Posts Tagged ‘coupe’

Small Bumpers – 1974 Datsun 260Z

October 24, 2013

Datsun 240Zs are rising in price, so what’s the next step to get similar style for cheap? Well, taking a page from Porsche collectors who have turned from 356s and early 911s to 911SCs and (gasp!) 914s, let’s take a look at later versions of Datsun’s Z. And you don’t eeven have to go that much later – for 1974, Datsun introduced the 260Z. You still get the nice small bumpers, some of the classic lines, and the sound of that straight six. The trade-off is you have to settle for 2+2 styling and an engine the smog regulations choked to 140hp. You can find your budget Z in this 1974 Datsun 260Z for sale in Long Beach, CA for $3900.

1974 Datsun 260Z right front

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Karmann Coupe – 1980 Volkswagen Scirocco S

October 24, 2013

As a replacement for the antique-looking Karmann Ghia, which dated back to 1955, VW designed a new replacement. Heavily influenced by the wedge cars of the period – take a look at yesterday’s Alfetta GTV, a Lotus Esprit, or even a Lamborghini Countach – they successfully came up with a new interpretation of the sports-coupe-on-econobox-platform story. As they were inexpensive cars, many have disappeared, having succumbed to youthful overexuberance combined with youthful budgets. But there are still a few around if you look hard, and that’s how you can find this 1980 Volkswagen Scirocco S for sale for $1499 in Puyallup, WA.

1980 VW Scirocco right front

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Yellow Fish – 1974 Opel Manta

October 22, 2013

For such an attractive, reasonably powerful sports coupe, competitive with a Ford Capri or Fiat 124 coupe, the Opel Manta receives a lot of scorn in its home country. The original car could be considered a Camaro equivalent for Europeans, and that could begin to shed some light on the scorn. If you ignore all the baggage Camaros carry, they’re actually a decent-looking, competent sports car, within the context of their time and what was going on at GM. And it’s the same for Mantas – while many were poorly customized in the 1970s and 1980s, they’re a neat little sports coupe whose design has held up very well over the decades. You can find this 1974 Opel Manta with bidding currently at $810, reserve unmet, and 15 hours left to go.

1974 Opel Manta left front

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