Auction Watch: 1981 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 LS1 Swap

Take a look at this 1981 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 LS Swap here on eBay bidding for $4,300 reserve-not-met located in Mohegan Lake, NY.

You ain't nothin' but a bearcat: 1966 Suzuki Bearcat

Early 60's scramblers from Japan are a strange breed.  Kinda like today's soft-roader CUV's: they look off-roady, but if you really used them off-road, they frankly suck.  But from an aesthetic point, they look the business as a vintage off road machine ready to take on the Baja 1,000.  Find this 1966 Suzuki B105P Bearcat for sale in Denver, CO for $950 via craigslist.
Tip from Zach Z.

What's in a Name? 1976 Lancia Scorpion

This next car has many names.  During development, it was called the Fiat X1/8, but when production moved to Pininfarina (who also did the styling) it was called the Beta Montecarlo (later just Montecarlo), but GM used the Montecarlo name (for the A-body coupe that is pretty much the polar opposite of the Lancia), so for the US market it was called the Scorpion...fitting because it packs a little stinger in the back.  Find this 1976 Lancia Scorpion offered for $4,000 (with a parts car) located in Moores Hill, IN via craigslist.  Tip from FuelTruck.

Thursday Twister: Shifty Shifters

Welcome to the pre-Friday celebration known as the Thursday Twister -- where we twist the limit of your car knowledge with a quiz about arcane car knowledge.  Today's topic is the manual box shifter -- which is normally located on the floor (oohhh...sporty) or on the column (meh, snoozy)...but sometimes it is stuck elsewhere.  Find all the cars where the shifter is somewhere odd. Hat tip to Mrkwong for the idea.

Auction Watch: 1969 Pontiac Firebird Convertible

Take a look at this 1969 Pontiac Firebird Convertible here on eBay bidding for $12,322 with auction ending Thursday at 8pm PST.

PB & Spaghetti Sandwich: 1989 LaForza

Few things are as American as the luxury SUV -- where else would manufacturers be able to sell a car that looks like it can off-road but really is purchased because it accommodates wide bottoms and gives an authoritative view of the road ahead.  Never mind that they change directions about as well as a hovercraft, or that folks behind you can't tell what kind of car you are tailgating, or that you need to stop every 30 minutes for fuel -- because style and comfort trumps all.  And the only thing better than an expensive luxury SUV is an ITALIAN luxury SUV offered for the price of a rusty Hyundai.  Find this 1989 LaForza offered for $4,000 in SF Bay Area, CA via craigslist.  Tip from Kaibeezy.

Auction Watch: 2010 Holden Ute SS

Take a look at this 2010 Holden Ute SS here on eBay bidding for $48,600 with auction ending on Thursday.

Jet Setter: 1984 Porsche 928S Turboshaft Powered

Have you ever been cruisin' down the I90 outside of Cleveland and sorta thought you heard a jet, but the noises got uncomfortably loud, to the point you fully expect to see a 747 landing gear in your rear-view, expect you don't...what you see is a red Porsche 928.  And then it blasts by you in a fog of Jet B and testosterone...suddenly you want one yourself.  Find this 1984 Porsche 928S with Boeing 502 turboshaft power  here on eBay bidding for $5,500 with a day to go, located in Painesville, OH.  Tip from Hunter.

Surprisingly Intact: 1981 Renault 4 GTL

The Renault 4 was launched in 1961 as the first front wheel drive family car produced by Renault with a sub 1 liter watercooled inline-4.  Production lasted into the 1990s and a staggering 8 million of the little things were built and sold around the world...but good luck finding one in the USA that hasn't rusted back into nature.  Find this 1981 Renault 4 GTL offered for $5,900 in Houston, TX via craigslist.  Tip from FuelTruck. 

DT License Plate Frames: The Sortening

We interrupt our regular Mid Week Match-Up feature to bring this special announcement: First off, I'd like to send a tremendous thank you to all the folks who put up license plate frame ideas on last week's Coffee Brake post -- many awesome ideas were submitted and I wish we could make all the ideas...but I want to narrow this down to one design for a large batch.  So...time for a Hunger Games style death match.

Auction Watch: 1997 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra 519HP Monster

Take a look at this 1997 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra 519HP Monster here on eBay bidding for $9,950 with auction ending on Sunday.

Seller Submission: 1989 BMW 325ix E30

The E30 generation BMW 3-series  is zippy, reliable, simple to maintain, and cheap to buy -- which is why it has become the winter beater of choice for many folks, particularly the all-wheel-drive 325ix model sold in North America from 1988-1991.  Find this 1989 BMW 325ix E30 offered for $3200 in Canandaigua, NY via craigslist.  Seller submission from Zain.

Auction Watch: 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle 300 Coupe

Take a look at this 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle 300 Coupe (I6-Auto)  here on eBay offered for $10,500 buy-it-now or make offer, with listing ending on Tuesday.

K-Carma: 1986 Dodge Aries

Irony is a clear consciousness of an eternal agility, of the infinitely abundant chaos.  -- Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel (1772-1829).  Regular readers of this website will remember K-Cargate -- which started when someone here compared driving a K-Car to purgatory, continued when the president of the Chrysler K-Car Club defended K-cardom in the comments, and wrapped up with an eloquent treatise on the Thin Line Between Hate and Meh by Kaibeezy.  It was a distant memory until today when I opened up the tips box and found this thing looking at me.  Find this 1986 Dodge Aries offered for $800 in Alameda, CA via craigslist.

Needs New Shoes: 1988 Isuzu Impulse

The Isuzu Impluse was such an unlikely combination of Italian styling (Giorgetto Giugiaro), Japanese durability, & British handling (Lotus baby!) put into a turbocharged rear-drive hatchback that it almost caused a singularity in the space-time-continuum, ending life in the galaxy as we know it.  Thankfully that didn't happen, but it is no small coincidence that Yao Ming, Martina Hingis, & the Maltese rapper known as Hooligan were born the same month as the first Impulse (a JDM Piazza) was released.  Find this 1988 Isuzu Impulse offered for $2,500 in Ontario, CA via craigslist.

On Any Tuesday: 1969 Husqvarna 250 Cross

The image of Steve McQueen riding a Husqvarna 400 Cross on the beach at Camp Pendleton in On Any Sunday was burned into the impressionable young minds in the 1970's.  Steve was (still is) the epitome of cool.  In the film, Steve also rode the 400's little brother, the 250 Cross in the Lake Elsinore GP. Find this 1969 Husqvarna 250 Cross for sale in Sumner, WA for $6,000 via craigslist.

Auction Watch: 1952 Studebaker Champion Custom Starlight Coupe

Take a look at this 1952 Studebaker Champion Custom Starlight Coupe  here on eBay bidding for $7,500 with auction ending on Wednesday.

D For Dominance: 1961 Devin D

Back in the 1960s a guy named Bill Devin (originally from Oklahoma) sold fiberglass bodies out of El Monte, California that were designed to mount on top of Volkswagen chassis.  Devin also supplied the ladder frame with box tubing, so you didn't have the weight of a VW pan.  Find this 1961 Devin D here on eBay bidding for $8,409 reserve-not-met with 4 days to go.

Auction Watch: 1970 Datsun Roadster KA24DE Power

Take a close look at this 1970 Datsun Roadster KA24DE Power here on eBay bidding for $11,211 reserve-not-met with auction ending on Thursday.

European Ford: 1973 Mercury Capri

From 1971 through 1974 Ford imported the European built Capri and sold it at Lincoln-Mercury dealers across the USA.  It might not have the rally pedigree of something like the European Escort, but it combined a long-hood short-rear look of a Mustang with inline-4 and V6 power into something special.  Find this 1973 Mercury Capri here on eBay bidding for $3,550 reserve-not-met with buy-it-now of $5,000 located in Polson, MT.