Uncommonly Odd: 2000 Mercury Cougar Roush Edition

Roush Performance was launched in 1995 as a way for NASCAR legend Jack "Panama Hat" Roush to provide power to the people.  Roush Performance got a reputation for making fast 'n' loud Mustangs, but they also dabbled in other Fords like the Focus and F-150...but for two years in the early millennium, they built about 100 examples of something called the Mercury Cougar Roush Edition.  It appears to have been strictly a cosmetic appearance upgrade package, but if you are going to drive a Cougar, this is the one to get. Find this 2000 Mercury Cougar Roush Edition here on eBay bidding for $1000 reserve-not-met located in La Vergne, TN with 1 day to go.

Electric Myrrh: 1995 Tropica Roadster

The Christian feast of the Epiphany is celebrated on January 6th, (the word Epiphany comes from the ancient Greek work Τheophaneia meaning "vision of God") and is a commemoration of the three Magi visiting the infant Jesus.  Around here we celebrate the Epiphany by posting 3 cars, one for each of the magi -- first up from the East is Gaspar and his gift was myrrh, which is an oil that was used in embalming before burial...which is what happened to Renaissance Cars after they launched an all electric sports car called the Tropica Roadster.  It was an interesting car at a time when all electric cars were mostly home built machines, but it didn't sell well and fell into an early grave. Luckily for fans of cars with boat interiors, there is one for sale on craigslist. Find this 1995 Tropica Roadster offered for $19000 in St Augustine, FL via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

Strange Estate: 1969 Reliant Scimitar GTE

Everyone associates the Reliant marque with the suicide machine that has three wheels and a penchant for presenting belly, but Reliant (which somehow missed being lumped into the titanic train wreck known as British Leyland (Austin, Land Rover, Leyland, MG, Jaguar, Mini, Morris, Rover, & Triumph)) built cars that could be driven around a corner without tipping...but expect some challenges with parts availability and general reliability. Find this 1969 Reliant Scimitar GTE here on eBay bidding for $3950 with a few hours to go, located in Yreka, CA via craigslist. Tip from ME.

Dual Overhead Cam Classic: 1990 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

The C4 generation Corvette ZR1 was the result of a project between GM and Lotus Engineering, which resulted in a 375 horsepower DOHC V8 engine, big brakes, heavy duty suspension and active ride control.  It was really ahead of its time for a GM product from the early 1990s but a hefty price tag (twice the cost of a standard Vette at $60k) and special assembly plant limited production to 6900 units over 6 years.  Thankfully the magic of depreciation has dropped them into el cheapo territory and you can get one for the price of a 10 year old Camry.  Seriously. Find this 1990 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 offered for $12,000 near Cincinnati, OH via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

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!

Orange You Glad I Found This? 1973 BMW 2002 Touring

The BMW 2002 was only sold in two door sedan configuration in the USA - while Europeans and others could purchase the cool looking Touring edition.  The 2002 Touring was more of a hatch-back and less of a station wagon, but it ads a lot more headroom and a functional rear hatch to the diminutive BMW 2002.  In an extraordinary coincidence, I spotted one roaming the wild streets of Southern California just yesterday and then tipper Erik202 sent in this super cheap example. Find this 1973 BMW 2002 Touring offered for $6,800 CAD ($5155 USD) located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada via Kijiji.

5-Speed Uticorn: 2005 Subaru Baja Turbo

Are you a fan of the utility of El Camino style 4-door car-based pickup trucks?  What about 5-speed equipped, turbo, all-wheel-drive versions? Down under they call them utes, but up here in right-side-up world we call them uticorns because they are all but non-existent -- and if it wasn't for a little Japanese company called Subaru, we wouldn't have them at all.  Find this 2005 Subaru Baja Turbo offered for $9,500 in Pittsburgh, PA via craigslist. Tip from Jeff.

About This Renault: 1971 Manic GT

This next car is going to be a bit of a history lesson for even the most astute French car collector, because it is French in language and basic components, but not assembly. Yes, this is the rare French Canadian built machine, with assembly of the custom fiberglass body of Renault 8 parts byLes Automobiles Manic Ltée, of Granby, Quebec back in the 1970s.  It was the brainchild of a Quebecois named Jacques About (pronounced...yes...a-booh.  Très Canadien) and you can listen to this fascinating vintage 10 minute radio interview of Monsieur About from the CBC archives and read about them on Hemmings here. Find this 1971 Manic GT offered for $15,000 in Port Angeles, WA via craigslist.  Tip from FuelTruck.

OTAS 820 Giannini: 1969 Lombardi Grand Prix

Italian week is wrapping up over here on DT and I can't believe we haven't posted any cars that were held in place by old pieces of firewood...because nothing says "Italian" like scrap wood wheel chocks.  And nothing says awesome like a rare Fiat 850 based thing that has styling by Giuseppe Rinaldi and something around 100 produced. Find this 1969 Lombardi Grand Prix offered for $5000 in Yuicaipa, CA via craigslist. Tip from Zach. 

Pretty 'N' Rare: 2000 BMW Z3 Coupe

This next car comes as a tip from Pushrod who writes: I’ve been seeing more of these come up for sale lately in the $8-15k range.  The Z3 coupe is actually more rare (by production numbers) than the M variant.  Find this 2000 BMW Z3 Coupe offered for $15,000 in Washington, D.C. via craigslist.

Unlikely Manual: 2006 Honda Element

And the award for the car that is the least likely to have a manual gearbox...but is shockingly clutch pedal equipped is...this 2006 Honda Element offered for $6999 in SF Bay Area, CA via craigslist.

Time Machine: 1988 Nissan Pulsar NX Sportbak

You might not love one, but you cannot hate the Nissan Pulsar.  From those funky psychedelic tail lights to the 3-way sports-car/wagon/convertible roof setup...how can you not like this thing!?!?! You want a time machine...forget the Delorean -- get one of these, it'll be 1985 before you know it. Find this 1988 Nissan Pulsar NX offered for $3700 in Douglasville, GA via craigslist.  Tip from Rock On!

Orange Juiced: 1995 Tropica by Renaissance Cars

If you are anything like the average car guy, you must remember the mid 90s electric sports car called the Tropica -- it was...okay...yeah...I got nothin. Zip, zitch, nada. No recollection of anything electric with Corvette tail lights and a limited run of 16 cars, some of which ended up in the private collection of Don Johnson, who put them on the small screen in "Nash Bridges"...but I've got to admit that this could have been a totally made up background story.  Find this 1995 Tropica by Renaissance Cars offered for $5555 in Laguna Beach, CA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

Serial No 1: 1985 Oldsmobile Calais

There are few things better than low mile minty clean example of an unwanted car from the past...because low mile examples of desirable cars have crazy price tags, but the people who collect 80s Oldsmobiles do their own dental work and shower at their place of employment...the a low mile example of the first car off the assembly line doesn't cost much. Find this 1985 Oldsmobile Calais offered for $10,000 here on eBay starting bid with 1 day to go located in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.

A Luce By Any Other Name: 1972 Mazda 1800 Wagon

I've seen a variety of cars over the past few years.  It started with random internet searches for keywords and blossomed into an obsession with the launch of DT in 2012, but I've gotta admit..I've never seen one of these before. Really.  I've seen Mazda 3 wagons, Mazda 6 wagons, but never have I found one of these oddball Mazda 1800 wagons from the Luce lineup.  Find this 1972 Mazda 1800 Wagon offered for $2000 near Seattle, WA via craigslist. Tip from Steve L.

Banana Boat: 1974 Opel Manta

The early 1970s wasn't a good time to be a new car.  The late 60s models were faster, better looking, and less complex in general, but there were a few cars that kept it cool into the mid 70s.  Included in this rare bunch is something called the Opel Manta that was built in Germany by GM.  Find this 1974 Opel Manta offered for $7,200 in Neshkoro, WI via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

Stock Shock: 1989 Nissan Silvia S13

Yesterday I mentioned that fact that you don't see many Honda CRXs for sale that aren't totally trashed, thrashed, or flashed -- but there is another car that is even harder to find in stock non-lord_humongous trim...yup, the Nissan S13 Silva.  Customizers, flatbrimmers, stancers, racers, drifters, and the like have just about run the stock S13 into extinction, so finding a stock one is like finding 4-leafed horsefeather.  Find this 1989 Nissan Silvia S13 offered for $9,500 in Corpus Christi, TX via craigslist. Tip from JG750