With that futuristic touch-screen dash display, it's no wonder that the forces of evil will stop at nothing to get their hands on the Trofeo. Why, they'll even blow up a hay wagon in their desperation!

We don't get any details on how the rear suspension works (if this engineering triumph even has a rear suspension; the "needs rear shock" statement may be Craigslist-ese for "the whole mess is welded up right solid-like"), and we can't help but wonder what sort of game you'd hunt with it. Never mind all that, though- just imagine the burnout/donut exhibition you could put on in your local mall's parking lot!
[Craigslist Macon, go here if the listing disappears]

We've got a '69 Cadillac Sedan De Ville, a '66 Dodge Coronet 440 wagon, and a '68 Chevrolet Caprice sedan, all parked on or near the gritty Glascock Street in Oakland's Fruitvale district. These days, there's not so much grit in that neighborhood, as you can see in Google Street View (though the Googlemobile refused to drive down Glascock itself), but you still see some nice vintage iron parked in front of the condos and live/work lofts nowadays. I bought the legendary Hubert The Hatred Bug at a junkyard on Glascock, and the original Oakland Hell's Angels HQ, circa 1960, was just a few doors down.

In 1973, there was the Shot Wheels Wacky Packages card, parodying our beloved Hot Wheels toys. Naturally, every kid back then- me included- would have killed for a real Shot Wheels car.

Matchbox fans weren't neglected by Topps, with Mashbox cars appearing soon after Shot Wheels. After nearly two decades of simmering in one artist's cranium, the concept became reality. Here's what this Hot Wheels site has to say:

Started in 1989 by J.P.S, a San Diego artist, who collected Hot Wheels and Matchbox.
The concept being a packaged version of the Wacky Package Sticker.
The first one created was the Lemlin, to match the car pictured on the sticker.

He also made Mashbox, having a similar wacky card with an actual trashed Matchbox car inside of it.

Some of these have been recreated by others over the years.

In 2006, J.P.S. begain re-issuing some of these as well as some new models. All on updated cards.

[HWRedlines]

Outside of North America, it was known as the Fiat 131, but to us it will always be the legendary Brava. What a fine project car a Brava would make, with its rear-wheel-drive layout and Italian soul, but you just can't find one these days. We'll have to settle for yet another 124 Spider, looks like… but wait! This 1979 Fiat Brava (go here if the ad disappears) is for sale, and the price is a lire-pinching $1,200! The seller says "Runs great, motor/trans tight," and it's been lowered and has a Spider rear axle swap. Were those modifications done with safety and reliability in mind? You'll find out!

When you're talking Fiat-Chrysler deals, the conversation is going to turn to the Chrysler TC By Maserati sooner or later; after all, Fiat owns Maserati now, and Chrysler owned a piece of Maserati during the Iacocca Era. We've seen the TC in the Hell Garage before, and for good reason: K-car underpinnings, Maserati branding, and turbocharging make for endless nightmares fun in the garage. In our search for just the right TC, we've found our Truth In Advertising Award winner for January, with this 1989 Chrysler TC by Maserati (go here if the ad disappears). With lines such as "I am looking forward to failing at selling it so I can go back to the owner and humbly request permission to have it crushed into little satisfying bits," you know you've got a motivated seller here. Most folks trying to sell a TC assume that the Maserati emblems mean that the car is worth 10 grand, minimum, and it takes them about 19 months of the car sitting at that price before they realize that there's something wrong with people and take it off the market. That means it's really tough to find one for just a grand, but: motivated seller in this case. It doesn't run. There are dents. The interior is sub-nice. But so what? Maserati!

With so much metal at the auction coming from the sale of a selection of classics from the GM Heritage Center museum, it's interesting that the top eight cars that've been sold so far at the 2009 Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale, AZ all came from that collection. Here's the top eight sales — so far.

8.) 1974 Pontiac Trans Am

Lot Number: 433
Details: This rotisserie restored, true, correct, and numbers matching Trans Am 455 Super Duty features photo documented 138560 numbers matching original 455cide Super Duty V8, correct 490132 block casting, correct Y8 block code stamp, Correct 1112205 3 A8 distributor stamping, correct 7044270 SF 2923 carburetor stamp, correct original 74-P 0-1213 automatic transmission, correct 3984828 13 40 2 74 ring gear stamp, correct GY G065 1 axle housing stamp, original Window Sticker, original dealer sales invoice, original odometer statement, copy of original title, original Auto Owner's Maintenance Folio, original owner's instruction and information manuals, original maintenance and safety manual, copy of second owner's title, dealer photos of original vehicle delivery, PHS documentation, and documents from the '73/'74 SD455 Registry. One of only 731 automatic transmission cars produced.
Day Sold: Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Sale Price*: $73,700.00

7.) 2007 Chevrolet Silverado "Dale Earnhardt Jr. Big Red" SEMA Concept

Lot Number: 114
Details: The Dale Earnhardt Jr. "Big Red" Silverado is based on the all-new, 2007 Chevy Silverado crew cab and features custom exterior appointments, an off-road-ready suspension, one-off custom 20" wheels at Dale Jr.'s request, a custom interior and more. This one-of-a-kind Silverado builds on Earnhardt's personal notion of off-road enjoyment, which was previously conveyed in his personal truck - a previous-generation Silverado named "Big Red." Earnhardt collaborated with GM designers on the truck, visiting the GM Design studio in Warren, Mich. to discuss the exterior and interior enhancements, which include all-new front-end sheet metal and rear fenders, as well as a "flying bridge"-type roll bar with integrated off-road driving lamps. The interior is as luxurious as the exterior is off-road-capable, with rich, black leather upholstery and other details. The Dale Earnhardt Jr. "Big Red" Silverado is powered by GM Powertrain's 6.2 Liter Gen IV V8 engine, a high-output, all-aluminum engine with variable valve timing that produces 380hp and 417 lb/ft of torque. It transfers its power to all four wheels via a Hydra-Matic 4-speed electronically controlled transmission. The front and rear axles are equipped with 3.73 gears and Eaton ELocker electronic locking differentials, which help the truck deliver exhilarating performance with tall off-road tires. Stopping power is enhanced with a set of Baer disc brakes, including six-piston calipers and 15" cross-drilled rotors in the front and twin-piston floating calipers with 13" cross-drilled rotors in the rear. It's a concept, and like the others, is not legal for driving on public roads.
Day Sold: Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Sale Price*: $88,000.00

6.) 2006 Pontiac GTO RA6 Custom

Lot Number: 738
Details: This specialty '06 GTO was a SEMA Show award winner by Kip Wasenko and the team at the GM Performance Division. It features RA6 body modifications and a Stage 3 750hp Twin Turbo Katech 402 engine with Pedders Extreme suspension and Z06 brake package. Apparently, this car can be driven on public roads — it doesn't say it can't!
Day Sold: Thursday, January 15, 2009
Sale Price*: $93,500.00

5.) 1989 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1

Lot Number: 96
Details: 1 of 83 1989 ZR-1s built and never released to the public. This car was used for media/press events and auto shows. Why'd this one go for a lower price then the other ZR-1 from '89? Probably because this one's painted purple. Also, like the other vehicles sold by GM here at the big B-J, this ZR-1 is not road legal.
Day Sold: Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Sale Price*: $110,000.00

4.) 1997 Chevrolet Monte Carlo "Intimidator" Show Car

Lot Number: 83
Details: A NASCAR-inspired show car that offered a glimpse of the 2000 Chevrolet Monte Carlo styling. Features aggressive styling cues and performance-enhancing technology. We like how it's a "street legal" car being sold on a Scrap Title — because, like most of the others, it's not able to be legally driven on public roads.
Day Sold: Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Sale Price*: $148,500.00

3.) 1990 Chevrolet Corvette "Active" ZR-1 Prototype

Lot Number: 82
Details: This vehicle pioneered the advantages of "Active Suspension" and has GTP Corvette race car technology. Built at the Bowling Green Plant, this vehicle was developed as a prototype for a limited edition run in the 1990 model year. It may not be driven on public roads.
Day Sold: Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Sale Price*: $150,700.00

2.) 1989 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 "Snake Skinner"

Lot Number: 396.1
Details: One of 83 production 1989 ZR-1s built in Bowling Green. This experimental light weight was aimed directly at maintaining Corvette's performance supremacy. With a 475hp LT5 V8 and less weight, this vehicle is GM Performance legend. Sold on a Scrap Title. May not be driven on public roads.
Day Sold: Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Sale Price*: $176,000.0

1.) 1923 Oldsmobile Custom Touring Roadster

Lot Number: 397.2
Details: This Olds concept vehicle is powered by a 4.0 Liter DOHC V8 IMSA GTS-1 race engine with an automatic 4L60E transmission, Halibrand quick change 4.10 rear, 4-wheel independent suspension, rack & pinion power steering and Wilwood 4-wheel disc brakes. Also, because, like the rest, it's a GM concept, it's not legal for driving on public roads.
Day Sold: Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Sale Price*: $220,000.00

*Includes 10% Buyer's Premium

[via Barrett-Jackson]

While Malcolm Bricklin was importing Subarus to North America way back in 1968, you really didn't see them here in large numbers until the 1980s. Even then, the build quality and longevity wasn't quite up to current Subaru standards, which means that even 20-year-old examples are now tough to find. That's why I was glad to find this turbocharged '89.


Imagine, a station wagon that could handle snow and mud without incomprehensible truck-ish 4WD selectors confusing the driver. Full-time! Once Subaru got the formula right, there was no stopping them.

Can a Ford Falcon ever hope to generate the kind of toxic sulfurous flames needed to make an ordinary garage into a Hell Garage? The early Falcon was simple and reliable, shared a lot of components with other Ford products, and served as the basis for the first-gen Mustang, which- as we all know- benefits from compre-goddamn-hensive aftermarket parts support. Sure it can, provided there's a backyard-built blow-through-carbureted twin-turbo setup slapped on its 289! Yes, you can buy such a car (go here if the ad disappears), though we can't say how much the seller will take for it. It's got a spool-equipped 8" Ford rear end, which should be a real barrel of death laughs on wet pavement, and all the hassle of the turbo plumbing has been done. The engine is fried, most likely with the custom ventilated pistons you often get with the funky fuel delivery of blow-through turbo systems- "DIALED BOOST UP AND NOW MOTOR HAS LOTS OF BLOW BY POSSIBLE BAD RING, BUT ENGINE STILL RUNS!!"- but the junkyard, with its legions of cheap 5.0s, beckons; you could just keep blowing up $200 engines until you got everything set up right. We'd probably ditch the carburetor and go with some form of fuel injection, then add some intercoolers… and then there'd be all the fun of broken- and increasingly costly- drivetrain components if the engine made the 300-600 horses such a setup is good for. Still, how hard could it be? Thanks to LTDScott for the tip!

While that Falcon would be fun if by some miracle you could get it running right, leaf springs and drum brakes don't make for an all-around pleasant driving experience, especially when you're making about five times the power the car's designers had in mind. If you're going to go fast, it's best to do so in a car designed for screaming performance as well as serious comfort, and that means you need to find yourself something French! The Peugeot 405 Mi16 is such a car, but it's so hard to find them over here in North America, and the prices! Fortunately, our own Matt Hardigree is searching for a personal Hell Project right now, and he's been scared to death by decided to share this Texas-sized Mi16 deal with us: Two 1989 Peugeot Mi16s (go here if ad disappears) for just $1,500! One of them doesn't run, because the timing belt went bye-bye and there were some personal-space-violation issues between the pistons and valves, but the engine in the quasi-beat-looking gray one works just fine (by the way, have you ever noticed that American Peugeot owners always have parts cars?). All you need to do is pick the best parts from each and make one good Mi16… well, that's assuming that the gray car- which sat for an alleged seven years before getting back on the road- can contribute anything meaningful beyond a not-yet-destroyed cylinder head. Anyway, you'll make it happen!

1989 wasn't such a great year for Romanian strongman Nicolae Ceauşescu, but, even as the rabble beat down the jeweled doors to his palaces, he could console himself with the inspiring thought that the "Romanian Jeep," the ARO 244, was available for sale throughout the world. Even in the evil, decadent United States, a truck shopper could march right into a seedy office above a taxidermy shop in New Jersey an ARO dealership and obtain the product of the glorious workers of Câmpulung. Sadly, few did so, but don't fret about your ARO-less state; we've managed to find you not just one but three 1999 ARO 244s (go here if the ad disappears). You see, even after the fall of the Ceauşescu regime, the ARO-American dream was kept alive, and these trucks were brought over in order to try to get EPA certification for legal sale in the United States. One is equipped with '97 Mazda MPV running gear and allegedly runs (though it "needs some TLC work from bouncing NY roads"), and the other two seem to be parts trucks. You'll have one good one running fine in no time… at which point you'll discover little-known sections of your state's Vehicle Code, as you attempt to register it. Thanks to Aircooled_Poirot for the tip!

If you're going to buy a commie Jeep, you might as well buy a serious commie Jeep, from the home of the revolution itself: the USSR! Yes, the GAZ-69, which served as the main light off-road vehicle for the Red Army for decades. You've got to figure that anything built for the Red Army is going to be simple and sturdy, like a good pair of Russian winter boots, and that you'll be able to use tallow, mud, or even nothing at all as an engine lubricant in one. We'd all like such a hammer-simple machine to take off-roading, but where could you possibly find a GAZ-69 here in the home of retrograde imperialist capitalist warmongering? Why, Hemmings Motor News, of course, where this 1961 GAZ 69-M may be seen in all its glory and fame. Fame? That's right, the makers of the last Indiana Jones movie used this truck- which was allegedly driven by some famous actress or other in the film- and now it can be yours! The price tag is ridiculously somewhat steep, no doubt because the seller believes the aura of such a glamorous cinematic appearance multiplies the truck's value by a factor of three, but just let him or her sweat out a few more weeks of recession and you'll likely be able to score it for a far more reasonable sum. Supposedly it "RUNS AND DRIVES FANTASTIC" and there are probably other details in the description, but they've been rendered indecipherable by the CAPS LOCK FAIRY, who has sprinkled her headache dust all over the words. We're guessing that it ran and drove well enough for 17 seconds of filming, and that you'll be on the phone to Semyon, grumpy sales rep for a truck-parts house in Vladivostok as soon as you take delivery, calculating how many rubles you'll need to get this thing back to Red Army specs.

[Craigslist Los Angeles], Thanks to Commodore356 for the tip!

For a Toyota to qualify for Project Car Hell, it must be rusty, rare, and packed with impossible-to-find options. We've found all three with this 1989 Toyota 4x4 van (go here if the ad disappears), which has some body rot (in a refreshing display of honesty, the seller sums it up in a single word: "Rusty") and the super-rare-in-North-America 4x4 drivetrain option. There's an assortment of minor (you hope) repairs to do, and it's nearly certain possible that the overheating problem will be tougher to remedy than the seller implies, but it's a Toyota! That means you can't just get it back to factory condition. No, you need to make it into a high-powered, mud-slinging, mountain-climbing beast, just the thing to help you flee the burning cities of the Financiapocalypse in style! For that, you'll be exploring the power-handling ability of the drivetrain's components by bolting on a supercharger (preferably with air intake inside the passenger compartment, for added ventilation), then adding some gun racks and maybe a still. Hey, you'll need to be able to produce "whiskey" from fermented possum innards, once you've reached your compound in the mountains/desert/bombed-out industrial park, because barter will be king in the post-Financiapocalypse world.

Let's say society holds together just well enough to provide for a veneer of civilization, yet without the steady jobs and stuff of the pre-Financiapocalypse world- what then? You need to be ready to make money street racing! You see, the legions of the unemployed will need entertainment, and what's more entertaining than no-guardrails racin' action down Main Street, with paid-off cops refereeing and wheelbarrows of worthless fiat currency changing hands with each match? In order to roam from town to town, fleecing the locals like those guys in the '55 Chevy in Two Lane Blacktop, you'll need a serious sleeper to race… and you can't get much more soporific than a Chrysler minivan. We all know that you can get 12-second quarter-mile times just by going crazy with the boost in a turbocharged Voyager or Caravan, but they're a little hard to find these days. However, we're on the case, and we've found this 1989 Caravan Turbo for you (go here if the ad disappears). The price? A mere 400 bucks! It's an automatic, but you can get a 5-speed in one (preferably the nice Getrag out of a late Shelby Mopar)… but first you need to put it back together. You see, the seller alleges that it was running when he or she pulled the engine and transmission a while back. You might wonder why you'd want to remove the engine from a perfectly good runner, but sometimes you just get bored- next thing you know, the engine's on the driveway! Get it back together, add insane boost levels, and you'll be ready to take the money of those Camaro-drivin' suckas!

These guys had some great Lucha Libre costumes, and they'd probably have made a run at People's Choice if it hadn't been for the impossible-to-beat costumes of the Eyesore Pimps. Their Golf was pretty quick on the track, as you can see in the video below:




Now it's got license plates and lights and the rest off the street-legal stuff, and it sees regular transportation duty. I'm sure it's a real hit with the locals (actually, they probably tolerate it, given that the list of team member names painted on the car includes a couple of prominent Alameda family surnames).


Slap a few gumball-machine decals on that body damage- it's better than Bondo! The Golf for '89 had 85 horsepower, which, given that this car had a curb weight of just 2,137 pounds, isn't as bad as it sounds. The cage probably adds more weight than the not-so-ruthless interior gutting removed, but it also adds chassis stiffness and crash protection that makes airbags look pointless. Perhaps 6-point cages and 5-point seat harnesses will become standard factory equipment!

To be honest, I can't swear this is an '89. The Mondial T convertible was made until 1993, and the lack of license plates means I can't check the state smog check site. But we know it's no Fierrari, because the Mondial wasn't loved enough to inspire Fiero body kits. You Ferrari experts can show your stuff now by pointing out the details that nail down an exact year on this lil' red devil.


Depending on the model year, the V8 in this car delivers between 296 and 312 horsepower- pretty decent for a 3,462-pound car. I've been seeing this car in the neighborhood for a couple of months now, and it still doesn't have license plates. That makes me suspect it was brought over from Europe and its owner is still navigating the DMV's bureaucratic maze.


We've seen a fair number of Pininfarina designs down on the Alameda street, so let's have a poll to see which one is the readers' choice. I may have overlooked a car or two (check here and let me know if there's a Pininfarina car I've missed), and the Graduates and MGs might split some of the votes, but I think there's enough choice to make it interesting.

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When a car ad leads off with the statement "This is another car that I have exhumed from my graveyard," you know you're in for a real treat. Better install some good air-conditioning in your garage, because it'll get mighty hot in there once you drag this '76 Lancia Scorpion inside! You Yurpeans might know this car as the Montecarlo, but don't let the similarity fool you- the US version had 81 horsepower instead of 120, because Yurp decided it would be better to allow asthmatic children to die horrible hydrocarbon-enhanced deaths than to strangle car engines with emission control hardware during the Malaise Era. Naturally, that means you'll need to do something about the 1756cc engine currently in this car, but it's probably a boat anchor by now, anyway, as the car "has been sitting out in the weeds and weather for many years" and probably wasn't running when placed in its weedy home. We suggest installing a supercharged Toyota 4A-GZE out of an MR2, which should be a no-sweat swap... right? You know it! The seller claims it's a parts car, but we know you'll be able to bring it back to life in a couple of weekends.

So the Toledo 24 Hours of LeMons race is coming up and you still don't have a car? How about a Merkur XR4Ti, such as the one the confusingly-named Team Flying Hyundai drove in the Altamont race? Come on now, you might whine, nobody really sells an XR4Ti that cheap! Au contraire, my skeptical Midwestern wannabe-racer friend! Just take a look at this '89 Merkur XR4Ti, which has a price tag of just 600 bucks and actually runs! Well, to be honest, the statement "Runs and drives, but needs work" generally means "it makes noise when you turn the key," but that's better than a car that doesn't do anything. It's priced $100 over the 24 Hours of LeMons limit, but we suspect the price is negotiable (besides, if I can sell $280 worth of parts from a $100 Volvo, you should be able to squeeze a measly C-note out of a Merkur). Many, many problems bedevil the electrical accessories, but all you'll need to do is tear out everything a race car won't need and then pray that you can still get the engine computer to work. Thanks to SundaySunday for the tip!

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