This Week’s Weird and Wonderful—April 24, 2026 You Should Know
You won’t see any Ford Mustangs in this week’s list, but today is the 62nd birthday of the original pony car, and we’re not going to let that pass without noting it. What you will see below is a curated collection of the most interesting and unique vehicles featured on BaT in the last seven days. These certainly aren’t the only notable auctions on our site. In fact, there were many, many vehicles that we weren’t able to exclude from our piece without experiencing some serious mental anguish. But you can still find them among the ~1,100 cars currently on our live auctions page.
Enjoy this week’s selection of Weird and Wonderful BaT auctions, and let us know what else you think should be on our list!
Ex-Carl Chakmakian 1952 Nash-Healey Roadster w/Rambler Rebel V8
Nash and AMC executive Carl Chakmakian had a deep-seeded vehicular enthusiasm. He was an automotive engineer by profession, a weekend racer, and the president of his local SCCA chapter. Naturally, he also became a champion of AMC performance. So when it came time to choose a daily driver, he landed on a Nash-Healey, though it definitely needed more power. As he put it, the Nash-Healey was a “natural” for an American Motors V8 engine installation, and he set his sights on the 327ci mill from a Rambler Rebel.
The idea of swapping an AM V8 into a Nash-Healey wasn’t new. One of Chakmakian’s buddies had swapped a 327 into a Nash-Healey coupe a year earlier, (documented in an issue of Hot Rod Magazine), and a handful of swaps were later carried out for other Nash execs. Chakmakian himself even detailed his process in an issue of Speed Mechanics.
Ex–Camel Trophy 1992 Land Rover Discovery 200Tdi 5-Speed
You’ve probably seen a few rigs around town dressed up like this, but usually the tough-guy look is just a costume. This Disco, however, is a veteran of the 1993 Camel Trophy—the most grueling off-road competition ever designed. So, those aren’t accessories—they’re equipment, and they were used by the Italian team of Matteo Ghiazza and Giovanni Formica as they and 15 other teams scouted, swore, smoked, winched, and wrenched their way through the dense jungles of Sabah, Malaysia’s northernmost province on the island of Borneo. The American team won for the first time that year, but in a competition like the Camel Trophy, mere survival is a victory in itself. We absolutely love that the seller preserved this truck’s bruises and scars, opting only to repair rust and de-stink the interior.
57-Years-Family-Owned 1962 Austin Mini Beach Car
If Fiat’s beach car was the “Jolly,” a British equivalent might be called “Right. Very Good, Then.” During the early 1960s, Austin Mini cashed in on the doorless trend to drum up interest for the Mini’s arrival in North America with the Mini Beach Car. Styled by Dick Burzi and built by Longbridge Experimental, a mere 15 cars were produced. One was even specified in right-hand drive for the Queen—who, as “a knowledgeable motorist, doubtlessly enjoyed traveling in this unconventional little vehicle as much as she did in her Rolls.” This example was purchased new by the owner’s grandfather in 1969 and has remained in the family for 57 years.
Focus ST–Swapped 2014 Ford Transit Connect XLT 6-Speed
We’re planting a flag: the minivan might just be the automobile’s ultimate state. If given enough time, a passenger vehicle will evolve to take a minivan-like shape—you can see it happening with the entire category of crossover SUVs, in much the same way that nature keeps turning things into crabs. We know that many consider the minivan “uncool,” but we try to be ecumenical here at BaT. This 2014 Ford Transit Connect obviates the need to bite one’s tongue, because the owner made it undeniably cool by swapping in the guts of a contemporary Focus ST, from interior bits to a turbocharged 2.0-liter Ecoboost four-pot paired to a six-speed transaxle. That four-banger was further massaged with an ATP Garrett GTX2863R turbocharger, CP-e Exhale kit with a Tial blow-off valve, and COBB intake components. Vans like this are great for commercial work, and the seller previously used it for his business, which was…wait for it…installing radar detectors. We’ve got a feeling he was able to make most of the four-banger’s 401 equine units and 353 lb-ft of torque.
Dripps & Gibby 283-Powered ’32 Ford Roadster Ex-Land Speed Record Car
Photo via Dripps + Phinney Studio
Robin “Bobby” Dripps and Rob Gibby are a pair of lifelong friends who grew up building hot rods, and teamed up to take on the Bonneville Salt Flats in 2002. Between 2005 and 2010, this ’32 Ford was their steed in the E/STR (E Street Roadster) class, and with it they turned in two record runs of 168.370 and 173.609 mph. The original builder of the car, Bob Dauernheim, later recommissioned it for street use, so the roll cage and 700-horsepower race engine are gone, but the provenance remains (as do a few rust bubbles from all the salt). Dripps is a highly-regarded architect by trade, and Gibby an engineer, and the build quality evinces this. Journalist and author A.J. Baime covered their story for the Wall Street Journal several years back, and a version of it can be read here in Car Guy Chronicles. The sale is auction is being handled by Wayne Carrini’s F40 Motorsports, and Mr. Gibby himself is providing detail in the comments.
1999 Ferrari 360 Modena Koenig Specials Twin Turbo
Koenig-modified cars are wild enough to begin with, and this one took things up a notch from there. This 1999 Ferrari 360 Modena first passed through the Koenig Specials shop in 2003, when its 3.6L F131 V8 received twin KKK turbochargers and supporting mods to match. By 2006, it was in Italy for an N-GT-style bodykit with a repaint in a deep purple called Viola Hong Kong. It was acquired by the selling dealer in 2024—the same year its interior was re-trimmed in Alcantara in a shade we’re going to call fuschia. Definitely fuschia.
1963 Rene Bonnet Djet Race Car
The 1963 Djet was the first rear mid-engine production car, and this example is one of 198 built under the original designer, Rene Bonnet, before his company ran out of money and transferred production of the model to Matra, who was already building the fiberglass bodies. The Djet (pronounced like a fancier French version of “jet”) was a racing car first, and a road car second. Before it even reached production, it had won its class at Le Mans in 1962, and taken the Index of Thermal Efficiency prize in 1963.
Fittingly, this car participated in European rallies and events in the 1960s, and somewhere along the way received an upgraded 1.3-liter four and Gordini transaxle. It was fully race-prepped by the seller, and is pictured running at the major California vintage racing like Monterey and Sonoma.
1963 M53/59 Praga 6×6 “Lizard”
Somehow, we’ve tapped into a vein of Czech-built Cold War armor—this Praga is the second vehicle in that category to appear on the site in the last two weeks. Praga is one of Czechia’s oldest automakers, dating back to 1907, and over the last 120 years has made tanks, planes, motorcycles, buses, and passenger cars, and now builds the Praga R1 endurance racer and Bohema hypercar. They made the M53/59 “Lizard” on the platform of their successful V3S military transport for almost 20 years, and it seems that most of these mobile AA units found their way to the Balkans, though their “look and shoot” manual guidance system was pretty outmoded by the 1990s when they saw the most combat. This one was once deployed in defense of the homeland, and now protects these Santa Clara vineyards from the Napa Valley hordes.
The Lotus Carlton is the most unobtrusive unobtanium we’ve seen in a long time. Even if more than 950 had been made, spotting one would still be a challenge. GM’s V-body was badged as Opel, Vauxhall, Chevy, and Isuzu in global markets, and was known the world over as a humdrum executive sedan with a selection of powerplants ranging from tepid to respectable. Lotus, in their brief tenure with General Motors, turned this humble saloon into their own creation—the Type 104—and it was fully deserving of its Lotus badge and dark green paint.
On the outside, apparent changes were limited to some bolted-on plastic aero its and a nice set of Ronal wheels, but under the skin, the fully-independent suspension was tuned for performance, the cabin was upgraded with Recaro-ish sport seats and liberal application of black leather, and the 3.0L Opel six was built up with Mahle pistons, Lotus-designed connecting rods, a forged crankshaft, a water-to-air intercooler, and twin Garrett T25 turbochargers for a stated output of 377 horsepower and 417 lb-ft of torque. Using the GM parts bin to their advantage, Lotus engineers even cribbed a ZF six-speed transmission from the ZR-1 program. The Carlton is one of those cars that shows up on many “dream car” lists, but they almost never come to market. We have auctioned exactly one other example, a left-hand-drive car (called the Omega outside the UK) that showed up in 2022.
Honorable Mentions:
Professional Dry-Ice Cleaning Equipment
It has been foretold that someday a new king will come to the DryceNation. And though the streets will flow with grime, there will be rejoicing, for every chassis shall be made spotless.
35-Years-Owned Modified 1974 Datsun 260Z 5-Speed
This 260Z was built by the seller in the early 2000s, while working through the grief of losing his son. We’ll let the seller take it away here:
“My brother joined me, and together we set out to restore and reimagine the car my son had adored. The finished Z blends all his favorite elements: the front end of an AC Cobra, a Camaro teardrop hood scoop, the rear body of a ’62 Ferrari GTO, and even a Porsche-style whale tail. With my years as a master Nissan mechanic and our shared experience running a Z-car restoration shop — where my brother handles the bodywork and paint with unmatched skill — we figured we were as well-prepared as anyone to bring this dream to life.”
This machine is an 80%-scale rendition of the legendary Ferrari 312PB, built by the seller with nothing more than a handful of reference photos and his own two hands. It rides over a tube-frame chassis with boxed aluminum sections, and while full-size 312PBs were powered by a flat-12 boxer, this one’s powered by a water-cooled 1,520cc SOHC flat-six, which ought to have a little more oomph than your average go-kart. Eat your heart out, Malibu Grand Prix!
M10-Powered 1964 Peugeot 404 Cabriolet
The island Republic of Madagascar had (and still has) a Peugeot distributor, and that’s where this particular 404 Cabriolet was sold new and later received a cosmetic refurb. While it retains its natural Pininfarina beauty, the driveline and front suspension are now BMW 2002 assemblies, and that doesn’t seem like it could be a bad thing.
Thanks for checking out this edition of the Weekly Weird & Wonderful! Follow this page to get updates when new installments post, and tell what caught your eye or what you think we’ve left out!
