Inspiration

As usual there are some fantastic cars up for auction this month in Mecum, Monterey. We take a sideways look as some of the more unusual and interesting cars crossing the block this time.

1952 Muntz Jet

This is one of only 394 Muntz Jet cars built, created by famed car dealer Earl ‘Madman’ Muntz for the well-heeled, such as Mickey Rooney and Clara Bow. The first cars came with Cadillac V8s and aluminum sheet metal, the later with Lincoln V8s and steel bodies as this one is equipped with.

Estimate: $70 – $80,000

1968 Toyota FJ-40 Land Cruiser

Fully restored FJ-40 that packs a surprising punch – the owner has seamlessly installed a 305ci Chevy V8 with 283 Power Pack heads and dual exhaust. The beige paint and white wheels with big BF Goodrich tyres finish the truck off nicely.

Estimate: $60 – $80,000

1939 Food Woody

Another old car with a modern twist – this old Woody is set upon a 1993 GMC Suburban three-quarter-ton chassis. It’s powered by a new 350/280 HP V-8 with a 700R4 overdrive gearbox. This 10-seater is the perfect set of wheels to take the whole family to the beach in real style.

Estimate: $60 – $80,000

1953 Chevrolet 3100 Pick-Up

This fabulous Chevy pick-up sports a custom chopped roof, a new ATK 383/378 HP small block crate engine and wood bed strips finished with ebony stain and satin finish. With only 755 miles under its tyres since completion, this truck is a good as unused.

Estimate: $70 – $80,000

1981 Porsche 928 Convertible

This is number 8 of 8 Carelli convertible prototypes produced in 1981.  These cars cost $313,000 each when new and this example has only driven 6300 miles since new and is original and unrestored. The conversion has been done to a very high standard, and for a limited run car the way the hood sits in the rear when down is particularly successful.

Estimate: $125 – $150,000

1969 Austin Mini Cooper

A beautifully customised Mini Cooper that has been expertly chopped and channeled, with tempered glass all-round. This example has a 1380cc engine with a weber 45 carb. We want to jump on a plane just to bid on this beauty!

Estimate: No estimate

1974 Porsche 914

These Porsche’s are really starting to grow on us here, particularly when they look like this one. 916 style arches, 930 Turbo brakes with a professionally installed 350ci Chevrolet engine, and 3 piece Fuch wheels to finish it off.

Estimate: No estimate

We’ll update prices reached once the auction finishes on the 15th August.

Where: Osaka, Japan

We are still in the land of the rising sun checking out some more unusual, exotic and just plain weird cars, this time from the G.Lion Museum group in Osaka.

1966 Hino Contessa Coupe 1300R

Very rare coupe in restored condition. The mileage and price are unknown but it is a right hand drive car. Shame about the plain wheels, but we guess it leaves a blank canvas for some personalisation.

 1967 Honda S600

Fabulous colour combo on this cute S600, the whitewalls work well, too. No mileage or price data on this car either.

1971 Isuzu 117 Coupe

This 1.6litre example of the 117 coupe is an early model with what looks like aftermarket 5 spokes that make it look like a later model. Looks good in blue, too. No mileage or price data on this car, but it is RHD.

1971 Isuzu Beret coupe 1600GT TypeR

Another Isuzu, this one is a beautifully restored example of the rarer GTR looking fine in period orange paint. No price or mileage data and is RHD.

Mazda Cosmo Sport 10B

This restored late model Cosmo looks resplendent in typical white paint and classy baby blue wheels. Prices of these are on the up as it is finally recognised as probably the most collectible Japanese car after the Toyota 2000GT.

1967 Mitsubishi Colt

Much more basic is this Mitsubishi Colt, but it still intrigues us as one of the many 60s Japanese family cars that never came to Europe. Rare even in Japan now, this is the only one we can currently find for sale, anywhere.

1975 Mitsubishi Galant GTO GSR 5-speed

We remember seeing these on a regular basis back in the 70s and 80s in the UK, but now they have all gone to the crusher or rusted away. Great looking car and the orange really suits it. RHD with cool period 4 spokes.

1968 Toyota Publica

This ugly little duckling looks like it needs a bit of work, but we are still charmed despite its challenging lines. A 790cc engine propels it along, which we expect is quite enough.

1969 Toyota 2000GT

Jewel in the crown of the current sock list is this beautiful 2000GT in classic white. No price is listed but these have sold at auction in the US recently for between $850,000 and $1million. This one has done 68,000km and is RHD.

Where: Hamamatsu, Japan

We discovered Takeey’s Auto Shop recently and have been constantly amazed by the variety of great old cars they have. Conditions vary from car to car and prices are high, but here are some highlights:

1972 Datsun Bluebird 1.6 Station Wagon

This era of Bluebird 510 is much in demand by collectors worldwide, even the station wagon. Hot Wheels make a racing version of this car, so it must be cool, right? This one is a 1.6litre from 1972. Looks like it was originally orange from the under bonnet shot and is unfortunately an automatic. Still cool though! POA.

1973 Datsun Fairlady Z 240ZG

Awesome looking and genuine ZG with Solex carb set-up and only 45,000km on the clock. Now 240Z 432s are making mega money, will these be the next to attract serious collectors? POA.

1968 Datsun Sunny 1.0L DX Coupe

We have to confess to not knowing that this sharp suited little car even existed. Those lines look Pininfarina inspired (or even styled by, as the great styling house worked with Nissan in the late 60s and early 70s). It reminds us a little of a 1965 Peugeot 204 Coupe (also Pinin styled), which proceeded the 1968 Sunny coupe by 3 years. These cars were only ever sold in Japan and Australia which explains our lack of knowledge. Not much is known about this one apart from what we can see in the pictures, and we like it a lot! £7000

1969 Nissan Skyline GTR 4-door

Great looking GTR 4 door is again a POA, so price is unknown. This is a great looking car inside and out and the engine looks super sweet. The translation of the ad does not reveal much, but we can see enough here to get us enthused!

1969 Toyota Crown Coupe

This elegant old beast is a very rare sight outside of Japan. We’d love to see one in the UK. This one has done 75,000km and has only had one owner! Price seems good, too. £8100

1977 Mercury Cougar Villager

This one interests PistonJuice for a selfish reason – we had a green Matchbox toy of this car as a kid and this is the first time we have ever seen one in 1:1 scale! And what a beast it is – this white 6.6litre monster has done 43,000km and is priced at £10,150. US wagons from the 60s to the 80s are capturing the imagination of collectors as they reek of nostalgia for everyone that sat backwards on the rear seats growing up.

1982 Mercedes 560SEL Wagon

One again another car we had no knowledge of, this Merc wagon looks well thought out and nicely finished. Its still in great condition, including the eye-watering bright red interior and it’s the top-of-the-range 560SEL. If anyone has anymore info on who built this, please let us know! Price POA.

Footnote:

Interestingly some of these cars are marked ‘domestic only’ by Takeey’s as there are still fears that some of the cars near to the Fukushima nuclear disaster are radioactive. Seems like just a precaution to us but we guess those cars marked will be quite difficult to export. You have been warned!