Second offering is a 1960 Goliath Express 22-window minibus, one of 3 known to exist according to the Goliath registry. It is incomplete and weathered, but a worthy project, and like the panel van above, likely to be more interesting to Europeans than Americans.
As for why Insomniac Garage has posted these high-priced vans, they are extremely scarce everywhere, and a European collector or enthusiast is likely to pay full price for one or both of these vans.
Most Fiat 1100s in the US are extensive projects, parts cars or scrap metal, but here is a very nice example in daily-driver condition (needs minor bodywork on doors and trunk to be a show car), has rebuilt engine and new interior, but taking the average 1100 project to this level or higher would cost much more than the $8000 or best offer the seller is charging.
This one-off land speed racer is a definite project, and has a later engine than the date of build (appears to have a Fiat 1800cc Lampredi twincam connected to an unknown transmission), details are scanty, but a period pic is provided, all parts are present other than the driveshaft (but some are not shown), and the seller says it won trophies. Finding this car's history would be interesting.
Looking fresh off the set of Dynasty or Dallas, is this neoclassic CMC Tiffany, based on a Mercury Cougar and assembled in Miami, Florida. With 6 bolt-on wire wheels on gangster whitewalls, dual sidemount spare tires, a state-of-the-art (for 1985) digital dash & sound system, a staggering 145-inch wheelbase and acres of cheap chrome & fiberglass, this car exemplifies the 1980s' soaring excess and questionable style, and allows you to drive around looking for nonexistent jumbo parking spaces and burning enormous amounts of petrol whilst looking like Alexis Carrington, J.R. Ewing, or a Miami coke dealer. That said, it is still an impressive car, if you like looking like a time warp from the bad old days.
This prototype Dodge Viper RT-10 chassis was purchased at the official Carroll Shelby Garage Sale in 1994 by the seller and is totally original, right down to the original Goodyear tires and documentation included by the seller. Since it is a prototype and there is no frame number, it is perhaps best suited to a car museum, a Viper enthusiast with space for it, or a collection.
I don't usually go wild over cars that have been hacked into pickup trucks, and Cadillacs modified to serve as trucks tend to be funeral flower cars. Not so with this one. It's a 1949 Caddy that was given a 1954 Chevy truck cargo box and the rear of the cab from a early 1955 GMC. It doesn't look like a complete hackjob either, and the work was done when the car was only 10 years old. The whole package really is kind of intriguing.
Photos courtesy seller - Craigslist
The question now is, is this Cowboy Cadillac worth the stratospheric $25,000 the seller is asking? You get a very unique, unrestored classic Frankenstein project. You can find it here if you always wanted a 1949 Escalade EXT, or go here if the ad expires.
In the late 1970s, at the beginning of a second fuel crisis, a company in Austin, Texas saw an opportunity in importing engineless "glider" versions of the Subaru Sambar, a vehicle that had failed marvelously less than a decade before in an earlier iteration, then converting them to electric power. The finished product was a tiny 5-seater minivan with a short electrical power range and a diesel-fueled heater/defroster, that sold poorly and was withdrawn after a few years and not many made.
Here we have an updated, fully working, presentable 1980 Jet Electravan, for sale by an owner who seemingly knows his stuff, despite its short range and odd looks, it is still a great piece of EV history and a good alternative to a Zapcar, Kandi Coco or Zenn, since unlike those, the Electravan can go more than 25mph and is built well. However, there is no known tax credit for buying a classic EV. Replacing the existing bank of salvaged batteries will give a greater range and increase its reliability, but may be costly.
While the Panoz AIV lost quite a bit of its original beauty compared to its predecessor, the later AIV Roadster is still a very pure sports car and is as good or better a performer.
The car featured here is the only Panoz ever painted Toreador Red, was custom-built for the parents of company founder Danny Panoz, was used in the factory promotional video "Drive and You Shall Fly" that was distributed to potential customers in 1996 and 1997, and was featured in the AIV debut at Chateau Elan Winery in September 1996, where the likes of Pete Brock, Adrian Reynard and Jack Roush drove it. It was then taken to Detroit to become the EPA certification car, then was parked in the back of a shop at the Panoz factory and rarely used.
This car has 4,900 original miles, has Roush alloy wheels, is one of 4 prototype cars built in 1996, features a Panoz-designed 4-wheel independent suspension, a 305-horsepower, 4.2-liter, 32-valve aluminum-block Ford Mustang Cobra V8 and a Tremec T45 5-speed manual transmission, and is made of aluminum with fiberglass-composite fenders.
Factory specifications follow:
Panoz AIV Roadster specs:
Transmission: 5-Speed Manual
Engine 4600cc (Ford)DOHC V-8
Power (bhp) 305 @ 5800 rpm
Torque 300 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm
Redline: 6800 rpm
Miles Per Gallon: 17/23 mpg
Curb Weight: 2570 lbs
Performance (0-60mph) 4.3sec
Performance (0-100mph) 11.7 sec
Top Speed (mph) 140
Braking, 0-60 mph: 119 ft
Place Of Manufacture: Braselton, Georgia (USA)
Find it here for $32,900 USD at WireWheel, and enjoy this video of a production Panoz AIV:
While the Chevrolet Corvette may be regarded by many as "America's sports car", many people overlook the Panoz, a high-quality and exclusive sports car made in the state of Georgia. Panoz cars are arguably closer in nature to the likes of Porsche, Aston Martin, Ferrari and Lotus than the Corvette and Dodge/SRT Viper are, yet they are largely unknown outside of enthusiast circles.
With a high-output Ford 302 V8, 5-speed manual transmission, lightweight construction and engineering derived from racing experience, the Panoz Roadster was a great performer, and was no crude glorified kit car like the Consulier. Nor did it have the countless teething problems and excessive complication of the Vector.
This car was the 7th of 44 made before the design was refined into the AIV, has 35 actual miles, was part of a collection since day one, has the optional tonneau cover, original brochure and bill of sale, and may be the lowest-mileage Panoz car in existence.
A video of the Panoz Roadster being tested for drifting is seen here, I will leave it to the reader to make a judgment.
The text of the authenticity letter from the Panoz factory follows:
19th day of July 2012
This document will authenticate the provenance by the Panoz factory of the Panoz Roadster VIN# 1P9PR2820PB213007 built and shipped to Mr Milan Puskar for his approval on 09/10/1993 and consequent purchase on 3rd November 1993. Mr Puskar was a long time friend and partner of Dr Donald Panoz and he placed this car into storage and full maintenance preservation as a collectable asset, the car was often used for display in various events around Morgantown, the car was never driven for more than a fraction of a mile on any occasion over the years and then only as a pert of its maintenance program as a drivable collectable. The car had been used for display in recent years at a friend of Mr Puskars exotic car dealership for display only.The roadster was returned to its birth place at Panoz Auto Development in Hoschton Georgia in the spring of 2012 and was completely checked out and serviced with new fluids and a full tune up. This was done by the very same staff that had built the car in 1992 and still work at the Panoz factory handling service, maintenance and repair of Panoz vehicles.
final edit, 2/13/2013: SOLD! Again, we hope we influenced it, and we'd love to hear from the new owner!
edit, 1/18/2013: This car is on hold by the seller. We hope that we helped influence this move.
(all photos from the seller, wirewheel.com)
This rare British roadster, with only 18,000 miles, and a model never sold in the USA, somehow ended up at a British sports car specialist in Florida. While still too new for legal ownership in the US, it just turned 15 years old, so this car can be legally imported and enjoyed by Canadians, it can be repatriated to the UK very easily, and there are many other places that this car can be owned and driven legally. Just 10 more years before it can come to the US, assuming that a politician with protectionist or uberenvironmentalist intents does not overturn the 21/25 exemption in favor of something stricter or no imports at all, or if 21/25 is liberalized into something like what Canada has for private vehicle imports.
The design is unusual but appealing, the engine is a 5.0-liter, 340hp Rover V8 with fuel injection and backed by a 5-speed Tremec manual transmission, it is fully loaded with leather seats, air conditioning, an alarm system and power windows/locks, and being a British car manufactured for Japanese exports, it is right-hand drive.
$43,900 USD buys this car, but Insomniac Garage does not recommend that an American purchases the car unless they export it to a vacation home or timeshare in Canada or some other place that it is legal, registers it there and does not bring it to the US until it is legal.
