This Week’s Weird and Wonderful

Hopefully you’ve all survived St. Valentine’s Day with your hearts intact, but if things didn’t go as planned, let this week’s Weird and Wonderful be a balm for your emotional wounds. Here we have assembled a collection of interesting, impressive, strange, and noteworthy vehicles from out of the ~800 or so on our live auctions page, in hopes that you may feel joy once again by pondering these treasures of transportation. And if that doesn’t help, well…there are burnouts.

Enjoy this week’s Weird and Wonderful, and let us know what else caught your eye in the comments!

1955 Autonacional Biscuter 100 Project

Minimalism has a long history as a luxury aesthetic, but post-war European automakers embraced it out of the necessities imposed in turns by material scarcity and the strictures of the Marshall Plan. The design for this Biscuter—so named because it was the size of two scooters—came from Gabriel Voison, the man responsible for some of prewar Europe’s most extravagant and advanced vehicles. Ironically, the bare-bones Biscuter was his most successful design, with around 12,000 produced, and this car is a license-built Spanish variant that was sold as the Zapatilla, or “little shoe.” We tend to think of cars with roll-up windows and a heater as stripped down, but the Biscuter took spartan to a new level: a manual windshield wiper, one-wheel drive, a crank starter, and no gauges. This one is a non-running project, so don’t ask if you can drive it home. You could probably have it delivered by mail, though.

1961 AC Aceca-Bristol and 62-Years-Owned 1958 AC Ace-Bristol

This pair of ACs might have been a viable two-car solution for a bachelor with British affectations. Both are powered by a version of Bristol’s inline-six—an evolution of BMW’s M328 straight-six, which Bristol ostensibly acquired as part of BMW’s penance for their role in the Second World War.

First up is this Aceca-Bristol: the fixed-head grand-touring counterpart to the Ace roadster. We don’t often lead with a rear three-quarter image, but this one’s got something to show: the Aceca was among the first production cars to feature a hatchback rear door, a solution later appropriated for the Jaguar XKE. Touring-oriented adaptations augmented the underlying roadster platform, like a fiberglass bulkhead and footwells for better sound insulation. Only 169 examples were produced, and this particular car underwent a refurbishment in the mid-2000s.

Remove the “ca” from “Aceca” and you have the Ace-Bristol. It was purchased by the current owner as a lightly-used car in 1964, and has done time on the vintage race circuit over the course of its life. The car hails from the 1961 model year, before the Ace assumed the style we now associate with the 289 Cobra. Even before Ford V8 power, the Ace was a competent racer, and finished well at Le Mans for several years prior to Shelby’s involvement. Following several repaints over the decades, this car was treated to a refurbishment in the early 2020s. BaT Local Partner @ReimelMC has done a wonderful job with the presentation, which includes period photos and bare-metal restoration images.

Ex-Ford Performance Ford GT Mk II Development Car

In international relations, the “balance of power” theory states that no single country should hold too much power over the rest. In today’s modern car racing, the balance of power functions in a similar way, and the governing bodies can compel the more powerful platforms to dial things back. That was the case for the GTLM Ford GT, which had to scrub off 150 horsepower to compete during its racing days in the late 2010s. What would it had been like if those limitations disappeared? The Ford GT Mk II is the answer. Developed by Ford Performance and Canadian-firm Multimatic, the track-only Mk II was freed from rule books and sanctioning bodies, and its full abilities were manifest. The car received revised aero, weight reduction measures, suspension updates, and most notable, a bump to 700 horsepower. That was roughly 40 hp more than the road-going GT, and 200 hp more than the factory GTLM race car.

The Mk II debuted at the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed, and this particular example is one of just two development mules used by Ford Performance. It wears a multi-blue finish, and was most recently kept in the Ford Heritage Fleet.

1929 Isotta Fraschini 8A SS Roadster Cabriolet by Castagna

Even before the Second World War, Italian automakers’ output trended toward smaller and racier vehicles. Isotta Fraschini was an exception: their standard-wheelbase Tipo 8A had proportions similar to its Rolls-Royce and Duesenberg contemporaries, and was priced even higher. Even the shorter “Corto” variant stretched to 134″ between the axles. This example features Castagna roadster cabriolet bodywork, which sounds somewhat redundant but indicates a two-place vehicle with a retractible top. SS here stands for “Superspinto”—a fancy way of saying “highly tuned.” Indeed, the long hood conceals a massive 7.4-liter straight-eight engine and the suspension is dampened with lever-arm hydraulic shocks, making this a performance-oriented vehicle despite its heft. Even with a bent toward spirited driving, the 8A was a refined luxury automobile, and the video included with this auction shows the car gliding smoothly by with nary a sound save a sotto voce baritone from the exhaust.

Much of the ornamentation is concentrated at the front of the vehicle, like the French-made Stephen Grebel headlamps, scalloped grille guard, and the “Spirit of Triumph” mascot, similar to Packard’s Goddess of Speed/”Donut Chaser” ornament. It’s beautiful on the inside, too; check out the inset mahogany instrument panel and inlaid dash, or even the finned exhaust manifold under the hood. This particular car is one of three Isotta Fraschinis that were owned by the late novelist and collector Clive Cussler, and is being sold out of his private museum in Arvada, Colorado.

Eighty-Years-Family-Owned 1936 Ford Model 68 Deluxe 3-Window Coupe Hot Rod

When @SWVintage‘s grandfather bought this 1936 Ford Model 68 Deluxe three-window coupe in 1943, it was an ordinary ride. But over the course of eight decades(!) it became something truly unique—a utilitarian hot rod. This car oozes history (and a little bit of brake fluid, but that’s fixable). Cool period mods include a larger 24-bolt flathead V8 with an Eddie Meyer top end, along with a flush fuel filler, custom bumpers, and a custom bullnose on the hood.

Even cooler are Grandpa’s practical adaptations: a pass-through behind the seatback opens up into a sleeping area for two, and the dash (a strong contender for Coolest Dash Ever) includes split gloveboxes that incorporate coffee mugs and food trays.

This car was used for everything. The listing includes pictures of it camping, hauling, road-tripping across the country, and even hauling a buck back from a hunting trip.

Since 2018, SWVintage has auctioned more than 470 vehicles on BaT, and this has to be the most special car he has offered, which is why we’ve dedicated so much space to it in this week’s post. We’re honored he brought it here, and hope it finds a new home within the BaT community.

2016 Ford F-350 Super Duty Lariat Crew Cab Power Stroke 4×4 SUV Conversion

For Tim, the namesake founder of Custom Autos by Tim in Gutherie, Oklahoma, the idea behind this six-door behemoth wasn’t to chase headlines: “Oklahoman Man Destroys Car Wash.” Rather, it was born out of necessity; Tim needed a bigger family transport vehicle following the birth of his sixth child in 1995. Having rebuilt wrecked cars since the ’80s (Tim stretched his first pickup—an F-250 with a fifth-wheel), he was no stranger to the chassis-lengthening game. Turns out people loved the triple-cab solution, and his shop has converted hundreds since.

This conversion started out as a 2016 F-Series truck, and the builder grafted the rear bodywork of a Ford Excursion onto the F-350’s posterior. The current owner acquired this example following its conversion, and it was later refreshed by CABT. Today, it’s offered by Local Partner @the_patina_group on behalf of its owner.

Chris-Craft-Style 7′ Runabout w/Elto Pal Outboard

The seller states that this mini runabout isn’t seaworthy, but since it’s small enough to try out in the bathtub, we hope someone gives it a shot. With a faux-mahogany fiberglass hull measuring just seven feet from stem to stern, any necessary patching shouldn’t be too hard, and, wouldn’t you know it, we’ve got a spare Elto Pal outboard up for auction right now, too! Even if this luxo-dinghy never gets to wet its keel, wood boat life is a state of mind, and it can take you there anytime you want.

Cadillac Gage Ranger Armored Personnel Carrier

This armor-plated beast brings to mind an important but obscure defensive-driving rule, which is: never cut off a vehicle with a turret. Civilian versions of the Humvee just don’t have the intimidation factor of their predecessor, the Cadillac Gage Ranger Armored Personnel Carrier (also known as the Peacekeeper). Don’t let the nameplate fool you—it’s not a Cadillac, even though the company did make military vehicles for many years. Cadillac Gage was an unrelated tooling company that later became a military contractor, and built their Ranger/Peacekeeper on top of a shortened Dodge D100 chassis, already approved for military service as the M880/M890. This example is allegedly a veteran of the silver screen, and has disgorged platoons of armed goons in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Get Smart (2008), End Game, and The Siege, among other films.

While we love seeing tough mil-spec trucks on BaT, we’re also having fun reading the grumbling comments from those who served in them. Apparently it wasn’t easy to deal with the weight of those inwardly-canted armored doors and then hop over the high sills in full combat gear. Thankfully, that won’t be a problem at the local cars and coffee.

Four-Decades-Owned 1966 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTC

It was the mid-1960s, and coachbuilding was in danger; automakers turned to their own in-house teams as unibody cars proliferated in the streets. Some firms pushed through, while others faded away. For Carrozzeria Touring, the Giulia GTC was their swan song. Based on the iconic Bertone-designed Sprint GT, the GTC featured modifications by Touring, which included a sloping tail and reinforced bodywork.

This example is one of 1,000 cars built during the GTC’s short production run, and it was acquired by its current owner as a non-running project in 1985. Epifani Restorations of Berkeley, California, refurbished the car in the early-aughts, and the fine folks at @FantasyJunction have brought it to us today, with a spare drivetrain, to boot.

1966 Kenworth W925 and 2005 Volvo VNL 780 w/Kentucky Trailer 53′ Auto Racing Enclosed Hauler

A vintage Kenworth conjures images of hard-living truckers jake-braking down the far side of the Continental Divide. Truck stops with nickel showers, all-night diners, and dashboard pictures of the family back home. Easy to romanticize in a country song, but probably not great in the long term. Fortunately, this old rig is just for fun, so pick a good call sign, grab an empty trailer, and play “Convoy” on your way down to the hardware store.

This next tractor-trailer serves as an example of how much work can go into having fun with cars. This is a full racing support rig with two levels of car storage, a mini shop complete with milling machine, an office/lounge, and a 900 sq-ft. fire-rated tent to serve as a private paddock and hospitality area. Then again, if the kind of racing you do is serious enough to need a setup like this, there are probably professional crew helping to run things. One can dream.

Honorable Mentions

Ex-Bob Lutz 1974 Steyr-Puch Pinzgauer 710M

Bob Lutz’s old Pinzgauer is back on BaT. And for those wondering why he ever owned such a fine piece of Swiss Army vehicle, the answer’s simple. While US military vehicles looked impressive, he thought that they “weren’t very effective in rugged terrain.” You can listen to Lutz talk more about the Pinzguaer on an old episode of the BaT Podcast from 2021.

Ridler-Award-Winning 1937 Ford Five-Window “AeroCoupe”

The prevailing winds of hot rod culture have shifted noticeably since the 1990s, but the steel-body “AeroCoupe” has aged well. Its sleek lines and flawless surfaces are a far cry from the more traditional styles in vogue today, but even the grumpiest codger can appreciate the vision of builders Fred Warren and Tim Novick, and the skill with which it was executed. Treat yourself to a tour through the photo gallery on this one.

1967 Dodge Coronet R/T Hardtop 426 Hemi

The Coronet was the first to ever wear the venerable R/T badge, a package that observed Teddy Roosevelt’s famous dictum: talk softly, and carry a big stick. It was understated on the outside, and the big 426 Hemi under the hood did all the thumping. Some 162 examples were fitted with the drivetrain combo of a Hemi mated to a TorqueFlite three-speed automatic.

This is @the_patina_group‘s second car on the list, and we salute them for giving the people what they want—burnouts!

1967 Plymouth Barracuda Fastback from Corky Movie

Unlike the AeroCoupe shown earlier, the Robert Blake movie Corky hasn’t aged well, what with all the Confederate flags and Robert Blake and such. The plot arc of this 1972 racing movie is a nose-dive into ruin for Blake’s Corky Curtiss, but it does feature stock car legends Richard Petty, Donny Allison, Cale Yarborough, and Buddy Baker trying their hands at acting. The main character’s modified Barracuda was built by Korky’s Kustom Studios and features a Superbird-style rear wing, different head and taillights, and some racy-looking fiberglass additions tactfully highlighted by a tangerine George Barris paintjob.

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!