CLUNKBUCKET

We first encountered this Ferrari in true Clunkbucket fashion. The owner, Scott Isquick of Pepper Pike, Ohio, was having a little trouble getting it started outside the post-show banquet at the 2008 Greenwich Concours. Finally, the 4.0 liter V12 caught, interrupting the sharp mechanical shriek of the starter. The ‘67 motored off into the Connecticut darkness, leaving a dark hole where its rather inexplicable aura — something beyond mere Ferrari-ness — had held us rapt. The drive back to Manhattan in our borrowed ‘05 Rolls-Royce Phantom felt a little less special after the encounter with the one-of-99 330 GTS. In fact, we recall positing at the time that we’d gladly trade three of the Anglo-Teutonic brutes for that particular Italian droptop.

Read the rest of this entry »

From the I could have been a contender department comes this bone stock all-original survivor 1978 Fiat 128 Sport from the 2010 Concours d’Lemons. The plucky Fiat did not take home a prize of any kind. It stands as the first of a few coming contraptions that for reasons not understood went home sans trophy. Owner Steve has driven the Fiat occasionally and on the weekends since acquiring the dust-covered compact several years ago from a man with a possible top secret past. This is the first time Steve took the Fiat to any sort of show, and the farthest the Fiat had ever gone from its Santa Clara, California home. Read the rest of this entry »

From the California mythology department of our broken dreams division comes this Toyota FJ-60 Land Cruiser in Vermont. This rusted through example of one tough 4X4 truck serves as a reminder of what to look for before purchasing that old rust bucket restoration project. While the rust is somewhat obvious here, peeling up a carpet or two and looking for hidden rust is a good idea before any old automobile purchase. This FJ-60 appeared to be part of the 500-dollar car and truck vortex, apparently created by the Concrete Ape in Vermont. The FJ was directly in the shadow of the mighty ape. A frozen Volkswagen Beetle was also seen not far from the aggregate and reinforced steel primate. Asking price? 500-dollars. Travelers be advised. Thanks to the impressive powers of genuine Vermont road salt and salt-filled slush, this Toyota had an added feature not found on non-rusted desert climate examples. Look closely and marvel at the handy driver side rear fenderwell road flare dispenser, an unique option available free of charge on this Toyota Land Cruiser.

Though is may seem like these shots are circa 1984, this super-clean Dodge Rampage was spied recently by photojournalist Dave Wallace on a trip to legendary Gotelli’s Speed Shop in South San Francisco, California. The Rampage and its 1983-only Plymouth Scamp rebrandmate were built on the Chrysler L-body platform, and shared a nose with its Dodge 024-Plymouth TC3 cousins. The Rampage was sold from 1982-84, and drove into the subcompact truck market against the Volkswagen Rabbit pickup and Subaru Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter – or BRAT. Legend has it that a few Direct Connection Shelby Rampages were built using components from a Dodge Shelby Charger. Lore says that even fewer of those got the turbocharged and intercooled version of the 2.2-liter mill under the hood. While all other Rampages were built naturally-aspirated, we know of at least one person that transplanted a 2.2 turbo mill under the hood to add street light surprise and torque steer amusement to the truck-like utility of the Rampage.

Thanks to Dave Wallace for the photos and Allpar for information on the near-mythical 1984 Dodge California Shelby Rampage.

The 1986 Pontiac 2+2 Aerocoupe was more or less the homologated result of Bill Elliot cleaning up the NASCAR competition behind the wheel of a mid-eighties Ford Thunderbird. As stock cars were still somewhat stock at this point in time, the Pontiac Grand Prix was in aero-trouble with its brick like nose and near-vertical rear window against the slippery T-bird. Throw ‘Awesome Bill from Dawsonville’ Elliot into the mix and the Pontiac division was in the soup on the speedways. The 1986 and one-half Grand Prix was the showroom result of adventures in aerodynamics from the Pontiac braintrust. The brick nose up front was sleeked out, and the bubble back window met up with a shortened fiberglass rear deck and spoiler out back. The production 305 V8 kicked out 165 horsepower through a 4-speed automatic transmission. The aerodynamic changes helped the NASCAR Ponchos chalk up a few wins, but teams succumbed to the unfortunate reality of using front-wheel drive bodies on rear-wheel drive race cars by 1988. This particular 1986-something Pontiac 2+2 Aerocoupe was seen parked and motoring about on a Van Nuys Cruise Night. As only 1225 or so of these cars were ever produced, the chance of seeing one in Van Nuys is about the same as seeing the same car featured in an in-depth article by Jeff Koch over at Hemmings.

MORE: Is Pontiac’s 1986 2+2 the Superbird of the ’80s? by Jeff Koch

In a time before nuts and bolts were packaged into useless plastic bags in never correct quantities, gathering fasteners was as easy as heading down to your auto parts or hardware store and just asking for a dozen M8 45 millimeter exhaust studs with a 1.25 thread pitch and matching copper pinch nuts. While there are some auto parts joints and fastener suppliers that still operate this way, many more have gone down the dark path of plastic bags and blister packs. As knowing is half the battle when it comes to finding the right fastener, the nut and bolt measuring gauge or screw checker is an indispensable item to have in the garage or pocket. The nut and bolt gauge also comes in handy when aluminum treads unscrew right along with the with the stud or bolt. After swearing up a storm and peeling away the aluminum, knowing exactly which Heli-Coil® or screw thread insert to get is foolproof thanks to the nut and bolt gauge. The good news is that some of the places that will still give you a brown paper lunch bag full of nuts and bolts will usually supply a gratis nut and bolt gauge with purchase. Measure it twice. Fasten it once. Or at least until it breaks again.

It’s that time of summer when the diffuse light and crisp sea air of the Monterey, California will play host to the viewing of the world’s finest automobiles pristine Mercury Bobcats and Chevrolet Citations. The seersucker and old-fashioned sipping bunch down at Pebble Beach could suffer an aneurysm if they ventured up the road from their storied event to the collection of cars and contraptions known as the Concours d’Lemons. A new feature for the second annual Monterey running of the event is the added enjoyment of a swap meet, or autojumble for the tweed cap and Triumph TR7 crowd. Minivans and the SUV are featured vehicles this time around. At last you no longer have to wonder where to go on August 14th in that mint 1990 Pontiac Trans Sport while dressed in full Lieutenant Commander Worf Klingon regalia. Stuff the cargo compartments full of Citroën 2CV parts and head to Toro Park in Monterey with great dispatch.

The Concours d’Lemons is scheduled for August 14th, 2010 at Toro Regional Park in Monterey. For more information head over to the Concours d’Lemons web site.

A day or two before any modern motorsports racing event, lumbering mega-trucks pull in and unfold into human-assisted race support giant robots. Empty parking lots are transformed in mere hours into a sea of trailers with satellite uplinks, spare parts, and very deep pockets to keep it all humming. This was not always the case. Phil Burgess over at NHRA Insider has assembled an excellent history of drag racer and master showman TV Tommy Ivo’s towing rigs, featuring words and photos from none other than TV Tommy Ivo himself. Before dreaming up and building the glass-sided rolling display trailers he made famous, Ivo towed his dragsters behind his own cars, which included a few sweet Cadillacs, a stylish Buick wagon, and a Buick Riviera! Head on over to NHRA Insider for the trailers that helped make the Ivo famous, the storied adventures of Tarzan, and how Don “The Snake” Prudhomme once washed his hair with motor oil.

MORE: Tommy’s Towing Toys and Ramp Truck Ramblings at NHRA Insider.