Classy Glassy – 1975 Bradley GT

February 10, 2014

At the lower end of the hobby, you can end up with a lot of sellers conveying the first impression of their cars with only one picture. It’s kind of like if the local news anchor wore a formal shirt and jacket, but shorts underneath, only now since news anchors don’t sit behind a desk, your impression of him would be spoiled right away. Blathering aside, you don’t want to overlook every car just because of the listing quality – remember, we all used to find cars via 4-line ads in the local papers, and somehow that worked out. As mentioned in the past, Bradleys and other VW-based kit cars are appealing in a certain way – due to the ubiquity of the platform and the engine, it should be fairly straightforward to modify these for surprising performance that matches (or exceeds, if it’s a Faux-gatti, Faux-TD or similar) the looks. And to underscore the point, this 1975 Bradley GT, for sale for $2000 in Wellston, OH, has a bunch of upgrades to do just that. Thanks to reader Rich G. for sending in this suggestion.

1975 Bradley GT right rear

Read the rest of this entry »

1980s Heros – 1983 Volvo 244 Turbo and 1989 Ford Taurus SHO

February 10, 2014

What with all the emissions laws sucking the power (and filth, if you’re honest) out of our cars in the 1970s, manufacturers started finding ways to put actual performance and driving excitement back into cars after the initial blow. So you got cars like the Saab 99 Turbo, Fiat Spider Turbo, and the BMW 325i (six cylinders in a small sedan? what?) as turbochargers, fuel injection, and efficient catalytic converters made up for the Clean Air Act casualties. Somewhat later to the game, but absolutely credible as a 1980s icon, was the Volvo 244 Turbo. Unfortunately, many of the turbos have disappeared off the road, but you can still find this relatively low-mile 1983 Volvo 244 Turbo for sale for $3400 in Portland, OR.

1983 Volvo 244 Turbo left side

Read the rest of this entry »

Anti-2002 – 1972 Opel Manta

February 7, 2014

So yeah, BMW 2002s are taking off in value. And sure, they’re nice cars with an iconic design, but the general enthusiasm around them would suggest they’re the only cars in their category, when in fact, they aren’t. And what’s more is, if you look around a little, you can find some affordable alternatives from manufacturers in Italy, England, and Japan. So if you’re feeling a little left out on the current collector-car price explosion, don’t – there are plenty of options still out there, and some arguably more attractive than the 2002. Here’s one of those alternatives – this 1972 Opel Manta, for sale for $1200 in Pueblo, CO.

1972 Opel Manta front

Read the rest of this entry »