1971 GAZ-24 - This One Is In The U.S.
The truth is that while there were plenty of cars that were 20 years behind in technology, there were also plenty that were relatively modern and up to date. We just didn't get to see them. Imagine what we would have thought of the French automotive industry in the 1960s and 1970s if all we ever saw was the 2CV. Or the Italian industry if all we ever saw was the Fiat 500. Imagine what the world would have thought of us in the 1970s and 1980s if all they ever saw was the Chevette.
The GAZ 24 was one of those cars that was not behind the times. It was a modern sedan when it was introduced.
The GAZ 24 was developed in the mid - late 1960s. Production was started in 1970. It's styling is in line with virtually every other European sedan of the time. It's boxy and practical. The engine is an all aluminum 2.4 I4 that put out around 100 HP. The transmission is a 4 speed manual with a floor mounted shifter. It has power brakes, a heater, defroster and rear window defroster, a radio, etc., etc. It has just about everything you would find on a similar era Western European or American sedan. It was not an exciting sedan, but it was good, comfortable transportation. Like the majority of the sedans built in the 1960s and 1970s, that was all it was meant to be.
This car is located in California. It appears to be in good overall condition. It looks like the interior has been modified. The steering wheel is definitely not the original. The center armrest is an aftermarket item with a cupholder. The seats also look a bit too modern for this car, but I'm not familiar enough with the car to say if they are or are not the original seats.The body appears to be in very good condition. However, Soviet steel was not high quality, the winters can be harsh in parts of Russia and rust prevention techniques were pretty much unknown worldwide at the time. Checking this car for badly done rust repair is a must.
Lately I've seen similar cars being offered from the old Soviet Union for insane amounts of money. While these cars are extremely rare in North America, they are not extremely valuable. This auction has a reserve, but as I write this the car has no bids, so I have no idea what that reserve might be.
If this car is as good in person as it looks in the pictures and if the seller isn't looking for a stupid amount of money for it, this would be a really great car to bring to car shows.
Located in North Hollywood, CA, click here to see the eBay listing.
1989 BMW 325i - Done Right
This is a 1989 325i. By the time this car was built the "eta" version of the engine was gone, as were the aluminum "diving board" bumpers. The car performed and looked great.
This car is owned by an "E30 enthusiast". He obviously knows his stuff and modified the car, but didn't over modify it.
Everything done to this car is simple and effective. The engine is the original engine but the owner put on a header and the injectors are from a 1995 325is. He also chipped the computer.In an effort to create an exhaust that "was sporty and more aggressive sounding, but without being excessively loud and annoying or droney", the owner "had the catalytic converter removed and installed a resonator in its place with a Magnaflow 18" muffler with 2.5" tubing". (This could cause inspection problems in some states.)
The wheels are from a 2000 740i. They have been redrilled to match the E30 bolt pattern. Suspension Techniques Speedtech lowering springs were used to lower the car 2.4" in the front and 2.0 in the back. The the rear fender lips are rolled, but the seller admits that the tires occasionally "rub just a tiny bit if you have passengers in the back or accelerate full throttle". Raising the car back up an inch (or less) would most likely cure that without changing the aggressive, lowered look of the car.On the inside he added a set of optional (in Europe only) Recaro seats and rear headrests. He had all the seats recovered so the upholstery matches.
Everything else on the car is basically stock and / or original. There are no spoilers, sparkly paint (the paint is original), air dams or other unneeded add-ons. This is a modified car an adult could drive. It's perfect.
This is a no reserve auction. Click here to see the eBay listing. 
Weekend Quickies, Sunday, August 29, 2010
This is a custom built 1984 Volvo 240 pickup truck. It was crafted from a station wagon.
This appears to be well done and looks great. The station wagon tailgate window has been used for the rear window (and it still has the wiper in place, although the seller doesn't say of it works) and the lower half of the wagon tailgate used for the pick up tailgate (which doesn't open).
The only alarming sentence in this eBay listing is, "Paint shines nicely and can be used as is but the filler has shrunk in." The big question is, just how much filler is in this vehicle?
Located in Chinchilla, PA, click here to see the eBay listing.
A big thanks to Tony for sending me the link to this Volvo.
1995 Maxda Miata - This is a great sleeper. This Miata has a "Flyin' Miata" turbo kit on it.I've never seen one in person, but from what I hear, the Flyin' Miata turbo kit is very well done and very reliable. Depending on which kit you install, the Flyin' Miata turbo gives the car an additional 65 to 165 horsepower. Frustratingly, the seller doesn't say which kit is in this car.
The best part about this Miata is that there is nothing on it that would make you think it's anything other than a stock Miata.
Located in Huntington, NY, click here to see the eBay listing.
Find the Flyin' Miata website here.
1968 Chevy Impala SS - This is a car from another time. A time when performance and looks were a priority for US car manufacturuers.This is an Impala SS with a 427 V8 in it. As the seller points out, just 1778 were built like this. This is a matching numbers car.
As you can probably tell from the slant of this blog, I'm not a huge fan of big old American cars. (Not that there is anything wrong with being a fan of them, it's just not my "thing".) Still, I have to admire a car like this. It's a great big car with great big curves and creases. It has a big engine, big bucket seats and a big center console. I'll probably never buy one, but I love looking at cars like this.
Located in Houston, TX, click here to see the Craigslist ad. The ad has a ton of good, clear pictures.
Weekend Quickies, Saturday, August 28, 2010
This Lancia is very cool for another reason, too. The seller writes that it was "just shown at the Concorso Italiano in California and was driven back to Oregon". You've got to admire an owner who actually drives his classic car and a classic car that can make that kind of trip.
Located in Gersham, OR, click here to see the eBay listing.
1975 Zastava 750 (Fica) - Wow. This car is in the US. This is a Fiat 600 built by Zastava, the very same company that gave us the Yugo.The 750 / Fica is not a carbon copy of the car it's based on. The body is slightly different as is the engine.
I doubt there are many other Zastava 750s here in the US. This car would get all sorts of attention at just about any car show.
Located in Winter Garden, FL, click here to see the eBay listing.
Click here to see an earlier post I wrote about a Zastava 750.
1952 Singer 4AD Roadster - Are you looking for a project? Do you have a lot of free time? Do you find hunting down rare and obscure parts fun? If so, this car is for you.Singer built these cars primarily for export. But, unlike the MG T series, which put MG on the map in the US (and elsewhere), the Singer was not very successful and by 1956 Singer was absorbed by the Rootes Group. Subsequent Singer cars were just badge engineered versions of existing Rootes products.
This car needs a complete restoration, but the the body doesn't look too bad and the seller says most of the parts are there.
Located in Nebraska City, Nebraska, click here to see the eBay listing.
1969 Peugeot 204 Cabriolet
What a cool little car...
The 204 was a small FWD Peugeot. Introduced in 1965, it came with an 1100cc aluminum 4 cylinder engine that put out around 53 HP. As the seller points out, it was the first Peugeot to feature disc brakes. It was never officially imported to the US.
Although it's tough to tell from the pictures in this ad, the Pininfarina styled body is very attractive, especially in coupe and convertible form.
The seller does not include the history of this car in his ad. He also says very little about its condition. It needs restoration and it sounds like he's including a parts car in the deal. Rust was a huge issue on these cars, but I don't see anything obvious on this one in the blurry pictures. There are a few primer spots that may be covering some rust repair, however.
If you live in the Los Angeles area and are a Peugeot fan, this car is probably worth seeking out. Click here to see the Craigslist ad.As a man who is known for his lack of proofreading and typos, I have no business pointing this out, but the Craigslist ad is pretty amusing to read.
A big thanks to Jon for pointing this car out to me.
1966 P6 Rover 2000TC
The seller call this a "true barn find". That's about all the info he gives.
Looking at the pictures, this looks to be in pretty good shape. There's no seriuos rust or accident damage. There is no mention of the interior's condition or a picture of it. There is a picture of the engine bay which, uh, pretty much shows us that there is an engine this car, but not much else.
Personally, I'd hold out for a 3500S P6, but the 4 cylinder cars are a bit more reliable and somewhat more plentiful worldwide.
Based on the number of hits this site gest every time I post a Rover, I suspect the seller will soon regret leaving his phone number in the listing. The P6, while hard to find in North America, seems to have a good sized fan base here.
Located in Pittsburgh, PA, click here to see the eBay listing. This is a no reserve auction.The Rover P6 Club is a good source of P6 information.
1977 Audi 50 GLS
The Audi 50 was introduced in 1974. It was available only in the 2 door body style. In 1975 VW put some Volkswagen badges on it, cheapened it up a bit and created the Volkswagen Polo. Not surprisingly, the cheaper (but less equipped) VW Polo outsold the Audi 50. By 1978 the Audi was gone. (The Polo still exists today and, ironically, Audi's A1 - it's first supermini since the 50 - is based on it.)
The body was designed by somebody. Just who that "somebody" is, is open to debate. It is credited to Audi's Ludwig Kraus, but Bertone and Marcello Gandini are known to have had some input, at the very least. It also bears more than a passing resemblance to the Giorgetto Guigaro styled VW Golf and a few websites credit him as the designer.This is a small car. It's just 11' 6" long. (A new Mini Cooper is 11' 9" long.) The engine, depending on the tune, puts out 40 or 50 horsepower.
The GLS is a fairly rare version of this car. It is the upmarket version with a nicer interior and a few extra features. The seller says the just 50 are still registered in Germany and this is most likely the only one in the US. I can't verify the former, but I'm pretty certain the latter is true.
This is a great piece of Audi history and one that would be a huge hit at any car show.
Ahh, but there's the issue of the price... The seller is running this as an auction, but he has a Buy It Now price listed of $12,500.00. Big bucks for this little car. The seller points out that if you could find one in Europe in this condition and import it, title it, etc. it most likely would cost you as much as this one. That's probably true. However, it appears like you could save $3000.00 by going to the seller's website, where the very same car is being offered for $9500.00. Hmmmm...
Located in Prescott, AZ, click here to see the eBay listing.
His & Hers Opel Kadett Rallyes
Here's your chance to own two. Two identical ones, no less. Both have been extensively restored, but both need some minor work.
The Opel Kadett Rallye was, for the most part, nothing more than an appearance package. The Rallye package consisted of a fake wood steering wheel, fog lights, body striping, a gauge package and some chrome wheels. It had an aggressive (for the late 1960s / early 1970s) look to it.
It received the biggest engine Opel offered in the US, the 1.9 liter cam-in-head 4. I couldn't find any 0-60 times for this car, but the exact same engine moved the Opel GT to 60 in 10.8 seconds, so, accounting for the less aerodynamic shape of the Kadett, 60 MPH probably comes somewhere in the high 11 - low 12 second range. That's really not too bad for a 1960s 4 cylinder car. Handling can best be described as predictable and safe, but hardly exciting. The wheel bolt pattern and offset are the same on the Kadett as the BMW 2002, so there are all sorts of wheel / tire packages you could get for this car that would improve handling.Both cars need work. The 1969 (on the left in the top picture) needs an antenna, front wheel alignment, carpet and fog light bulbs. The 1968 needs an antenna, front end alignment, a throwout bearing and carpeting. The '68 is also missing the fog lights.
It seems kind of strange that the seller is selling the cars as a pair. But he is, so here's your chance to pick up one for yourself and one for your wife / husband / girlfriend / boyfriend / significant other / partner, etc. If your your wife / husband / girlfriend / boyfriend / significant other / partner, etc. isn't a car geek (and let's face they'd really have to be a car geek to appreciate an Opel Kadett Rallye, not just an "Oh, I like cars" type of person), you'll have one to drive and one to replace it when it finally dies. Being exactly the same, no one will know you switched cars.
Located in Perth Amboy, NJ, click here to see the eBay listing.1982 Datsun 210
The Datsun 210 was a huge seller back in its day. It was reliable, safe and useful. It was good, solid, basic transportation. Back then I knew a lot of people who drove one. None of them ever raved about the car unless the subject of reliability came up. (Which, given the cars I was driving 20 - 30 years ago, was a subject I avoided.)
This 1982 Datsun 210 has just 29,000 miles on it. It belonged to the seller's 84 year old mother. It doesn't look a lot different from when it was new.
The seller writes, "I have never seen one at any car shows that I have attended." I can say the same. I wonder of anyone even thinks about bringing a stock Datsun 210 to a show? Would anyone notice it? It's the kind of car that, if you're 40 years old or older, you probably wouldn't notice. There were so many around for such a long time, you tend to forget that most have been recycled into soup cans or Hyundais by now. If you're under 40, it's not a car of great interest. It's old-school basic transportation. You might have heard your mom and dad talk about one they owned - "It was the best car we ever had. It never failed to start and got 35 miles-per-gallon." - Ooooh, that's exciting.
My opening sentence was incorrect. This car is rare, unusual and interesting. It's rare and unusual not because few were made, not because it has unusual options (AM radio?), not because it's fast (it ain't), but because it still exists. It's interesting because it's a "type of car"...The 210 is a type of car similar to one you might have owned, rode in, been brought home from the hospital in, maybe even conceived in. Nope, it's not exciting, but for most of us, a 210 - or a type of car like it - has somehow, some way, been a part of our lives.
This car does belong at some car shows. Let's hope the new owner preserves it and brings it to a few. If you see it, stop and look at it. It will more than likely bring back a memory of a time, a place, a person, or a story you heard. There's nothing wrong with that.
Located somewhere in Connecticut, click here to see the eBay listing.
1980 Ford Fiesta S - German and Fun, Rare and Unknown
Back in the early 1980s I was working for a music distributor in upstate New York. The general manager of the place was a "car guy". He owned a TR6, a BMW 2002tii and a Ford Fiesta S. His favorite? The Fiesta.
The Fiesta was built in several countries and here in the US we got our Fiesta from Germany. It came with a 1600cc version of Ford's "Kent" engine. It made the car quicker than most people expected it to be. 60 MPH came in around 10.5 seconds, making it almost a full second quicker than a 1980 VW Rabbit. (To put that in perspective against a couple of other 1980 "economy cars", a Toyota Tercel took 14.8 seconds to reach 60 and a Honda Civic took 11.2 seconds.)The Fiesta sold extremely well in Europe, but was not as successful here. It lasted only 3 years and was replaced in the US lineup by the completely forgettable US built Escort. (Which was successful. Go figure.)
German car fans tended to ignore the Fiesta because of its Ford badge. Most Fiestas were bought by people looking for a cheap, economical car. They'd run them until they died and then send them off to the junkyard. Few of these fun little cars survive today.This car is a survivor. It needs some minor work, but it wouldn't take much time or money to turn into a very nice driver.
The body has a few minor dings and dents, but no serious rust or damage. The interior is complete, but the seller says the "drivers seat upholstery is dirty and needs cleaning". The engine had a top end rebuild about 5000 miles ago. The emissions equipment is off the car and, depending on where you live, it may have to be reinstalled and is included with the car. There are plenty of spare parts the go along with the car, too. They include a transaxle, cylinder head, intake manifold, carburetor, air cleaner, valve cover, radiator and shroud, pistons and rods, radio, interior parts and rims. A custom tow bar is also included.The seller adds a scary comment at the end of his ad... "Note: because of the light body, this would be a good donor car for electric conversion." No it wouldn't be! This car deserves to be back on the road in all its fossil fuel sipping (30+ MPG) glory.
Located in Vacaville, CA, click here to see the listing on the seller's personal website.A big thanks to John for sending me the link to this car.
Facebook and the Death of Micro-Site
There is a move in digital marketing to replace the micro-site with a Facebook fan page. The latest casualty is the Nissan Master the Shift lifestyle marketing campaign.
Those of you who have followed my blog for a while know this campaign since I previously covered it. It has been around for over 2 years. Nissan has done a great job with the email marketing efforts for the campaign where they are constantly giving away free sports related equipment to contest entrants. Regular email communications are sent as new content is added and contest prizes are released.Basically, the program is a lifestyle marketing effort linking the passions of running, cycling, and yoga featuring three key personalities: Lance Armstrong, Ryan Hall, and Tara Stiles. The experience includes several videos showcasing different exercise and training tips while also promoting Nissan vehicles, the Nissan Altima was the lead vehicle for two years but now it’s been replaced by the Nissan LEAF.
This year Nissan shifted (pun intended) their micro-site to Facebook where all of the prior website’s content went into various Facebook tabs. This worked pretty well for the athlete content as each person has their own tab and video views seem decent; though, it’s tough to truly gauge as I’m not sure how much advertising was done to drive people to the Facebook page. Also, is some video views were probably done through YouTube and Google search, not all entirely through the Facebook experience.
One wonders though if the move to a Facebook fan page is a better, more effective, decision than keeping the micro-site.
The most significant issue I can see from the Nissan Master the Shift change is how buried the vehicle content is now. One can only get to the vehicle information using the Favorite Pages section of the Facebook fan page. The vehicle content
really gets lost in the new experience, but this may be a result of the campaign’s goals having to do more with contest entries (the entry form is the first thing that shows up when one clicks an ad) and driving people to the unique content created for each of the athletes tend to be more primary objectives.Another concern with moving to Facebook is that the user now has several interruptions that never existed with a micro-site. For instance, if a friend on Facebook initiates a chat, Nissan could lose that person’s attention. Also, any status update or new message information while on Facebook could further distract the visitor. There is of course just the fact that one is on Facebook and may simply and easily return to their Facebook news feed. The usability, call-to-action person in me questions how so many other clicks can interrupt the experience and thus lose the person Nissan is trying to reach.
The whole change from micro-site to Facebook fan page is an experiment. I would love to see how well the change is for Nissan, but without any primary data analytics it’s difficult to assess the strategic decision, but it’s an easy realization for the Nissan team as they can see if their content is getting a higher engagement rate by moving to Facebook. Nissan is also launching an 18 stop event marketing campaign, as detailed here (though the story incorrectly says the Master the Shift campaign "began in April.") Getting out to events is a great way to reach this target consumer. It also provides another way, besides banner ads, to get the word about Nissan's working with these athletes and an additional way to promote their Facebook fan page.
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