How much do you have to pay for a rare European rally car steeped in 1960s and 1970s racing history from one of the most famous races in North America? More than you could ever afford, of course. But wait! An unaccountable distortion in the Vintage Race Car Reality Field (VRCRF) has produced this 1963 Peugeot 404 Baja 1000 veteran. How can we tell the VRCRF was involved? The $1,200 price tag. No, really- just barely over a thousand bucks; in fact, the seller states "No Reasonable Offer Will Be Refused!!!" so you might be able to get it for under a grand! Of course, you'll have a Sisyphean ordeal somewhat challenging road in front of you with this project, since the car has been sitting for 34 years and the engine is long gone. That shouldn't stop you, however- it's a rear-wheel-drive car, so the junkyard is overflowing with suitable engines that could be swapped right in without too much trouble. BMW M10? Toyota A? Is the suspension good? Probably not! Is anything on this car good? Who knows? Once you've got it running, however, it'll be time to head to the desert for some vintage dirt-eating adventure! Thanks, once again, to PCH ÜberTipster LTDScott.

When you're going racing in Baja California, don't you want a vehicle with "Baja" in its name? Ah, the ol' Baja Bug! Remember when you used to see them doing daily-driver duty all over the Southwest? The air-cooled Beetle in stock form is no slouch off-road- no radiator to boil over, most of the weight over the drive wheels, and so on- but put nerf bars, roll cage, and big tires on it and you'll be ready to leave tire tracks across the backs of the most elusive endangered species in the desert! To be vintage, however, you need an oval-window Beetle for your Baja Bug project...and have you priced 1953-57 Beetles lately? Fortunately for you, we've managed to find this '57 Beetle that's already well on its way to Baja-ness. You get a significant fraction of a 1776cc engine and "many other parts," and all for just $1,400! Old VWs have the dubious distinction of being the only cars that manage to get terrible rust in Southern California, so you have to figure on some pan rot to deal with. While you're shopping for your great big wheels, roof-mounted oil cooler, sixer of Primo Beer, and lid of Acapulco Gold, you'll have plenty of time to contemplate stuffing a Roots-type blower on the engine, just like yesterday's PCH Beetle!

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It's got a rollbar, the doors have been removed, and perhaps the engine has been upgraded from the original 46 horsepower. This Thing is ready for some serious off-road action... which it won't find in the utterly flat and quite urban terrain of Alameda.


The Beetle's interior seems pretty luxurious next to the Thing's, but you can see the family resemblance in the steering wheel, speedometer, shifter, etc. I hope the owner hasn't lost the doors, which can be removed without tools.


The rainy winters here tend to promote rust in body parts that collect water, such as these engine air intake covers. It's taken 34 years for the rust to get this far, so no urgent action need be taken yet!

Is it a US-market Thing, a European military Type 181, a Mexican Safari? I sure as hell can't tell you, but it parks on the street and drives regularly (trailing showers of sparks on even the smallest roadway imperfections).


As you can see, I shot this last fall. Leaves, squirrels, seagull shit... but who cares?


Sadly, this 181's owner also has plain ol' California plates in addition to the Armed Forces 1954 plates.

I know of several Things in Alameda (including one that's been lowered so much that it has about 1/4" of ground clearance), but this was one was the first I've been able to catch in good position for photographing.


It lives just down the block from the Olds Jetstar, in an industrial neighborhood next to the Estuary waterfront.


As most of you know, the Thing was based on the Kübelwagen of World War II fame, with essentially the same running gear as the Beetle under the skin.


I was in 2nd grade when the Things started appearing on East Bay streets, and I recall we all thought they were pretty cool. Something about the shape of the Thing just looks like a kid designed it.


Check out that Teutono-industro businesslike interior.


This Thing is in pretty good shape; there's some of the usual surface rust on the body, but it looks like it's never been hit hard and all the pieces are still there.


Super Beetle marker lights weren't just for the Zimmer Golden Spirit!


That angular hood gave the Thing more storage space than the Beetle, so in a way it was more practical. The problem with the Thing is that a vehicle uncomfortably similar to one that was driven by some serious baddies back in the day carries some negative-image baggage (though the main reason it was discontinued in the US market was its inability to pass safety and emissions tests).


Now, for our poll! I've photographed a half-dozen or so air-cooled Beetles in Alameda, and there are plenty more to be found on the streets of this town. However, I haven't run any of them as a DOTS car yet because the old Beetle seems so, well, common. The '66 and earlier Beetles are hip, (especially the early split-window and small-window ones) but how about the later 67-78 ones? Let's put it to a vote; if enough of you show love for the Type 1, I'll even do a week of nothing but Beetles on DOTS!

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• First off we've got Chrysler claiming they'll be focused on the inside of the vehicle now in addition to the outside.

  ..."interiors is the next battleground," Chrysler LLC design whiz Ralph Gilles said Monday that the carmaker intends to begin interior design work up to a year earlier than usual so fresh ideas can be introduced.

  Of course proof of this new focus is given via a "unique" investment decision:

  "Gilles, who championed the successful Chrysler 300 sedan, said Chrysler's recent $3 billion commitment to new powertrain plants speaks to the company's emphasis on innovation."

• Second item of note out of Traverse City is FoMoCo's Joe Hinrich was talking up Ford quality improvements:

  "Ford has benefited by standardizing manufacturing processes across plants and through greater use of computers to foresee production obstacles."

  But that's not the only reason. Apparently it's also working closely with the UAW that's improving their numbers:

  "But teamwork with Ford's unionized work force may be the biggest reason for improvement, he said.

  UAW locals at every Ford plant in North America have instituted flexible work rules codified in competitive operating agreements, Hinrichs said.

  The agreements, which reduce job classifications and promote team building, are expected to save Ford more than $500 million annually. Hinrichs said those workers who stayed after about 27,000 Ford hourly workers volunteered for buyouts did so with the expectation that labor conditions would change."

  You mean if you work with your employees instead of instituting an unfriendly work environment, you'll actually see quality levels improve? Who knew?
• Third item of note revolves around Ford's new "Sync" system. Automotive News spoke to Hinrichs about the new music/phone/bluetooth/Personal Jesus system in addition to quality gains, and here's what he had to say:

  "Hinrichs said Sync is expected to be a key product differentiator, so ease of use and quality are critical. That's why Ford is training dealers to make sure they're ready to sell it and educate drivers on how to use it.

  He said: "We are putting a tremendous amount of resources on it because we see it as an exclusive opportunity for us to lead in this regard."

  Yeah, they get to lead up until Microsoft lets every other automaker start to play with the system at the end of 2008.
• Last item is auto parts supplier Siemens is looking to build their very own gasoline-electric hybrid. Sure — why not, everyone else is doing it. Oh wait, it's just for seminars. Well, good luck with that.

The thing about transplants is you have to make sure the body doesn't reject the foreign organ. That's not the case with this 1974 BMW 2002 built by A1 Imports Autoworks in California. They replaced the original 1990 cc with the 2.5-liter S14 from an E30 M3. Not just any S14, but the S14 EVO, a limited-edition 1989 variant. Stroker kit, check. Hoonage potential, off the charts. Call it a DIY 135i. [Thanks to John for the tip.] – Mike Spinelli

Related:
Engine Swap of the Day: V8 Manta! [internal]

Team Knight Rider debuted back when we were in college, and watching this clip reminds us why we never bothered to stick with it beyond one episode. On the other hand, the above segemnt does feature a water-powered Bricklin (a Bricklin!) — creatively-named Hydro 2000 — that like a seagull, can be handily disabled with the addition of fizzy stomach-calming tablets. – Davey G. Johnson

Related:
KITT vs. Airwolf! [Internal]

Back in the 50s and 60s, my grandfather was a serious rally and ice-racing fanatic, running Porsche 356s, Porsche-powered Beetles, and Saab 93s. The well-equipped rallyist in those days used the incredibly intricate and beautiful Curta Calculator, also known as the "Peppermill," to do the necessary time/distance calculations during races. My grandfather, who worked as an engineer to support his racing jones, got so geeked out on his Curta that he insisted on using it to do calculations at the day job as well, even after electronic calculators had become the norm. And now he has given it to me! Life is good. – Murilee Martin

A Rallyists Guide for the Use and Operation of a Curta Calculator [Rally Racing News]

Related:
Mickey T And His 1954 Panamericana Car [internal]