Archive for the ‘Feature’ Category

504’s Little Brother – 1971 Peugeot 304

October 2, 2009

Certainly a rare car in this country, the Peugeot 304 was styled to look like the 504. They are reasonably advanced for the time, with full-independent suspension and a transversely mounted alloy SOHC 1.3L engine and transmission turning the front wheels. They may have only had 65hp, but compared to other small sedans at the time, this is fairly competitive. I would wager that not many were imported to the US, although the lighting on this car suggests that it was indeed officially imported to the US. Check out this example located in St. Mary, MO (near St. Louis) for the bon marche price of $1000!

As you can see, it’s actually in pretty good shape. Remove the wind deflector since your 65hp engine doesn’t need any extra drag or weight, and make sure that hood closes properly and is not bent. If you squint a bit, the US-market headlights could have you thinking you’re looking at some kind of Datsun 510. It’s nice to see that the car is fully intact – often weird Euro-sedans have suffered in storage or in the attempts of previous owners to restore them.

1971 Peugeot 304 left

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Boano-Designed: 1969 Fiat 124 Sport Coupe

September 25, 2009

These were quite popular on the roads back in the 1970s and 1980s, to the point that I remember seeing them as a child, and yet today they’ve virtually disappeared from the roads. Why these, with about 280,000 built, would survive less than their spider equivalents is not too clear. You might suspect that a coupe lends itself better to being an all season car, and would therefore die sooner, but other cars such as Alfa GTVs, BMW 2002s, and Datsun 510s (all period competitors) have much better survival rates. And yet, this is an appealing competitor, with an attractive design, nice tall greenhouse, and a very competitive drivetrain setup.

Anyway, let’s move on to our subject – a 1969 coupe, which makes this an AC-style car. These were the earliest style of 124 coupe, with the hood dipping low between the headlights at the end of each fender. Many consider this to be the most attractive, with the later BC and CC coupes becoming less and less appealing. Additionally, the earlier cars are lighter, and should be reasonably quick even with the less-powerful 90hp 1438cc engine. This particular car is listed in Hacienda Heights, CA for the low, low price of $500!

1969 Fiat 124 Coupe front

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My First Alfa Drive – 1971 Alfa Romeo Spider 1750

September 25, 2009

I was looking through the classifieds, as I often do, and noticed a green 1971 1750 spider for sale up in the north-east bay area. Back in 1991, when I was looking at cars, I checked out a green ’71 with steel wheels and those disc hub caps in Redwood City, and ended up passing on it because the guy wanted $3400, which would have blown both my purchase and repair budgets. However, the top down experience with the weird shifter exiting at an angle through the console, as well as the sound of that engine, encouraged me to keep looking until I found the spider I have today. The ’71 might have been the wiser investment, but I subsequently met the person who purchased that car a few years later, and it apparently had some significant rust in the floor pans that she spent a lot of money repairing.

Well, as it happens, it seems this car has popped up in the classifieds again. I can’t say for 100% sure, but there must be very few green ’71s left, and I specifically recall the weird nerf bars this car had to protect its nose. Check it out on craigslist, where it’s listed in Vallejo/Benicia, CA for the bargain price of $1450.

1971 Alfa Romeo Spider front

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