In summer, the classic car market blossoms and people are reminded, either by new acquisitions or just the good weather, that they really should get around to selling that old thing in the driveway. Of course, sunny weather is also a good time to sell a roadster since it’s the time when you want to drive with the top down, although with near-100-degree temperatures in western Oregon right now, that may be a stretch, and your modern car with air conditioning and cloth seats doesn’t look so bad. Either way, it does keep the cars dry, and perhaps you’ll want to wait out the hot temperatures by fixing up the interior of today’s feature. Check out this 1969 Datsun 1600 Roadster for sale for $3000 in Medford, OR.
Summer Roadster – 1969 Datsun 1600 Roadster
July 6, 2015Epilogue – 1977 Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT
July 6, 2015One of the best things about writing up old cars is hearing the occasional follow-up story – the for-sale listing for this Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT is only a small part of the car’s life, so it’s inspiring to hear the stories about what the new owner decides to do with the car (well, inspiring if it goes well for the car & owner!). It’s even better when the new owner writes up the story so everyone else can share in the joy – here it is, in reader Larry L.’s own words:
The car was located in Astoria about two hours from my home in Portland so I decided it was best to trailer it. Very good idea, turns out it was running terribly rich, someone had fooled around with the Spica injection system and had made a complete bodge job of it. They had actually somehow damaged three of the injectors beyond repair. Well four rebuilt injectors and some professional tuning at Nasko’s Imports and it runs quit well. (Nasko’s is a great place for Alfa’s BMW & MINI, Nasko drives a BMW 318ti with a M3 swap!)
Germany’s Camaro – 1974 Opel Manta
July 3, 2015Continuing the theme of cars that are mainstream in their home country, but oddballs in North America, is the Opel Manta. Just like the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird, it’s a pretty good popular sports car that has suffered from its associations with mullets, wrap-around sunglasses, bleached denim, big hair, and cheap beer. But if you look past all the cultural baggage, they’re really pretty good sports cars with strong aftermarket support. So in the case of the Manta, you can rely on some local parts sources for the basics, and if you want performance parts, those are readily available from Germany (sorry Greece, but yay weak Euro!). Check out this 1974 Opel Manta for sale for $1500 in Vancouver, WA.


