what is the rarest car you have come across

Friend of mine has a '68 Hemi Dart factory race car. He bought it from Mr. Norm back in the day and used to race it all over. It's been sitting for many years and I've been bugging him to sell it.

 

FWD=Four Wheel Drive. That's the name of the company originally based in Clintonville, WI. Their first vehicle was actually a steam-powered full-time four wheel drive car, built in 1908. In 1911, about 6 four wheel drive touring cars were built. So much for the new Jeep (Chrissyler) commercials that claim the first full-time four wheel drive vehicle.

Another rare vehicle would have to be the 1942 Ford Ranger. Marmon Herrington (Marmon, of the past Marmon 16 fame) converted stock Ford sedan deliveries to four wheel drive. The unfinished vehicles were then shipped to an aftermarket body shop (Shop of Seibert was one), to have side windows and passenger seats installed. These conversions were factory-approved. The Rangers made a second appearance from 1948-1956. Supposedly, 50 were built. Again, a false claim from Chrissyler Jeep about the first SUV. Marmon Herrington beat you to it with the 1936 and up converted Ford woody wagons

 

A fellow that lived across the street from my sister-in-law owned a 1967 L88 coupe. Big gas tank and brakes. 4:11 rear and radio/heater delete. Before I found out it was one of 20, I was disappointed because it was not the tri-power 427.

 

no its not a willys overland

 

A 34 plymouth woodie, I'm setting in my garage looking at it. they say none exist?? I've had it for 30+ yrs. and NO not selling, it's gonna be a street rod.

 

is it a high roof wagon

 

my dad had a '37 Hollywood Graham in the garage the whole time I was growing up. Then when I grew up..... he sold it, I guess I should have been a better son.

 

Closest I've come to owning rare was my first car, a 58 Pontiac Super Chief 2 door. Only 2 door one I've ever seen. All the other 2 doors I've seen were Chieftans. Had a strange Carter Carb and a wierd simi- auto turbohydro tranny that wouldn't shift if you were on the gas. You had to let off the gas pedal to shift! How many automatics you see laying a long dual rubber trail on the shifts? And when I sent in the numbers off the carb to Carter for a rebuild kit, they offered to buy the carb back from me and replace it with a new thermo-quad! Supposedly the car was built for some Can-Am race.

Next was my 59 Buick Invicta Wagon. I've seen 1 other of those. 445 Wildcat special engine, power windows, power seats, wonderbar radio with a button under the carpet to shift stations with your foot. Man, that thing was as loaded as any top of the line Caddy.

 

Iso's and Bizarinis were Designed Gioto Bizzarini,the same guy, who after he finished fighting with his boss,Enzo Ferrari ,designed the Lambo V12. Iso's are usually Ford 351 or Chev 327 powered .A real Muscle car!. Bizzarini Strada's are 327 Chev powered. Theres one in a shed down the end of my street.It was cut up years ago and has remained in peices ever since. I know of another ISo ,a lele ,351 Clevo powered ,also stored in a shed and off the road forever.A small car, all hand made and with amazing suspension and probably the biggest exhausts ever fitted to a 'stock' car.

 

Took this pic about 27 years ago,1940 Ford ute. Not many built,fuckall left .

 

And heres the first car I ever restored ( i was 15) A 1934 Morris 8 Coupe ,1 of 1 built.

 

my 48 dodge woodie is pretty rare.. about 10 or 12 known 48 thru 54's known to exist. so far I have the only 48 that has been identified.. (thou a guy in Cal has a 49 dodge 4x4 version (only one known about) that is titled as a 49 but it has a 48 body on it... it was started in later 48 but not finished until 49 and that is how the factory titled it... The 48 woodie body is a one year only version, sliding rear door windows (49-54 has roll down) and the body is narrower then the 49-54. Both of the 49's are owned by the same guy in San Diego and he was nice enough to allow me to visit him and show me the differences (educate me).

48 Dodge B1 (with 48 woodie body


49 Dodge B1 - 4X4 (with 48 body)


49 Dodge B1 (with 49-54 woodie body)

 

Chevy 490 ?

 

yes this is the rarest car i have come across .built from 1916 to 1922 about 7500 cars were built and no it isnt a chevy 490 (keep trying mercmad)

 

we bought a 1964 hans glas. a german sports car that looked like a cross between a 240 z and a karman ghia. had great lines and cool dash. overhead cam 4 cylinder and 4 speed. the history freaked us out. originally bought in california by a man who later commited suicide. his son in arkansas inherited the car and shortly after he commited suicide too. we couldn't sell the car fast enough.

 

About 15 years ago we had a 1949 Mercedes roadster in a body shop I managed. The owner dropped it off for us to work on it, he had pulled all the trim and motor/ trans. Never heard from him again, never started work on it. After a year or so I filled a storage lien on it, I thought about hot rodding it but sold it at a lien auction to a buddy for $75! (only bid) The buyer finnally chased down the owner, seems he had gone to jail for a couple years, was pissed he lost the car and wanted $30,000 for the rest of the parts. Turns out it was a rare coach built body, 1 of 3 ever built and 1 of 2 still around. A museum came out, gave my buddy 75,000 for it and the 30 for the rest, said it was a $300,000 car restored. I should of hot rodded it, it would got some restorers real excited!

 

OT/ this past weekend i saw a 1988 lotus 40th anniversary edition, only 88 made, so they said, not realy a HAMB rod.

 

I've got a 30 marquette sedan they only made them for 1 and a half years the started late in 29 and started showing them in the showrooms with the buick(marquette was a sub division or branch of Buick meant to cut into the sales the other luxury car companys at the start of the depression). they had a pretty large production of around 36,000 between late 29 to 30 when buick axed the company, as it was cuting into other GM sales. they arn't really worth that much as a car but worth mor in parts, as in most cases these are not turned into hotrods but rather restored cars for old men who live on golf courses.

 

i had a 1925 maxwell tried to get parts for 12 months .finally found an older person who had three of them .he helped me get the motor running and also with some parts .i ended up selling the car to him cheap as he wanted to build a car for his grandson (who lives very close to a golf course)

 

My neighbour has a Gray Dort woody wagon in his barn/workshop. One of six known to exist so he says. The car is beautifully restored but languishes under a tarp. I told him he should have it out on Sundays. No Time! he says. I told I'd drive the damn thing! No luck so far!

 

Virgil, if you ever get the chance, take some pic of that woodie for me. I have never seen one..

 

hard to believe six grey dort woody wagons exist . love to see one

 

I had a chance to buy a '64 TVR-Griffith a few years back:



Basically, it was a 1,700 lb British sports car that Jack Griffith of New York worked over (by stuffing a 271 hp 289 into it). They were lightning fast little cars.

-Lee
www.atomicpinup.com

 

1700lb 271bhp sounds like a lotta rare fun to me

 

Ya, my dad knew a guy that had one back in the sixties....if you get them to hook (and that's a big "if") they'd go 0-60 in under 4 seconds.

-Lee
www.atomicpinup.com

 

I'll try. I don't get over there much. He has a busy horse farm. He has another old car sitting beside it under a tarp too but I don't recall what it was but it is 30's/40's vintage also. Another elderly neighbour has a what I believe is a 40's Buick that he used to use as a daily driver. It is converted to propane. He now has a Model A, again as a daily driver but he mainly uses it to go to church. Sounds like a cliche but it's true! They are parked outside in the drive so I'll snap them maybe today on the way to the dump and post them. Sorry for the thread hijack. As you were!

 

no thread hijack here virgil thanks for youre input .a photo of a dort woody is worth waiting for

 

I stopped by late yesterday but he was on his way out so I couldn't get any pics of his cars. I was mistaken. It isn't a Gray Dort ( what the hell was I thinking??) It is a 1927 Star woody wagon and the other car is a 1940 Plymouth P-10. They are both beautifully restored. I need to pester him to get them out and running around. Maybe when my car is running I can cajole him!
Anyway here is a pic of the other neighbours daily drivers and a 1914 model T that was at the Beer Store when I arrived. The Historical Car Club of Canada's meet is on at the fairground this week so I'll be dropping by today for a look see.

 

1963 DUAL GHIA - Chrysler frame/chassis with Hemi engine, body and car assembled in Italy......I've only seen one, a rare sports car convertible

 

In the early 70's there was a guy with a "yard" outside of Memphis,Tn.Actually probably closer to Moscow,Tn..He had a bunch of tasty cars sitting outside and inside.Next to the road he had a Pegasus car from France? It was the Paris show car.It was drop dead gorgeous.Looked like a ferrari designed by Ghia.
He finally moved it back in the yard because the door hinges got worn out by people stopping in and looking at it.
Someone mentioned Kaiser Darrins in an earlier post.When I was in the Navy in the Moffit Field (Mountain View ,Ca.),I use to drive by a field off of 101.There were about 100 Kaisers in there including 3 Darins.