Welcome to Craigslist Crapshoot, our weekly search for the most bizarre, awesome, and/or terrible vehicles that the online classifieds has to offer.
The rotary engine may not have ever caught on the way Felix Wankel had hoped, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its fans keeping the flame alive and the wankels a-wankelin.’ We’ll see which rotary most got our heads spinning in a sec, but first this week’s challenge.
Hey, how do you roll? If you said old school then we have much to discuss. This week we want to find the best pre-war (that’s WWII to you young-uns) cars and trucks the classifieds have to offer. Now, he only rule here is that we want to stay out of the classic car sites—OldCars.com and the like. They’re great and all, but what’s the challenge in that?
As always, we want your finds to go down in infamy and not in the site’s spam filter. Since we’ve changed commenting systems, you may need to update your commenter account. Make sure you have a Disqus account – they’re free and easy to get – and then comment away.
You know when you go looking for Wankel-power two names are inevitably going to show up: Mazda and NSU. They both made an appearance last week, Mazda in spades, and NSU in the form of a 1969 Ro 80 “Restaurationsobjekt” found by Engineerd.
Notable Mazdas included a nice looking brown Cosmo located by LEROOOY, a proper REPU unearthed by GTXcellent and our winner, a three-rotor Eunos Cosmo that Joram offered up, and which I think I’d rock every which way ’til Sunday.
Thanks to all for participating, and congrats to Joram for the big win. Okay, now let’s get pre-historic!
Pretty much all hot rods around here (for sale anyway). How about a straight eight powered Willys?
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars/red-deer/willis-hot-rod/1161881211
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NDE2WDY0MA==/z/ft0AAOSw2x1XKNUs/$_27.JPG
Hey, I’ve seen that car!
The PTO-esque removable steering wheel scared me more than the missing transmission tunnel.
Anything Straight-8 is still amazing, though.
tough to find something that’s NOT a hot rod – so how about a brass era Buick.
https://images.craigslist.org/00x0x_71ZZhNp2fso_600x450.jpg
https://fargo.craigslist.org/cto/5538744230.html
While there will be plenty of hot rods posted, I thought this T bucket was worthy of adulation for one simple reason: it eschews with the typical GM mouse/turbo350 for a Ford Windsor 351.
Behold! Evenly-spaced exhaust ports, and it isn’t an LS motor!
https://images.craigslist.org/00y0y_4jmZ1yurOpI_600x450.jpg
https://kansascity.craigslist.org/cto/5564575639.html
This one should be nicely inconspicuous:
https://images.craigslist.org/00V0V_PI2lKs0UUV_600x450.jpg
https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/5568895483.html
Another English Ford
1939 Thames Panel Van – $10k
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars/hamilton/1939-thames-panel/1162026749
With the number plate ’42’ ?
I’d be tempted to go with A DENT.
1938 Pontiac Business Coupe for $7800
http://images.craigslist.org/00l0l_iJ1Amt1hRyb_600x450.jpg
http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/cto/5544132703.html
A 1941 Plymouth 2-door sedan, and it’s only a dollar! (or is it?)
http://images.craigslist.org/00909_dopjqOFBImC_600x450.jpg
http://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/cto/5565716467.html
Freudian obo-giveaway?
Here’s another ’41, nicer (exceptional!) but it’s a little further away (St. Paul, MN):
http://images.craigslist.org/00g0g_3iEAsuYeupx_600x450.jpg
http://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/cto/5561119953.html
How about one that’s a subcompact “willis”, for two grand?
http://images.craigslist.org/00p0p_tO1kqYq9KD_600x450.jpg
http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/5564612707.html
“…the best pre-war (that’s WWII to you young-uns)….”
Just to be on the safe side:
http://images.craigslist.org/00s0s_34eHqbVBYL0_600x450.jpg
https://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/cto/5535187355.html
Ehhhh…ya got any used Dobles on the lot, Doc?
Ok,I’ve got one serious entry and two irrelevant crazy oddlings that I just have to share with the crowd here.
A 1936 Studebaker Dictator. Send this to a friend this morning who will love the model designation. It’s actually a nice deal at 21-25000$ (some odd conditions), and the seller is so confident, he’ll throw in a six month warranty. Sold new to some CEO here in Norway.
http://m.finn.no/car/used/ad.html?finnkode=74527866
https://finncdn.global.ssl.fastly.net/dynamic/1280w/2016/4/vertical-3/19/6/745/278/66_1373785473.jpg
So…this is a Chinese “JM Star” electric convertible with a 40km range. Look at the speedometer – 80km/h is really in the red. About 3000$ is okay for a toy like this, isn’t it?
http://m.finn.no/car/used/ad.html?finnkode=72678424
https://finncdn.global.ssl.fastly.net/dynamic/960w/2016/3/vertical-3/16/4/726/784/24_33742996.jpg
A Škoda 120 for wheelchair users, with 200+hp Volvo engine “dog”-trans based on a Beetle of all things!? Strange, but it looks like fun. Mr Bigglesworth might know this one?
http://m.finn.no/car/used/ad.html?finnkode=74638095
https://finncdn.global.ssl.fastly.net/dynamic/960w/2016/4/vertical-3/21/5/746/380/95_1956772157.jpg
Wow, very nice. I remember a driveReport article on the ’35 Dictator in Hemmings Special Interest Autos, years back.
Studebaker is a brand that really had some fantastic cars, all the way to the Avanti.
This one’s in my town – I just wonder if it took a hit in our recent softball-sized hailstorm:
http://images.craigslist.org/00r0r_fTlmqaUjlyL_600x450.jpg
http://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/cto/5516200718.html
The other rat rod behind it in the first picture definitely did.
Here’s a decent, mostly restored ’37 Ford Fordor Sedan, for $16,500:
http://images.craigslist.org/00m0m_67irnj882pm_600x450.jpg
http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/5562842938.html
First come, first served!
Growing up, Dad had a non running 37 Ford 4 door that he always intended to restore, but never got to it. It sat in the garage since I was born in 1967 until sometime in the early 80s when he sold it to a guy who did finally restore it.
Well, I’d think that a roadster from 25,000 B.C. counts as prewar, and it is, by far, the most expensive here, at 400 million…
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/mississauga-peel-region/25-000-bc-roadster-mint/1149863824?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
CAR FOR SALE
25,000 B.C. ROADSTER…RUST FREE, AIR BLOWS COLD, FOOT BRAKES, WELL UNDER TEN MILLION MILES.WOOD BODY PANELS
ORIGINAL SEATS..THIS IS A SOLID CAR!!
See! I told everyone stone rollers are timeless.
I find your tone abrasive.
That’s the Mohs interesting pun I’ve heard all day.
I’d rock that.
I can make Rubble out of that argument. Your (geo)logic isn’t well grounded.
This just needs a few things and you would be right back on the road.
1926 27 Ford Rat Rod Body – $795 (E. Bangor PA)
http://allentown.craigslist.org/cto/5569996207.html
Ran when Parked.
You don’t find one-family-owned prewar cars too often…
1938 Nash Lafayette – $5500
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars/north-bay/1938-nash-lafayette-sedan-make-a-offer-or-trade/1103697592
“In storage since 1956″…wow.
An honest-to-goodness Rockne, in pretty poor condition.
1932 Rockne – $5500
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars/ottawa/1932-studebaker-rockne-sedan/1159880044
Restore one for the Gipper.
Saw that name, recognized it, Wikipedia-d my way to confirmation: Yes, Knute Rockne was born an hour’s drive from where I am residing.
I’d call it crack pipe pricing, except someone out there probably will pay $4500 for what amounts to four wheels and $3.99 in angle iron.
http://images.craigslist.org/00k0k_dPCnoNro7fQ_600x450.jpg
http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/5540915437.html
Just add a Ford Rat Rod body from PA, for $795, and you’re almost good to go.
I will be all patriotic and suggest a 1936 Maple Leaf, a Canadian-made truck by GM it looks like.
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NDgwWDY0MA==/z/7UYAAOSw2x1XJ4nX/$_27.JPG
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars/swift-current/rare-1936-maple-leaf-truck/1161573812?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
Yep, Maple Leaf was a GM division.
Wasn’t it a very short-lived brand? I think there was an article in Hemmings awhile back.
I believe so, because they don’t pop up often, even around here.
The local museum has one (Canadian red, of course), but I can’t remember much about it.
Now THIS would make an awesome fixer-upper/college ride! 😉
As you can see, this 1940 Chevrolet military truck is a real pussy magnet.
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NjAwWDgwMA==/z/HxQAAOSw1DtXD6Vp/$_27.JPG
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars/regina/1940-chevrolet-military-truck/1156217834?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
There’s a strong lack of fire trucks in this crapshoot …
1920 American LaFrance
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-voiture-collection/mississauga-peel-region/american-la-france-firetruck/1067262996?null
Ask the man who owns one.
http://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/cto/5506751199.html?lang=fi
http://images.craigslist.org/01414_hYhnFLqN6AA_600x450.jpg
1929 Stutz, formerly of the A.K. Miller collection.
http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/cto/5495514064.html
http://images.craigslist.org/00S0S_lAQSASJiPQl_600x450.jpg
File under “things I didn’t know I wanted”!
http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/cto/5560269405.html
The only thing I don’t like with this one is that I can smell the pictures.
That old car smell.
From the ad: “As far as we know this was a one-owner vehicle.”
Unless it’s still awaiting its first sale, that’s always a true statement.
Pretty Sweet.
I’m torn..
this 1929 Plymouth “coop”..
https://houston.craigslist.org/cto/5569690223.html
or the 1937 Plymouth “coup”?
https://houston.craigslist.org/cto/5569487523.html
Okay, it’s technically, it’s from the 70’s, but I’d totally rock this surprisingly nice Bug based Bug’!
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MzYwWDQ4MA==/z/o1MAAOSwAuNW4aYp/$_27.JPG
Okay, let me change my answer: THIS should be your college ride! VW Bug parts are easy to find and cheap, so you should be able to keep it on the road (all VW bugs need regular “fettling”).
This one is a little out of my price range, but I definitely would not be opposed to a kit car.
Tangentially related: Why does nobody make kit car bodies for pre-Tacoma Toyota trucks?
It’s a simple, cheap, reliable chassis, and all of the existing bodies have disintegrated, making a body swap that much easier/harder.
Are there any classics that have about the same wheelbase & track that you can drop on the Toyota running gear? That’d make a good shop class project, kind of like people taking old Jeep pickup bodies and fitting them on Chevy S10 chassis/running gear.
Hmm… That’s a good idea.
It’d be no hot rod, but should make a decent highway cruiser, providing you could massage the engine a bit and fight a light enough body.
http://azr.cdnmedia.autotrader.ca/5/photos/import/201512/1521/1215/8b437701-9519-49fd-9d41-f16d261aa695.jpg?w=800&h=600
I’m juvenile, and find the name Hupmobile funny. Also, the incongruity of being shot against your typical mundane used car lot fodder helps.
http://www.autotrader.ca/a/Hupmobile/Unspecified/Cambridge/Ontario/5_26282025_ON20080402094306984/?ursrc=hl&showcpo=ShowCPO&orup=11_15_21
I enjoy the fact that Robert and Louis Hupp founded the Hupp Motor Car Company but went with a single “p” in the name Hupmobile. Some emblems feature the name Hupp instead, which makes either one or the other spelling look like a typo.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/92/280091636_874f22d4e9.jpg
1929 Nash 440 Special Six. With a pile of parts and a workshop manual, for easy assembly. http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/other/auction-1075348938.htm
http://trademe.tmcdn.co.nz/photoserver/full/446401161.jpg
This one does look like a excellent project, pre-war wise.
I’m used to seeing cars like this rotting in a field or immaculate at shows, so it’s a bit of a treat to see a clean, straight, unrestored one.
Partially restored. All you have to do is pay the freight to the US, which would double the cost.
Actually, shipping to Canada, which should make the cost even higher do to a less favourable exchange rate, as well as the fact that shipping to Canada is usually just a bit more than shipping to the US.
This is the best pre-war car, just ask the man who owns one.
http://richmond.craigslist.org/cto/5570163131.html
http://images.craigslist.org/00F0F_gwaycuySICC_600x450.jpg
Another Windsor T hot-rod, but not a roadster
http://richmond.craigslist.org/cto/5547274777.html
http://images.craigslist.org/00j0j_2nZh4dr1gjS_600x450.jpg