Autoblog

eBay Find of the Day: Gulf Racing DeLorean is a very bad idea

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:59:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Auctions, Specialty, Design/Style

Gulf liveried DeLorean - Click above for high-res image gallery

Don't get us wrong. We love ourselves some DeLorean, and we'd argue there may not be a more iconic motorsports paint scheme in history than the classic Gulf Racing livery. But sometimes, two rights make one horrible wrong. Such is the case with today's eBay Find of the Day.

Call us purists if you must, but DeLoreans should all be left in their bare unfinished stainless steel suit. And so it's a rather good thing that this otherwise fine example of the breed isn't actually painted at all - the horrid coating you see in the images below is actually a vinyl wrap. Thank God for small miracles.

Looking past the unfortunate wrap, what we have here appears to be a very nice gullwinged coupe with under 10,000 miles. It's got the preferred five-speed manual transmission, has been updated with an Eibach suspension kit and it's been otherwise completely refurbished by the experts at DeLorean Motor Company.

At the time of this writing, the top bid sits at just over $15K and there's five days left. Happy bidding (and happy removal of its vinyl wrap...)!

Gallery: Gulf liveried DeLorean

[Source: eBay Motors]

eBay Find of the Day: Gulf Racing DeLorean is a very bad idea originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Find of the Day: 1986 Mercury Capri RS 5.0L with just 2,000 miles!

Sam Abuelsamid — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 11:31:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Hatchback, Mercury

1986 Mercury Capri RS 5.0 - Click above for high-res image gallery

With the Mercury brand set to be confined to the dustbin of history in the next few months, is it worth considering investing in a classic example? We're certainly not going tell you how to spend your money, but today's eBay find might be worthy of consideration. Or not.

Over the course of three decades, the soon-to-be-defunct brand offered three distinctly different versions of the Capri. The original was a compact rear-wheel-drive coupe designed and built in Germany while the last was a Mazda 323-based convertible from Australia.

The second generation example being offered for sale is likely the cleanest, lowest mileage Fox-body car remaining on the planet. Why someone would preserve a 1986 Capri RS 5.0 with only 2,000 miles is a bit of a mystery, but there it is nonetheless. The RS was a mildly restyled version of the Mustang GT and arguably more attractive than the Ford. 1986 was both the first year for the new 200 horsepower fuel-injected 5.0-liter V8 and the last year of production for the Fox-body Capri.

When the Mustang got a refresh for 1987, the Capri was left on the cutting room floor.

Gallery: eBay Find of the Day: 1986 Mercury Capri RS 5.0L

[Source: eBay]

eBay Find of the Day: 1986 Mercury Capri RS 5.0L with just 2,000 miles! originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 25 Jun 2010 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Find of the Day: 1951 Fargo pickup has the coolest grille you've never seen

Steven J. Ewing — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 09:58:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Truck, Auctions, Chrysler, Dodge, Canada

1951 Fargo pickup on eBay Motors - Click above for high-res image gallery

Never heard of Fargo? Don't feel too left out. This was the marque under which some Dodge trucks were sold in Canada up until 1972. Fargos and Dodges were nearly identical and could be found at Chrysler-Plymouth dealers throughout the country. These days, the Fargo name still exists - these trucks are produced along with DeSoto pickups in Turkey by Askam, with no remaining ties to Chrysler.

This special Fargo, however, made its way to the States and now sits on the auction block waiting for any classic car collector to bid. The bodywork is in pristine condition, and we can't help but fall in love with the grille up front. It's like nothing we've ever seen, and it's awesome. The truck is powered by its original 230 cubic inch six-cylinder engine, mated to a manual transmission. The interior looks to be in tip-top shape, and we're big fans of the red accents on the front bumper and bed sides, as well as the red painted bed and the beautiful period dashboard - our inner greaser is giddy.

Only two days remain on the eBay Motors auction, with the current bid at $24,770 as of this writing. Pony up $26,900 for the Buy It Now price, and this truck will be a welcome addition to any garage. Do yourself a favor and click through the gallery below to see dozens of images of the Fargo pickup.

Gallery: 1951 Fargo Truck on eBay Motors

[Source: eBay Motors, Allpar]

eBay Find of the Day: 1951 Fargo pickup has the coolest grille you've never seen originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Jun 2010 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Find of the Day: Hydrogen-powered 1972 AMC Gremlin by George Barris

Sam Abuelsamid — Thu, 27 May 2010 18:29:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Auctions, Etc., Technology, Hatchback

1972 hydrogen-powered AMC Gremlin - Click above for high-res image gallery

When one thinks of advanced technology, the AMC Gremlin rarely (if ever) pops to mind. In fact, these days, unless you happen to be watching re-runs of the first season of True Blood you likely wouldn't think of the Gremlin under any circumstances. Today's eBay Motors find is a very special hydrogen-powered Gremlin that we've never heard of before.

As the story goes, back in the early 1970s, 64 university teams built cars to compete in the Urban Vehicle Design Challenge, with this machine coming out of the labs at the University of California - Los Angeles. The Gremlin was donated to UCLA by American Motors and Ford provided a 351 Cleveland V8. The UCLA team worked with suppliers such as Hooker, Edelbrock, Union Carbide and none other than Kustom Kar King George Barris to get the supplies needed to convert the V8 to run on hydrogen and get the car competition ready. The Impco-provided hydrogen tanks in the back only gave the Gremlin a 68-mile range, but considering the lack of fuel injection and sophisticated electronics, that's not bad.

The wanton nostalgics among us aren't just drawn to the car's eccentric powertrain, but also to its period-appropriate mustard yellow paint, tire-tread bumpers, vintage Polyglas tires, and a couple of racing buckets that we'd like to mount on swivels and have in the Autoblog Living Room.

Incidentally, the Gremlin ultimately won the competition based on the fact that the steam emanating the from the tailpipe was cleaner than the air going into the carburetor. At this point, there are no bids on the car and it's not clear if it runs, but we'd stand we-hell back before firing it up for the first time.

Gallery: eBay find of the day: 1972 hydrogen AMC Gremlin

[Sources: eBay Motors, Wired]

eBay Find of the Day: Hydrogen-powered 1972 AMC Gremlin by George Barris originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 May 2010 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Buy Me! 1985 Renault R5 Turbo II... in Oregon

Zach Bowman — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 19:24:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Auctions, Hatchback, Renault

1985 Renault R5 Turbo II - Click above for high-res image galler

Given how close everyone is to pulling a Fred Flintstone and yabadabadooing the hell out of the office for the weekend, allow us to provide you with a quick little diversion. Behold what could possibly be the most gorgeous example of a Renault R5 Turbo II we've ever set our eyes upon. This sucker wears the same paint it bore from the factory, and with a scant 25,500 miles on the clock, it's as close to new as anything from France, 1985 can get.

Inside, nearly everything is original save a few choice modifications. The stock steering wheel has been given up in favor of a suede Momo piece, and the factory buckets were swapped for a set of period Recaro thrones. They are the perfect shade of late '70s brown, and we love them. The owner points out that unlike most R5s, both the dash and door panels were never cut for a stereo.

If you're fretting over the fact that this car has had less than 1,000 miles put on the odometer ever year, don't. The seller is the second owner, and claims this set of hips-with-wheels has been meticulously maintained by none other than the experts at Ron Tonkin Gran Turismo Ferrari. You know, the oldest authorized Ferrari dealer in the States? Yeah. Those guys.

If you want it as badly as we do, get ready to fork over a serious chunk of change in a hurry. As we write this, there are less than two days left on the eBay auction, and the starting bid of $47,500 has yet to be touched.

Gallery: 1985 Renault R5 Turbo II

[Source: eBay via Bring a Trailer]

Buy Me! 1985 Renault R5 Turbo II... in Oregon originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Apr 2010 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wow: Dodge Dealer honors disputed eBay Challenger auction and then some

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:27:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Coupe, Performance, Auctions

Well, score one for the little guy. Or, as the case may be, the guy that won an eBay auction, getting himself one helluva mondo deal on a 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8. To refresh your memory, a Southern California dealer called Glenn E Thomas Dodge Chrysler Jeep had the Challenger in question on eBay. The Buy It Now price was $43,425 and the reserve (according to Glenn E Thomas) was $42,995. Then the dealer lowered the Buy It Now price to $43,425 and suddenly, somehow the reserve disappeared.

That's when Alex (aka Hitman from Challengertalk.com) pounced and won himself a 250-mile SRT8 for the crazy price of $29,100. Only thing is, of course, Glenn E Thomas didn't feel like taking a $14,000 bath and refused to honor the auction. Their argument was that they didn't intend to remove the reserve and, in fact, they may not have removed it. They contend that there may have been a glitch in eBay's software. Glenn Dodge did offer to meet Alex halfway, promising him a great deal on the Challenger of his choice, but Alex hung tough, demanding the car he won. It seemed as if the two sides had reached the kind of impasse that can only be settled by those of the lawyerly persuasion. But that was last week.

Yesterday, Alex updated his original post at Challengertalk.com with a picture of the keys to his new car and the following message:

First of all, "Thank You" to everyone for cheering me on and helping me move forward in a positive way. A lot of message boards picked up this thread and have to thank everyone for passing the word around too. There you have it. Visual of the keys in my possession of the SRT8 deal that Glenn E. Thomas Dodge honored for $29.1K plus tax and license fees of course.

Both parties had plenty to talk about that day but in the end of it all, things worked out for everyone. So there is praise to be made to both sides, especially the dealer who did honor the auction. Would encourage everyone to send them praise and not attack anyone in that establishment as this was not the point of this thread. I'm sure there will be questions on how things went down.

While swallowing a nearly $14,000 loss must be a bitter pill to choke down, we can all agree that in the end Glenn E Thomas did the right thing. Actually, they did better than the right thing, selling Alex a 2010 Challenger SRT8 rather than the 250-mile car he won in the auction. Put another way, in terms of positive publicity, this will turn out to be the best $14,000 they ever spent.

[Source: Challengertalk.com]

Wow: Dodge Dealer honors disputed eBay Challenger auction and then some originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Followup: Not so fast, says dealer of Dodge Challenger eBay debacle

Jonny Lieberman — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:56:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Coupe, Performance, Auctions, Dodge

Earlier this week, we shared with you the budding saga of "Hitman" and the fact that he had won a 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8 from Glenn E Thomas Dodge Chrysler Jeep for the amazing low price of $29,100 - about $13,000 less than the car is worth and also $13,000 less than Glenn Thomas wanted to sell it for. However, because eBay auctions are "legally binding" contracts and the dealer failed to put in a reserve, tough turkey, you gotta sell the car at a loss, right? Not quite.

We just got off the phone with John Davis, the general manager of Glenn E Thomas. Here's his side of the story: About two weeks ago, Glenn put the SRT8 up on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $43,425 and a Reserve price of $42,995. Six days into the seven day auction, Davis says that the dealership changed the Buy It Now price to match the lower Reserve price. At that time, the highest bid was about $21,000 (around half of the Reserve) and Glenn was hoping that a lowered Buy it Now price would drum up some bids. It did, in fact - but not for the reasons Glenn wanted.

Here's where the story gets fuzzy... Follow the jump to hear the rest of the dealership's side of the story.

Continue reading Followup: Not so fast, says dealer of Dodge Challenger eBay debacle

Followup: Not so fast, says dealer of Dodge Challenger eBay debacle originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yet Again: Dealer accused of failing to honor eBay deal for new car and this time it's a Dodge Challenger

Jonny Lieberman — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:01:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Auctions, Dodge

It's like déjà vu all over again. Fact: Dude wins an eBay auction for a 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8 with 250 miles on the odometer. Fact: Usually a new (or in this case, new-ish) SRT8 sells for about $41,000. Fact: Winning bid was $29,100. Opinion: Sweet deal, bro!

Of course there's the small matter of the people selling it not wanting to let it go for that price. The seller, Glenn E Thomas Dodge Chrysler Jeep in Signal Hill, CA near Long Beach, has apparently made the same mistake that Glenn Hyundai of Lexington, KY made with the Genesis Coupe. Meaning that somebody at Glenn E Thomas forgot to set a reserve on the auction, and they just sold a car for much less than they'd planned.

There's a 20+ page "discussion," raging over at Challengertalk.com. Opinions are slightly mixed, but it seems that the overriding sentiment is that the buyer (named Hitman) won the auction fair and square and that once again, a novice dealer has wandered into the minefield that is selling a new car for less than they intended via eBay. Last we heard, Hyundai of America stepped in and helped settle the Genesis Coupe debacle. Good luck to Hitman, that (possibly) lucky SOB.

[Source: Challengertalk]

Yet Again: Dealer accused of failing to honor eBay deal for new car and this time it's a Dodge Challenger originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's On Like Donkey Kong: Jilted Hyundai Genesis Coupe buyer jilted again, lawyers up

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 19:38:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Coupe, Performance, Auctions, Hyundai, South Korea

This ended about how we predicted. You all no doubt remember McFly, the guy that won a legit eBay auction for a slightly used Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T for $16,125. Problem was that the seller - Glenn Hyundai of Lexington, KY - felt the car was worth more ($19,700) and refused to sell it to McFly. They claim they set a reserve price (even though they didn't) and wouldn't budge. End of story, kind of.

See, the internet got a hold of the McFly's tale of woe, and few things excite people (us included) more than tales of bald-faced greed mixed with dishonest car dealers. Not surprisingly, the story took off like wildfire and Glenn Hyundai soon found itself inundated with phone calls, emails, faxes - you name it. The onslaught became so bad that Glenn Hyundai got in touch with McFly and told him that if he would call off his dogs (remove his forum posts, plead with Gencoupe.com forum members to stop harassing the dealership, somehow get Digg.com to do... exactly what we're not sure, etc.) they would presumably sell him a Genesis Coupe for $16,125.

Why do we say presumably? Because we never knew the details of the agreement McFly worked out with Glenn Hyundai. Or, as McFly puts it an updated post, "For the record I have not shared any part of the verbal agreement." Despite this agreement never being finalized, some felt that McFly's saga was over (while some nearly broke their hands patting themselves on the back). We ourselves were reluctant to think or declare anything until McFly had the Genesis Coupe in hand. Guess what?

No Genesis Coupe 2.0T for McFly. He's claiming that Glenn Hyundai has breached the "verbal agreement" he reached with them. He's refusing to give any details of said verbal agreement, but maintains that Glenn Hyundai owes him a Gen Coupe for $16,125. Also, McFly's retained a lawyer. Also-also, he's contacted Hyundai USA but received no response. We'll keep you updated. Thanks to Bora for the heads up!

[Source: Gencoupe.com]

It's On Like Donkey Kong: Jilted Hyundai Genesis Coupe buyer jilted again, lawyers up originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 25 Jan 2010 19:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Find of the Day: 1980 Range Rover 6x4 custom pickup is full of hot air

Dan Roth — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:01:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Auctions, Etc., Land Rover

Custom Range Rover crew-cab truck - click above for gallery

So you've got a hot air balloon and a Range Rover, no problem so far. Then, one day you catch the "you got chocolate in my peanut butter" fever, and it's time to create a Rover/Balloon mash-up. Your handy pile of old money means that the Rangie goes off to a bespoke vehicle specialist, said to specialize in "stretch Rolls Royce and 6-wheel Range Rovers for oil sheiks." Well, who else would you send it to, anyway?

Of course, since the balloon runs on LP gas, converting the Rover to run on the same fuel will save some money. With the dosh you save, you might as well install some big, chunky tires so that it "rides like a big Range Rover on chunky tires," and trashes fuel economy a little, too. The vehicle is in the UK, but the seller will ship. Construction quality is reportedly epic, and who doesn't have a desire for the castoffs of the wealthy? Looking at the photos, it appears to have taken its share of (ab)use lately; the blue hood is a nice touch, along with the various trappings of old Rovers, like the permanently exposed fusebox. It's on eBay for just under $8,000 - a pittance for a custom crew cab Range Rover pickup, especially if you've got a hot air balloon kicking around.

Gallery: Crew Cab Range Rover Pickup

[Source: eBay Motors]

eBay Find of the Day: 1980 Range Rover 6x4 custom pickup is full of hot air originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Find of the Day: Hyundai-based X-4 "concept car"

Dan Roth — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:01:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Auctions, Specialty

X-4 "concept car" - click above for image gallery

Here's what to do with that Elantra GT you couldn't flip for Cash for Clunkers money. The seller is listing this "X4" as a Hyundai-based concept car, though it's unlike anything we've seen on the show circuit. A lot of work went into making this a conversation piece from what looks like parts of a leftover Hyundai, some VW Type 1 bits, and a whole lot of wackiness.

The build quality, while displaying care and attention to detail, looks to lean toward the late-1970s kit-car end of the spectrum. That's not to say that this vehicular oddity doesn't display ingeniuity, it's sure to draw a crowd of curious bystanders wherever you go with its odd styling and close-set rear wheels. The open design is well suited to cruising golf courses in fair climates, but it's unclear whether you'd have a hassle trying to legally register and drive such a contraption. There's about a day left, and the reserve hasn't been met by the current $5,100 bid for this unique bit of creativity with its matching trailer.

Gallery: X4 Hyundai based concept car

[Source: eBay]

eBay Find of the Day: Hyundai-based X-4 "concept car" originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Motors now offering local searches, Paukert rejoices

Dan Roth — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:33:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Auctions, Etc.

Put another nail in the coffin of newspapers. We say this without glee, as one of the classic car-guy respites - sitting with a cup of coffee and the classifieds, looking for interesting local vehicles to rescue or dream about - has been dealt yet another blow. eBay Motors, one of our favorite time-wasting destinations, is zeroing in on geographic regions with the launch of eBay Motors Local Classifieds.

To launch the service, which is intended to connect local buyers and sellers within a 100 mile radius of their localities, eBay is temporarily offering sellers the new option for free. July 15 marks the day when sellers will have to start paying, but until then, sellers can list up to six vehicles for a seven-day stretch. Fees for insertion and successful listings are waived during this period to help the new option gain a foothold. With daily newspapers continually taking it on the chin, and the rise of internet portals like eBay and Craigslist, we'd expect nothing but success for this new offering from the industry's 800-pound gorilla - and now our man Paukert can zero-in on that Audi Ur-Quattro he's always after. Press release after the jump.

[Source: eBayMotors]

Continue reading eBay Motors now offering local searches, Paukert rejoices

eBay Motors now offering local searches, Paukert rejoices originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Find of the Day: The Batsmart

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:29:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, SEMA Show, Budget, Auctions, Smart, Celebrities, Specialty

BatSmart from SEMA - Click above for high-res image gallery

One of the most unusual vehicles to grace last year's SEMA Show in Las Vegas is now up for auction on eBay Motors. Called the BatSmart, this little vehicle was unlike most of the high-octane pieces of rolling artwork at the event in that it used just three pistons and 70 horsepower to move along its twin passengers. What it loses in power, though, it makes up in style, right?

Designed by George Barris himself, creator of the original Batmobile from the mid '60s, the Batsmart features a faux turbine and rocket launchers to go along with its full custom body kit, which includes the requisite rear batfins and rodent-like pointy nose. Click here to see the auction page and be sure to check out our gallery below. Thanks for the tip, Mick!

Gallery: eBay Find of the Day: Batsmart

Gallery: SEMA 2008: Barris BatSMART

[Source: eBay via All Cars All The Time]

eBay Find of the Day: The Batsmart originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Star Wars Cobalt goes to the Dark Side of customization

Dan Roth — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Auctions, Etc., Chevrolet, Humor

Click above for gallery of the Star Wars Cobalt

Star Wars fans, behold, your dream car; too bad the listing has ended. The original owner of this particular piece of automotive art apparently had a serious love affair with George Lucas's space-themed soap opera. Painstakingly painted across the surface of this unassuming Chevy are images of Yoda, Han Solo, X-Wing fighters and other movie characters, as well as nebula and galaxies originally photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope. This would have been just the thing to drive to the theatrical premiere of the Clone Wars. A lot of work went into this paint job, though it would take a level of dedication we don't have just to own it, let alone drive it in public. After all, it's a Cobalt underneath it all, and it's emblazoned with the stigmata of the basement dweller.

Gallery: Star Wars Cobalt

[Source: eBay via Jalopnik]

eBay Star Wars Cobalt goes to the Dark Side of customization originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rare Kodiak F1 gullwing prototype on eBay

Dan Roth — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 14:45:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Auctions, Supercars, Specialty

click the picture above for a gallery of the Kodiak F1

"It's not a kit car" will be an oft-repeated phrase for the new owner of this Kodiak F1. Billed as a 1 of 1 car, though the seller mentions another prototype with Mercedes power, this German daydream of an '80s super coupe has been bid up to $48,000 so far. The composite body covers a tubular frame in the same fashion as airplanes are built, apparently, and power comes from a Corvette small block. The Kodiak F1 made its debut at the 1983 Frankfurt Motor Show, the pet project of Mladen Mitrovic. Mitrovic's company, Speed and Sport, manufactured convertible roofs and other parts, and the chief wanted to fulfill his sports car dreams.

The mid-engined two seater was planned with a standard blueprinted 350 carrying aluminum Brodix heads and a quartet of Webers or Bosch fuel injection for roughly 320-340 horsepower. Optional powerplants were 5.0 liter Mercedes V8s, one stock, one breathed-upon by then-independent AMG to the tune of 380hp. This car would have been just the thing to make coked-up Countach and Testarossa drivers feel like commoners in Chevettes. We're not sure why the Kodiak never made it much past pie-in-the-sky spec sheets and a pair of prototypes. On paper, it sounds like it would be a better performer than the underwhelming DeLorean turned out to be, though cost was likely a big factor, ringing up a bill of $117,000 or so in 1986. Get your bids in now, and you may be the lucky one cracking your temple on those gullwings every time you get in.

Gallery: Kodiak F1

[Source: eBay]

Rare Kodiak F1 gullwing prototype on eBay originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 25 Jan 2009 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Find of the Day: World's fastest Honda Civic

Merritt Johnson — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 09:01:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Tuners, Honda

Driving around the streets of Los Angeles, it is easy to spot a plethora of Honda Civics attempting to achieve the appearance of the world's fastest economy car. Huge shopping cart wings, monster tachometers and racing stripes often highlight the package. Legitimate world record speed isn't achieved on any city street, however, and not with any aerodynamic packages reminiscent of shopping. It is achieved on the Bonneville Salt Flats in northwestern Utah. The latest records indicate that there is only one car with the claim to the title of World's Fastest Honda Civic. That car happens to belong to automotive writer Richard Holdener and it is currently available for sale on eBay.

Richard's Lucas Oil sponsored 1999 Honda Civic Si ran a top speed of 227.7 mph back in August of this year. Despite the Civic's ability to produce 728 hp at 29 psi of boost, the record was achieved with only 15.2 psi. Inherently weak stock Honda CV joints were apparently the hold-up in laying down the full power band. It certainly wasn't due to any failure of the engine components, since the parts list reads like a roll call of some of the best names in the American Honda tuning game. Any small-displacement four cylinder engine tuned to output in excess of 700 ponies has to be stocked to the gills with improvements. The cost to own this piece of history, and the potential to make some of your own, starts at $21,777.77. The car's located in Las Vegas, Nevada, so those must be some lucky 7's in the price.

Thanks for the tip Srihari!

Gallery: World's Fastest Civic

[Source: eBay Motors]

eBay Find of the Day: World's fastest Honda Civic originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 08 Nov 2008 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Find of the Day: 1979 BMW M1... wow

Sam Abuelsamid — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:35:00 EST

Filed under: Auctions, Supercars, BMW

Click above for gallery of the 1979 BMW M1

One of the rarest of (relatively) modern BMWs is the M1. Back in the mid-1970s, the gang in Munich were tired of Porsche getting all the glory in sports car racing with its 911-based 934 and 935. BMW decided to design a car specifically to compete in Group 4 and 5 racing against those Porsches, and because Group 4 required that a minimum of 400 road going cars be built for homologation, BMW designed the race car and then changed only what was necessary to make the car acceptable for the street. Unfortunately, by the time they got the 400 cars built, competition was already moving on and few M1s were ever raced.

BMW did build a small run of cars based on the Group 4 spec car for an ~~all-steer~~ all-star series called ProCar that was ran in conjunction with some F1 races, and the 3.5L twin-cam 24-valve inline-six eventually found a home in the first generation M5 and M6. Some of the 456 road cars were later converted to replicas of the ProCar machines, including one that has popped up on eBay this week. As of this writing, the bidding is at $140,000 and the Buy it Now price is a mere $189,000. Thanks for the tip, Michael!

Gallery: BMW M1 "ProCar" on eBay

[Source: eBay]

eBay Find of the Day: 1979 BMW M1... wow originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Find of the Day: the VolksAru

Dan Roth — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:34:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Auctions, Etc., Subaru, Volkswagen

Click above for gallery of the VolksAru

While sharing our nightmares around the Autoblog virtual water cooler, we've discovered that it's common for interweb auto scribes to wake with a start in the middle of the night, cold sweat trickling down our brows. The common terror? Frankenstein cars. The dreaded dreams are usually brought on by late night eBay surfing, and this vehicle may haunt our slumber tonight. If you've ever thought to yourself "Gosh, I wonder what a Type I Beetle coughing up a Subaru GL would look like," here's your ride. It's got a Subaru dash and door panels, while the seats are VW, so the seam is somewhere up there. It's being sold as a gas-saver, likely because both of the flat-four powertrains - there are two - are relative fuel sippers. We can't discern whether the engines are synchronized to run at the same time, or if it's a one at a time type thing with the other motor and transmission serving as 500 pounds of extra mass to haul around when not in use. Like our nightmares, the seller of this vehicle is definitely dreaming with a $20,000 starting bid. Check out more awkward angles of this monstrosity in our gallery below, but don't blame us when the Boogey Man begins driving it in your dreams. Thanks for the tip, Raoul!

Gallery: VolksAru

[Source: eBay Motors]

eBay Find of the Day: the VolksAru originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Going, going, GONE: SRT8 Challengers sold out

Michael Harley — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:59:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Performance, Chrysler, Dodge

Click on image above for his-res gallery of the SRT8

As expected, the entire first-year production run of 6,400 Dodge Challenger SRT8 models has sold out. The purchase slots for 2008 models were in short supply two months ago when we reported that more than 10,000 orders had been placed for the 425-hp muscle car. You can still give your dealer all the coins in your piggy bank, but the money goes on the hood of 2009 model, scheduled to arrive this fall.

If the thought of missing out on one of these rare 2008-model HEMI-powered beasts is keeping you up at night and you just can't wait for next year, there's always eBay. Although Chrysler tried to dissuade dealers from gouging, more than two dozen of the $37,995 (base MSRP) cars have been put on the auction site -- mostly by speculating dealers with prices in the mid-$50,000 range. Ah, the joys of a free market...

Gallery: 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8

Gallery: Chicago 2008: 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 live reveal

[Source: KickingTires]

Going, going, GONE: SRT8 Challengers sold out originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Find of the Day: From my cold, dead Corvette

Dan Roth — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:29:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Auctions, Etc., Chevrolet, Celebrities

When you need to escape a pack of damn dirty apes, what could be better than a Corvette? Charlton Heston's Corvette, that's what. It's a virtually stock 1999 C5, looking sharp in black with chrome wheels. The current owner has added new taillights, the C6 style rims, and a Borla exhaust. The current bid of $20,600 is a fair price for that vintage 'Vette showing under 20,000 miles, though the reserve has yet to be met. We wonder what type of unrealistic hollywood-connection premium the seller is wishing for. C'mon, it doesn't matter who once owned it, really. Maybe if it were more rare, maybe if it were a Callaway sleeper, then it would be worth forking over more dough. Of course, we'd expect nothing less than someone trying to cash in off the back of a recently passed movie star. Despite the charming manifesto on the listing, this car is no more a collector's item than any other clean C5. Besides, we'd at least expect it to at least have a pistol-grip shifter, and it doesn't. Thanks for the tip, nevermind!

Gallery: Charlton Heston's Corvette

[Source: eBay]

eBay Find of the Day: From my cold, dead Corvette originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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