With only around 1200 cars sold in the US through 1980 and 1981, it’s fairly rare to find a Rover SD1 for sale. However, if they were going to survive anywhere, it would be the west coast. Sadly, most remaining examples have fallen into decay, which is somewhat surprising given the American-based V8, good handling and arguably the most elegant 4-door sedan styling of its time. And here we have two projects which, when combined, will never almost certainly make one fantastic driver. Even better, you could make a good driver out of the good parts, and a BTCC-inspired LeMons racer from what’s left – what could possibly go wrong? Find the most complete car for $1500 in Long Beach, CA.
Posts Tagged ‘under $2000’
Red Rover – 1980 Rover 3500 SD1
August 22, 2013France Sportive – 1978 Renault LeCar
August 4, 2013It’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.
Smog-free! 1975 Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT (plus bonus Milano Silver!)
July 24, 2013There were no 1975 Alfa Romeos offered for sale new in California. Alfa was still working on changes to its emissions systems, and didn’t have those ready in time, so was forced to continue sales of 1974 cars well into 1975. Can you imagine what that does to dealers? Could you imagine that happening nowadays? Meanwhile, all the other states got the new Alfetta GT, the new Alfetta sedan, and the updated spider with the big rubber bumpers (okay, maybe they weren’t really missing out on that last one!). Well, the irony is that these cars are once again desirable in California because they are a small group of Alfettas that don’t need to pass smog testing. Find this rare Alfetta in Everett near Seattle, WA for $1200.


