Home » Archives for May 2019
To cut to the chase, Fargo was the brand name of Dodge trucks in Canada and other foreign countries. This truck was from the last year of the Job Rated line. Despite having only 228 cubic inches of displacement, Fargo sixes were based on Chrysler’s big 25-inch engine ( the valve cover is 25″ long compared to the 23″ small six). This example has been refurbished but not improved to the point that it can’t be driven. I expect that it will bring strong money.
The beauty of the Internet is that you can own an unrestored example of an ultra-rare bespoke sport motorcycle from 45 years ago and someone will point out that the fairing screws are wrong. This is an excellent survivor of a really rare specialist bike. Rickman’s were not exactly rare back then but they did have to be assembled from components so they were not a casual purchase. I expect that this one is going for a lot of cash.
Most gearheads know about the DeTomaso Pantera, the Ford-powered Italian exotic that had a cultish following until it ended production in the mid-80s. The Mangusta was the predecessor. It suffered all of the teething problems that didn’t make it to the Pantera. The Pantera had a long list of issues so you can infer what you will about the Mangusta. The styling is a love/hate thing. There are Pantera people and Mangusta people and rarely is anyone a fan of both. Put me down for the Mangusta. I think it is a much cleaner design although I prefer the earlier…
If you are of a certain vintage, Pete Egan is a familiar name from Road & Track as well as Cycle World. This Jaguar was the subject of many of his columns and graced the cover of his book which was really just a collection of his various writings. This is car guy celebrity provenance that can only be topped by actual race history.
This Marauder was sold new to the Fresno Catholic Diocese. Evidently, as penance, the diocese ordered an all black car without air conditioning in Southern California. That one oversight is about the only oddity for this rare Mercury. The rest of the car is in excellent shape and the maintenance seems to have been done well since day one. The engine rebuild being the possible exception. The seller claims that the original block was used while the invoice includes a new short block. Assuming the numbers matching status is still intact, the replacement air cleaner is the only thing left…
A long-standing hot rod trope is the Track T, a dirt track racing inspired modified Ford Model T. It has been 30 years since this type of car was popular. One of the big drawbacks to the Track T is the cramped unsophisticated Model T that the car is based on. This car is a unique new twist on the idea of being based on Ford Model A mechanicals. It is well built and shows a lot of creativity. Replicating something like this would be expensive and take a long time so this turnkey hot rod is looking like quite…
The midget was the most ubiquitous purpose-built racing car in the US in the 40s and 50s. The most sophisticated and well-engineered were those built by Kurtis. A variety of engines were used but most people remember the race only Offenhauser but the Ford flathead was also a common powerplant that was surprisingly powerful. This example is in exceptional shape with period mods to the 136 CI Ford V8 and road racing mods to the transmission and starter. This is a surprisingly competitive track day car that will pass quite a few newer cars with more impressive badges. Bidding has…
This is a modern build that resembles an early flat track racing car with a few modern updates. This type of car, based on the Model T Ford, was common across the US in the 1920s. There are not many vintage flat track events these days and this thing would be a rolling roadblock on a road course but it might be fun as a hill climb car. I would expect some transmission and rear end upgrades would be required for reliable operation in that duty. At the rate bidding is going, this could be quite the bargain.
