Archive for August, 2013

First Of Its Kind – 1973 DAF 66 SL

August 11, 2013

Well, here’s a first – a Dutch DAF 66 SL. But wait! It gets weirder, in that this is a UK-market car with right hand drive. These were fairly common on northern European roads, although their reputation suffered somewhat as they were considered an old pensioner’s car, likely due to their lowish power and continuously variable transmission. However, in their home country they were popular for racing thanks to a deDion rear suspension and relatively light weight. DAF were purchased by Volvo in the late 1970s, and the Volvo 66 was built for several more years. This car was just recently listed on craigslist, but when that listing disappeared, a quick search revealed the video below (which has an interesting comment from the original person who imported it from the UK). The car was listed in Snohomish County, Washington for the very reasonable price of $2700.

Here is a picture of the car while it was for sale with a previous owner up in British Columbia. Apparently, it has much recent mechanical attention, so should be good to go for quite a while.

1973 DAF 66 SL right front

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Faded Glory – 1964 Cadillac Sedan de Ville

August 7, 2013

While I’ve never owned a floaty boat of a car like a Cadillac, Lincoln, or Chrysler, I’ve long been curious about the other side of the fence. Nobody expects taut suspension and easy parking in this genre, but mid-century luxury cars evoke a certain style and a period when people aspired to American luxury, instead of the current day British, German and Japanese leaders. And as leaders, Cadillac offered some futuristic equipment including power seats, locks, and mirrors, fully automatic heating and air conditioning, front cornering lamps, and dual speed wipers. Luxury features included a 340hp engine, optional wood interior veneers, and leather or wool seats. They also had the (relatively) stark look of mid-1960s GM cars, with cleaner, less ornate styling as also seen in cars like the contemporary Buick Riviera and Oldsmobile Toronado. Today’s 1964 Sedan de Ville is available for $3300 in South Lake Tahoe, CA.

1964 Cadillac Sedan deVille from above

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France Sportive – 1978 Renault LeCar

August 4, 2013

It’s been a while since I’ve exposed anybody guilty of selling a French car to the unknowing public, but here’s an opportunity that was just too good to pass up (and not in the ironic sense, either). As mentioned here in the past, Renault 5s, which got the goofy but memorable LeCar name in North America, were a sales success in many parts of the world, but didn’t do so well here. They packed a remarkable amount of room into a small footprint, and their front-drive hatchback format preceded the Golf/Rabbit by a couple of years. And just as with the Golf and other competing small cars, people found ways to turn them into little rockets. Today’s LeCar, which the owner refers to as an R5 GTL, is available in San Francisco, CA for the low, low price of $1700.

1978 Renault LeCar left rear

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