguar XK120 Kit Car here on eBay offered for $19,900 in Miami, FL.

V is for Vandetta: 1973 Volkswagen Beetle Kit

While I've personally never joined the aircooled VW club, I've always thought the correct way to do it is with something like a customized or kit-car style Beetle.  I don't have anything against the roly poly shape of the type 1...but I feel that something like a Boonie Bug or a Sterling would be more attractive...but today we've got the perfect combination of Beetle front end and 70s spaceship tail. Find this 1973 Volkswagen Beetle Vandetta Kit offered for $5500 in Malibu, CA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

A Fiero By Any Other Name: 1985 Ferrari Kit Car by Corson Motors

It seems that many of the Porsche 365 Speedster replicas floating around on the street are of a quality to be almost indistinguishable from the real deal by anyone except a real Poooooooorsche aficionado. I'm not that guy, so I'm probably wrong half the time when I see a 365 convertible or a kit version...but the same doesn't go for a Ferrari kit car.  There is something about Ferrari kit cars that makes them instantly identified as a kit car...perhaps it is because the real Porsche 356 was just a re-bodied Beetle, so if you start with a Beetle it doesn't take much to get to a 356...but if you start with a Fiero, you've got a lotta time to get it to an Italian built Ferrari.  Find this 1985 Ferrari Kit Car by Corson Motors offered for $14,995 in Daytona Beach, FL via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

Lotus 7 Clone: 1992 Westfield SEI

A legit '60s Lotus 7 will set you back something starting around 50 large...and the same goes for building your own brand new Caterham 7...but you can get the same open air light weight feeling of acceleration and danger at a fraction of that bucks with a used kit like this next thing. Find this 1992 Westfield SEI offered for $16,500 in Parkland, FL via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

The Spirit of Thankfullness: What Are You Thankful For?

Happy Thanksgiving to all you Turkey lovers out in cyber space...I think I want to dedicate today's Turkey day post to being thankful.  And I'd like to know what you are thankful for, but first I'm going to unveil the turkey...here it is...this 1971 Volkswagen Mini Camaro Z28 project offered for $3700 somewhere near Portland, OR.

Forgotten Kit Classic: 1973 Bremen Creighton

This next car is a bit of a puzzle to me -- it looks like the Bremen Mini Mark, which was a VW Type 1 Beetle based kit car that combined the aerodynamics of a 1930s classic with the reliability of the VW chassis...but it appears to have a front engine Chevy V8...so I don't know what I'm looking at.  There is an internet reference to a Ford Pinto based Bremen kit, but I can't find much detail on that other than a few pictures on a slightly abandoned theminimark.blogspot.com website. Ohhh...I just found a German Wikipedia page that says this is the Bremen Creighton.  Find this 1973 Bremen Creighton offered for $5500 in Swansea, MA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

Brazilian Kit Car: 1971 L'Automobile Ventura

The Ventura was a fiberglass rebody of a Volkswagen from Brazil --- similar in concept, spirit, and styling to the awesome Puma.  If Volkswagen made a rear-drive GT car that preceded the Scirocco and Corrado, and it looked half as good as this does, they would be everywhere. Instead, the Ventura got the "just another kit car" label and is largely forgotten. Information and comparable examples are hard to come by, but we know it was made from 1978 until at least 1992 using mostly VW parts, and most were shipped to America sans engine.  Find this 1971 L'Automobile Ventura offered for $7900 in Arroyo Grande, CA via craigslist.

Notta 2005 Porsche: 1988 Pontiac Fiero

This next car is...well...something special.  It isn't an ugly duckling, because the ugly duckling grew up to be a goose and this is...uhhhh...the ultimate example of a kit car trying to be a car that nobody wants to own. It is like the ain't kit car -- like somebody put a Fiero body on a Ferrari..seriously 996 911s and 986 Boxsters are some of the cheapest cars around and the Fiero GT is just starting to get into its stride.  Find this 1988 Pontiac Fiero offered for $7975 in Walpole, ME via craigslist. Tip from Carter & Aktifspeed.

Hayabusa Powered: 2011 Lotus Caterham Replica MK Indy

I recently had the opportunity to ride in and drive a late model Caterham kit version of the Lotus 7 that was built by an insane friend and equipped with a 350 horsepower turbocharged GM Ecotech 4-cylinder and 6-speed.  Getting into the coffin-shaped passenger compartment was tricky, but acceleration was nothing short of psychotic. At the end of a 45 minute ride through curving coastal California blacktop I felt equal parts impressed, sun-burned, nauseated, and euphoric. I've driven some fast cars in my time (SLR McLaren, Z06 C7.R) but this was in its own league in orders of the level of excitement (and NVH) you experience on WOT in 2nd or 3rd gear...so I can only imagine that a Hayabusa 11,000 rpm powered version of the same car should similarly deliver a visceral gut punch of fun.  Find this 2011 Lotus Caterham Replica MK Indy here on eBay offered for $22,800 buy-it-now located in Waxhaw, NC.

Did Not Z This Coming: 1985 Nissan Spartan Kit

In 1985 you could have gone to your local Nissan dealer and picked up a V6 powered Nissan 300ZX for something in the range of $20k out the door...or you could have found a guy named Ron Sparks in San Marcos, CA who could take that Z and turn it into something that your neighbor won't have.  It was called the Spartan and cost more than $60,000 when new...but it looked like a million bucks and drove like a modern sports car.  So I guess you could have your cake and eat it too...if you were loaded...and into the retro-styled things that looked like an Excalibur, Zimmer, Tiffany, etc. Find this 1985 Nissan Spartan Kit here on eBay offered for $19,500 buy-it-now or make offer located in Princeton, TX. Tip from Hugh.

Not a Ferrari Kit: 1975 Fiberfab Aztec 7 w/ Ford V6

I always find it interesting when a seller offers a car for sale on craigslist, but apparently has little idea of what kind of car he/she is actually selling.  The seller lists this as a "Ferrari" kit car, but there was no Ferrari that looked like this thing back in the day -- and the car is a Fiberfab Aztec 7, which was modeled to resemble Marchello Gandini's 1968 Paris Auto Show concept known as the Alfa Romeo Carabo...again...not a Ferrari.  It isn't a bad looking example of a Fiberfab kit and is probably worth the low asking price. Find this 1975 Fiberfab Aztec 7 w/ Ford V6 offered for $1500 in Woodcrest, CA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!