Please Save Me: 1955-56 Powell Sport Wagon Pickup Truck

The Powell Sport Wagon was one of the most unusual post-WWII independent-make American vehicles. The use of remanufactured 1940-41 Plymouth car chassis, Plymouth, Dodge, Chrysler Industrial or war-surplus Dodge military flathead six engines and parts-bin sourcing elsewhere was odd, but made for a very serviceable, dependable and inexpensive to build light truck. 

This truck looks to have lots of surface rust, quite a bit of denting, missing glass and most trim missing, but all the Powell-specific bits other than the front badge and grille bar supports are there, and all the missing Powell-specific stuff can be gotten or helped with through the Powell Registry, which the buyer of this truck should join. Some items are off-the-shelf pieces like 1942-47 Ford truck headlight rings, utility trailer lighting for taillights & turn signals, 1950 Ford 4-door sedan rear-door trim strips for the grille bar chrome, 1940-41 Plymouth or Kaiser Henry-J steering wheels and 1940-41 Plymouth instruments, eBay will be the best place to find those. Using auto parts store-derived license plate mounting & lighting pieces will not be frowned upon, and in fact may well be accurate.

Here is an excellent article on the Powell.

Find this Powell here, near Seneca, Missouri, for $950 (or go here if ad disappears)

This Powell has no title, but will legally have to be sold on a bill of sale, so either a lost-title application with the Missouri DMV, or going through Broadway Title are your best ways to get a title.

Found on Craigslist: 1974 Toyota Celica ST

One of my father's favorite cars he ever owned was a yellow 1975 Toyota Celica GT. I've long had a soft spot for the little Japanese sport coupes with their mini-muscle-car styling. This Celica is an automatic ST model in original driver condition. Perhaps the best part of this one is the interior; it looks perfect. The body has some dents and scrapes here and there but mechanically is described as being well maintained and only has 62,000 miles on it. By Toyota standards, it's just a baby!

Photos courtesy seller - Craigslist

For $4995, is this an easy sell-ica or would you rather STay away? Find it here or click here if the ad expires.

Found on Craigslist: 1949 Cadillac Pickup

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.

EV Rarity: 1980 Jet Industries Electravan (Subaru Sambar)

Meme face added to protect owner's privacy.

Compare size to a modern "minivan"


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.

Find it here for $5000 in St. Paul, Minnesota (or go here if ad disappears)



Here is a video of an Electravan, showing us what it's all about. (not the vehicle on offer)