This Week’s Weird and Wonderful—December 5, 2025: A Practical Look
For a good many of us, the sky is dark by the time work is over on Friday, and all we want to do is retreat to the safety of the caves to warm our faces with the glow of the LCD screen while we ponder the finer points of automotive arcana. It is for this purpose that we present this week’s selection of Weird and Wonderful vehicles, plucked from among the ~1,000 live auctions continually running on our pages. We do not endeavor to make this list comprehensive, because we know you have things to do, but if you’re in need of more goodness please head over to our live auctions page and do whatever the opposite of doom-scrolling is.
Enjoy this week’s Weird & Wonderful, and let us know what other listings grabbed your attention in the comments.
Ex–Sultan of Brunei 1986 Lamborghini LM002 Wagon by Diomante
The mystique surrounding the Sultan of Brunei’s car collection nearly eclipses the collection itself. Nobody knows how many thousands of vehicles it contained at its height. Even after some significant liquidations, its holdings are the subject of rumor and speculation. This funky one-off Rambo Lambo once lived among the harem, and features an enclosed high-roof wagon body from Italian carrozzeria Autocostruzioni Salvatore Diomante. After its initial escape, it made its way to German automotive executive Bernd Pischetsrieder, and eventually went to Sweden, where it was pressed into duty as the family minivan. That last bit is probably the coolest thing we’ve heard all week.
1997 Lincoln Town Car Excalibur-Style Limousine
It’s no stretch (ahem) to say the original Excalibur limousine was one of the only factory-built limos of its kind—not a traditional “cut-and-stretch” job, but a Neoclassic car born with a long torso and a silver spoon in hand. Roughly 3,500 examples were built, and they’re seldom seen today. This one pays tribute to the original, and rides on a 1997 Lincoln Town Car chassis. It was refurbished in 2011, and has traveled nearly 200k miles. That’s a whole lot of suit-and-tie. To the opera, James.
65-Years-Family-Owned 1953 Cisitalia 808XF Coupe Prototype
Cisitalia’s star burned bright among post-war Italian sports car builders, though it had flamed out by 1963. This gorgeous one-off coupe was commissioned by Ford, designed and built by Cisitalia, bodied by Ghia, and placed onto a Cisitalia chassis outfitted with Mercury power and running gear. As you might imagine, three companies collaborating across two continents does not an efficient process make, and after the ~$50,000 prototype was completed, two additional cars were built before Ford determined the model would be too expensive to produce. Thankfully, the 808XF prototype wasn’t consigned to the scrap heap, and was sold into private hands before its International Auto Show debut in 1953. The seller’s uncle acquired it in Long Island from Jericho Motors, a dealership associated with Henry Ford II, and it has remained in one family since. The seller undertook an extended refurbishment that even corrected some of the unsorted prototype details, and in 2024 it was brought out to wow the crowds once again, this time at the Greenwich Concours.
We were tantalizingly close to getting this menacingly sleek GTA in the States—Renault even spent a couple million dollars to bring it up to US spec, emissions and all. They struck a deal with AMC to sell the company’s cars through their US network, but after the 1986 assassination of then-CEO Georges Besse, new boss Raymond Lévy shifted Renault’s efforts back to the home market. Chrysler’s purchase of AMC soon after served as the final nail in the coffin. The Alpine V6 Turbo is a rare sight on US roads, and this example was imported from Germany in 2024.
1994 Lotus Sport 110 Time Trial Bicycle
The late 1980s and early 1990s was a time of intense experimentation in the bicycle industry, as new materials and methods of manufacturing opened up new possibilities. Into the fray jumped Lotus, who built their Z-shaped carbon-monocoque Type 108 frame to be licensed to British cycling manufacturers. It was promptly banned from UCI competition, but resurfaced a few years later after the ban on monocoque construction was lifted. It was ridden into history by Chris Boardman, who captured the Absolute Hour record using his now-banned “superman” riding position, but no matter, he took gold in the Individual Pursuit at the 1992 Olympics, as well. The subsequent run of production bikes were called the Lotus 110 (the Type 109 F1 chassis had been built in the interim). This is one of the production bikes, and comes with a significant collection of equipment, including removable track dropouts, should one want to emulate Boardman more precisely.
c.1962 Centurion Mk 13 Main Battle Tank
Well, if you’re looking to flesh out your collection of British main battle tanks, this is a great opportunity. Just a few weeks ago, we sold an early Chieftain—the successor to the Centurion above—leaving only the Challenger needed to complete the trifecta. This Centurion was one of the last of its breed (Mk 13!), and nearly 20 years after WWII was still powered by a 650 hp, naturally-aspirated variant of the Rolls-Royce Merlin V12.
With 152mm armor plating, a 105mm gun, and smoke grenade launchers bristling from the turret, it looks ready to take on anyone who ever dared to disparage the quality of British steel.
1917 WWI US Army Trailmobile Co. Medical Wagon w/ Supply Wagon
The fact that the US Military was using covered wagons to transport supplies and casualties during the First World War is a sobering reminder of how vulnerable infantryman were during the world’s first large-scale mechanized conflict. A few planks and a canvas sheet offered meager protection from the weather, let alone German artillery, for those on their way to or from the trenches. On a happier note, these Trailmobile wagons survived the Great War and found work in a Bonanza-themed attraction named Ponderosa Ranch. And now we’re going to have the theme song stuck in our heads for the rest of the day.
Ex–Richard Petty 1970 Plymouth Superbird
Last week we featured the Torino Talladega, a car that lured Richard Petty away from Chrysler for the 1969 season. This week we’re featuring the car Plymouth created to win him back: the Superbird. The gambit worked so well that Petty bought this car car in 1982 and displayed it at the Petty Museum in Level Cross, North Carolina, throughout the ’90s. The King relinquished ownership in 2013, and the newest owner commissioned a refresh through Petty’s Garage in Randleman, North Carolina. It’s currently offered on dealer consignment through BaT seller/Local Partner @GrahamRahalPerformance, and includes a signed Richard Petty cowboy hat. Sunglasses sold separately.
This 1951 Allard P1 is shaped like a shoe because it was made to run. This one is a Competition series model, and it boasts a bigger 267ci Mercury V8 topped with Offie heads, an Edmunds intake manifold, and twin Strombergs. Founder Sydney Allard won the Monte Carlo Rally with a P1 in 1952—one of the marques most significant victories. This particular example has participated in the New England 1000 Rally twice. It’s also been on the green at various Concours events most recently, though we would love to see it hustling over the hardpack at a vintage driving event.
Why yes, we sell trophy trucks now. This one was built in Santee, California, circa 2010 by Jimco, a company originally founded in 1975 by a Navy veteran named—you guessed it—Jim. Jim Julson, to be precise. Peel back the composite bodywork, which shows visual nods to a 12th-generation F-150/Raptor, and you’ll see a tubular chassis housing a 471ci V8, a TH400 three-speed gearbox, and King remote-reservoir coilovers. It lacks a VIN and carries no registration, but we could imagine it would do just fine hitting the curbs.
Honorable Mentions
1958 Edsel Villager Nine-Passenger Station Wagon and 1959 Edsel Corsair Convertible
Say what you’ll say about the Edsel name, but this capacious Villager station wagon oozes 1950s Jet Age aura. This one is appropriately finished in Sunset Coral. Peep the Teletouch buttons nestled within the hub of the steering wheel, which frames the neat barrel speedometer. And those taillights—man, are they cool.
The Edsel’s styling was toned down for 1959, which can be seen on this Corsair convertible. That year, the Corsair itself became Edsel’s top trim level, and a total of 1,343 convertibles were built for the brave few willing to be seen behind the wheel of what had already unfortunately become a four-wheeled punchline.
Turbocharged Volkswagen-Powered Bugatti Type 35B Replica
We’ve seen Volkswagens transformed into dune buggies, GT40s, vans, roadsters, Porsches, and all manner of custom creations, but this is the first time we have seen one masquerading as a Bugatti. It was once owned by the scion of the Olan Mills franchise, and would look great on a background of lasers.
This race car-styled go-kart is irresistibly cute, and it has ostensibly been blessed by the backside of Jim Clark himself, which makes it deserving of its own shrine.
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