what is the rarest car you have come across

I was at Harrah's in the '70s, so there's quite a list. But outside that sort of context, there was a Bugatti T13 - swb but not sure if it's a genuine Brescia - at a local outdoor car show a few years ago.

 

It was Built by me,I really wanted a Vicky and did not have the funds to buy one,but I have been cutting cars up and putting them back together all my life so I transformed a derelict Fordor into one........here is the build thread
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=570915

 

This monster is not a Model Z, it is actually a 1911 Olds "Limited"....the largest American production car ever built. 138" wb...707 ci T-head 6-cyl and 42" wheels. This car stands 8 ft tall with the top up and will do well over 90 mph in top gear.

Only a handful survive today.

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Is that the car that was custom made from a sedan? I recall reading about it somewhere.
That may be why it's the only one.

 

Back in the mid 70's, before I had a license, the first car I ever drove was my father's 1963 Facel Vega Facel II. As I recall there were about 180 of them made, give or take. Inasmuch as my father was out of town on business at the time and inasmuch as I rear ended our 1968 Barracuda as I was trying to put the Facel back in the garage, it was also almost the last car I ever drove.

Years later I purchased a 1984 Mustang anniversary edition turbo convertible. It was rare for a Mustang (100 or so made) but still was just another Mustang in most ways.

 

It was '99.


And that original upolstery proved to be of historical interest. One of the guys that does Auburn/ Cord upolstery used facotry patterns, but had never before verified some of the material combinations, becuase there wer no original upolstery cars to inspect.

 

1937 pontiac hearse. Got bought out from under me : (

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I sold a set of Rallye 1's to a guy in 1991 or so. He had a swiss cheese Catalina there, but the real surprise was an aluminum Pontiac frame he had standing against the wall inside his garage. I didn't believe him at first, until he insisted I grab ahold of it. He got it from a Pontiac family in Missouri, whose name I don't recall. It was for sale a few years ago, $50,000.00. His name was Phil Heck, in Gallipolis, Ohio.

 

A 1 of 320 made 1963 Catalina 421 t-10 4 speed factory tach car. It had been in a barn since 1977. One owner car. I bought it. Had the facts verified by PHS. Still keep in touch with the original owner. He's coming out this spring to my place to see progress on it.

 

I've had a few rare early chevs. Had a 31' Phaeton, only 852 produced and 31' Landau Phaeton, similar to Ford's B-400. Currently working on 31 chev Cabriolet.

 

I rode with a friend a few times in his 31 Cadillac V16 9 passenger sedan. He hated Fords of the sane era because of the claims that the flathead 8 was so fast. One day he took the Cadillac up to 100mph, which it did with ease, just to show me what a "real" car was capable of back then. More than impress, it scared me because it was an unrestored car that had seen long periods of storage between driving.

As far as owned, I had an import not mentionable here, but set the rallye racing world on its head.
Also had a 67 Ford Custom 2 door post that was special ordered delete everything, 390 4speed, posi rear. Turned out to be 1 of 11 Customs with that drive train, and the only one in that color.

Another, a 63 Falcon Sprint convertible, 4speed with power brakes and power steering, in rose beige color. The color alone made it rare, but with the power brakes and steering I'm sure it was ordered special and quite rare. Never seen another one.

 

That '53 Skylark convertible, I sold, I never did hear from the Austrailian guy again.

So I sold it again to a local guy who restored one from pieces of three. That wasn't a bad deal, I paid $100 for the body and frame, then went back a week later and spent $50 more for the bent up hood and fenders. All told I made over $3000 on it.

Since then I've picked up another Stude Rockne, a '32 Model 75. Well, I got the body anyhow, and the tag. Supposed to be less than 100 of those anywhere.

 

I shared rented garage space with a guy restoring a 1927 Bugatti Type 35 Gran Prix racer:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugatti_Type_37
http://www.rmauctions.com/lots/lot.cfm?lot_id=1058577

We were at opposite ends of the garage and price range.

 

I was introduced to this car in 1947 (I was very young) It is a 1930 Jordan Ace 8 roadster and is the only one in the world. My friend Laddie owned it and he is responsible for me starting to work on cars. In 1954 my first car blew a head gasket and I asked Laddie if he would fix it, He said no but I could use his place, tools and he would show me how to do it. That started it all. Laddie was a car guy from the 20's through out his life. He used to hang out at the Jordan plant here in Cleveland and was familiar with this car when it was being built. It is one of two prototype cars built and the only one in existence. When Laddie died the car was bought by a local collector and restored to Concours condition by Jim Capaldi here in Willoughby Ohio. I tried for 50 years to talk Laddie into selling it to me, or his 1947 Cadillac convertible he owned since 1947, but no luck. I was thrilled to see this car in restored conditioned. It is beautiful and museum quality.

 

The car I recently purchased, a 1937 Vauxhall DX MK11 3W Coupe,i can't find a pic of one anywhere! can you?

 

Rare Oldsmobile, in the early 60's I started working for a small Olds dealership in Walla Walla, WA. In '68/'69 when returning from lunch saw a dark metallic blue (a non-stock color) '66 F-85 442 club coupe with black & gold California plates, mag front wheels and steel rims on the rear sitting in one of shop driveways. As I got closer saw what looked like home made Ram-Air inlets through the bumper, the battery was being charged so the hood was up, then saw the factory chrome valve covers, oil filler tube & cap and shiny Manta-Ray shaped tri-power air cleaner. Looked inside the car, radio & heater delete plates were in place, this would of been 1 of 54 W-30 optioned 442's factory built in 1966. As I write this I remembered that the battery should of been trunk mounted in the W-30 package, that long ago my memory is a little vague on this point. But, what a great street racer this F-85 should have been.
Happy Holidays, DYNO DAVE

 

Ran across a Messerschmitt in a garage once. I now have a lead on a 1917ish Stutz roadster in a garage, last seen about 30 years ago, but might still be there...gotta follow that one up!

 

VW wanted to buy this one. A bit out of my range!

 

The rarest car I have ever owned was my el strippo special ordered '69 302 Falcon coupe.

Delivered by a blind carrier pigeon.

 

i know of a marquette....late 20s...or early 30s....

 

1965 DeTomasso Mangusto. Sports car, mid engine, 440 MoPar powered. I drove it. Brutal.. fast..

 

Trying to build my 1st rod a 39 Chevy in about 1975 I found a late 20s rare boattail speedster body in Roanoke Va. Looked like a 26 or 27. Had the oval hole in the back sloped deck. I sold some old parts and paid $100.00 for it. Solid old body. Never wanted to sell it, to poor to keep it. Needed money to get the old chevy on the road, somebody offered me $200.00. Embarressed to say what the guy got for it at Hershey! I've always had to buy and sell to build! Getting ready to do it again.

 

Came across a Brooks steam car in a private collection. It was original and unrestored, and had a boiler wrapped with piano wire for strength. They were Canada's version of the Stanley Steamer built in Ontario in the 20's. Something like 180 made... less than 14 known to still exist.

 

1960 facel vega with a 383 chrysler automatic..owned it for a week , was stored behind a warehouse , they destroyed the car by running forklift blades through it...i paid 300.00 and sold it a week later for 3 grand.....

 

I have a russian GAZ-13 Chaika limo. Built 3100 between 1958-1981...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaika_(car)

 

In the early '60s, a stock AC Bristol aluminum bodied sports car. This is the body that Shelby used to create the AC Cobra. It was in the neighbors back yard.

 

A Bocar, powered by an early Corvette fuelie, in a private collection in Traverse City, MI. Saw one run at the old Meadowdale in '59/'60.

 

Great thread, lets not jeopardize it with OT stuff. Hate to see this one shut down, there's some great reading here. Just a friendly reminder.

 

I found a Yellow 59 Eldorado Convertible behind a house in Orlando Fla while driving a taxi cab. It was a factory bucket seat car, I told my friend about it and he bought it for 300.00. This was around 1980. He sold the car for 2900 and it went to Sweden. He thought he made a killing.

 

The rarest car I came across was a De Dion Bouton from 1899 or thereabouts. Also seen a Metz, a high wheeler truck.