Buick and Lotus occupy nearly opposite ends of the automotive character spectrum: one has a reputation for comfy (if portly) highway cruisers, the other wispy (if under powered) corner carvers. Mix them together and you get Bizzarro Carol Shelby a decent deal on a decently powerful malaise-era oddball. Specifically, we’re looking at a 1978 Lotus Eclat with a Buick 215 V8 and Borg-Warner T-5 transmission swapped in. While the optimistic 200hp from the 215 doesn’t set any records, it’s a decent bump from the optimistic 150 the stock four cylinder was good for. Besides, the Buick 215 went on to become the Rover V8, meaning there’s at least some precedent for its presence in a British car.

The ad copy reveals a man looking down an endless to-do list of minor fixes, proud of much of his car but finally sick of it’s BS. Unsurprisingly, there’s lots of little electrical demons, including a turn signal that goes from working to non-working over the course of the listing. contrasting with that, the mechanicals seem sound. Well, the engine and transmission at least. The adjustable shocks are shot and the body’s showing stress cracks.

So…price? $3500 (with a history of 3 offers) and a day left on the auction. This is obviously a bad idea, but it’s the kind of bad idea you might just fall in love with on a test drive.

1978 Lotus Eclat with Buick 215 V8 Swap – eBay Motors