8 Project Cars We’re Dreaming About
It was only natural that, at some point in its annual meet-up, the Hagerty Media staff would begin to discuss project cars. Before we had metabolized our morning coffee—perhaps because some had found the gallon of cold brew in the fridge—there was a general online assault on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. The office murmured with schemes and dreams.
“I would LS that.”
“That’s not even a project car!”
“Watch Kyle actually end up with one of these in his driveway.”
“91,000 miles, it’s been driven … I like that … two grand?”
“Oooh, a brown one!”
“What if I sold my …”
If you spend time on this site, you probably can imagine who said what … so, in the spirit of further including you in our bad ideas, read on. This started as an editorial exercise, but stay tuned—we all read Kyle Smith’s latest column on how to be an adventure enabler, and we took very good notes.
The comment section is open …
Sajeev Salivates Over a SABUL
I want this SHO-swapped, supercharged Mercury Sable (or as I like to call it, SABUL in ALL CAPS) station wagon so badly I can feel it in my bones. I have always wanted an OEM+ style, cleanly integrated Taurus SHO powertrain in the slick, understated Mercury Sable, but this moderately clean wagon with a big hole in its hood for that M90 supercharger speaks to me at a more basic level. I need this the same way I breathe, even if I am not a huge fan of nitrous oxide or of buying a highly modified car that currently doesn’t run.
Gimme this SABUL right now, baby! — Sajeev Mehta
Steven Dreams in Neon
The most interesting classified ads on GrassrootsMotorsports.com often lead with four letters: NMNA. Not mine, no affiliation. In other words, “I just ran across this ad and posted it here for your entertainment; I have no skin in the game.”
And the listings are often pretty entertaining. Need a 1971 VW Squareback for $1600? A Kellison, perhaps? An ’89 Ford Tempo for $1000? A 1958 MGA? And those are from the first couple of 297 total pages.
My eye goes here, though: To Livonia, Michigan, and a 1999 Dodge Neon ACR. I had both an ACR and a tweaked Neon R/T but let them slip away: Raced an ACR a couple of times in the old Neon Challenge series, and autocrossed the R/T, and the cars really fit me.
This one is $5500 (asking price, maybe a little dear but he says make him an offer). As a poster on GRM says, it’s “pretty solid but slightly scruffy, perfect for track rat/rallyx fun.” I agree. It has a six-point cage, a lot of race-related spare parts, and a recent servicing. For maybe $4000—double what I paid for my old ACR—maybe I’d try to hold on to this one. — Steven Cole Smith
Nate Contemplates Land Cruisers (Pt. 87293)
Land Cruiser Project? Land Cruiser Project. Because of course. This thing is a tad ratty, which is kinda how I envision this all starting. I can’t get enough of Land Cruisers, and this FJ55 is quite a charmer. It’s got a 5.7-liter V-8 from a Chevy, and … well, we don’t know what else. I’m always mystified by these one-sentence descriptions in marketplace listings. Like, you have no other information to provide? Seems like a sure-fire candidate for a project that would put me over my head in about 14 seconds.
Where do I sign? — Nate Petroelje
Eric d’Elegance, the Latest in Luxury
I have a deep affection for these cars, since my friend daily drove his grandmother’s hand-me-down ’89 Brougham d’Elegance when we were 16. I’d want to restore the entire interior of this one and make it gleam—as in, nicer than my own living room. I would take it to drive-in movie theaters all over Michigan, simply to luxuriate. — Eric Weiner
Eddy Edifies His Fleet
A truck project would pay me back with some much-needed utility. This ’98 Silverado comes from the last year of what I thought was a really clean, understated generation. It’s got a long bed, 4WD, and doors to the rear open to the rear seats (that really only serve to transport stuff under roof—those jump seats are tight).
It might not be sexy or scream “project” like a Sable with a hole in the hood, but it’d serve an unmet need in my fleet. — Eddy Eckart
Kyle Sets His Sights on a Squarebody
Having road-tripped a friend’s big-block ‘Burban some years ago, there is something about these that always had my attention. What kept me away was the squarebody rust problems and voracity with which the big-block gobbles up gasoline. This beauty is priced right and has the solid chassis and clean interior that I want, but has mechanical issues that make it a perfect LS swap. A 6.0 with a mild cam and a 4L80 would slip in relatively easily and make this beast a great tow rig or adventuremobile for camping with the missus. Needs what I enjoy doing, everything else is ready to go. The perfect project. — Kyle Smith
Grace Anticipates a Pickup
I’d never want to daily something that didn’t like to be flung around, and I love the way my Fiesta ST squirts through traffic, but if I were to add another vehicle, I’d love it to be something truckish and off-roady. I don’t have a garage, and don’t get excited about doing my own drivetrain work, so my favorite project is something that runs and drives … like this J10. It’s already Chevy-swapped, it’s got a manual (almost always fun) with a granny gear, and I love how ratty it is. (The listing doesn’t even show the interior, so it’s probably just as abused as the paint.) This would be the perfect foil to the FiST—an old (ish), tattered, high-riding pickup with a bed. Think of all the estate sales I could raid! — Grace Houghton
Stefan Stumbles Upon a Zagato
When I typed “project” into my local Craigslist, among the usual domestic hulks was this Zagato-bodied Lancia Flavia. Lancias are neat little cars, and while I have no real affinity for the Flavia at all, with its Zagato roots it’s just weird-looking enough and certainly exotic enough to take on as a fake-money project.
According to the ad, “This particular project car comes with many duplicate parts including 5 engines. 3 of the 5 motors turn over and are extremely rebuildable. getting mechanical parts is not a problem… The alloy body is mostly straight and should be easy enough to sort out… the chassis has plenty of rust and will require significant metal work.”
Should be done in a weekend! — Stefan Lombard
Kyle has the right truck, but the wrong fix. I’d do a Duramax swap and call it done! I owned a 6.2, 3/4 ton 4X4 version of that beast, but it did have a Banks turbo and Gear Vendor overdrive in it. 18mpg all the time and pull anything I wanted it to.
Not a bad idea, I’ve just limited oil burner experience and don’t need the additional umph of the diesel since I don’t actually tow much.
Nate – there’s a tow bar on that Land Cruiser. How much more info do you need?
that tow bar is to push the motorhome when it craps out.
What great inspiring dreams some folks have. I’ve been lucky enough to have driven a few cars that would surely fulfill some of those dreams. Years ago there was a Sable wagon on embassy row in Georgetown. The owner wasn’t’ allowed to drive in the US. We were in a meeting and he suggested my wife and I drive him out to a meeting near the Navel Academy and enjoy a nice lunch. The only clues were things like the slightly lowered stance and the Recaro seats. This was the car that Sajeev craves. The diplomatic plates allowed one a sporting time. The supercharger whine added a wonderful touch. I learned a few tricks they don’t teach in pursuit school that day. Dear wifey was not amused. The escort back to Georgetown spoiled all the fun but our lunch stayed down.
Two things constantly run through my car-addled head lately; an early Ford Escape 4wd but just with the rear axle in use, the front end converted to some type of hot rod Mustang II crossmember and parts with a hot small block in it. I don’t know why this appeals to me, but I think about it a lot.
The other concerns the ridiculous amount of side-by-side and similar off-road use vehicles that seem to inhabit my area. The price that people pay for these things, which are locally prohibited from use on public roads, is staggering. Some over $20k! I want an early VW Rabbit/Golf in decent mechanical order, cheap…under $1k…and remove the doors, jack up the suspension slightly and plastic fender flares (also cheap) with larger all-terrain tires and drive it as a 4 passenger UTV! Locally it could be registered for on-road use, what a deal!
Eddy doesn’t seem to know the 98 OBS K1500 Chevy. The one pictured is not the long 8 foot bed it’s the 6.5 foot bed. OBS K series trucks never had a rear door on the drivers side. Finally they didn’t have jump seats they had a regular bench seat in the rear. I expected more from a loyal Haggerty member!
It’s Hagerty, not Haggerty. I expected more from someone so willing to issue corrections.
The only thing worth a darn in this article is the Yamaha SHO engine.
“SABUL”? Wasn’t he on Seinfeld? “You bad man! You very, very bad man.”
How about a Ford Flex with an inch or two out of the roof, RWD or AWD, manual Transmission and a Coyote engine….with a blower.
A wise man once told me ‘There’s an ass for every seat’
The Lancia is being offered by Lucky Auctions, affiliated with Cosmopolitan Motors. I think I’ve said enough . . .
I have a ’92 F-150 short bed with a perfect body. I’d like to drop a coyote 5.0 in it. Anyone know how feasible that would be?
Sadomasochists the whole lot of you. Your truly warped personalities are exposed for all to see.
Sorry Wick you still got Uncle Gavin taxing you to death doesn’t matter what part your in just too socialist for most folks.
Land Cruiser FJ-55, all-day-long!
Thank you for this topic. As a member of the drivers club, I would like to see more coverage of some of this and the 60-70 era cars. Normally I breeze through the magazine to see if there is something that sparks my intrest, and this did. I can and do appreciate anyone’s choice in cars, but the average income in this great country, there are only so many that can enjoy the high-end rides. For me however (a family of 6), a less than perfect affordable (by my standard) car is just fine. I have 2 runnable 70’s (chevy & Ford) that have been a part of the family for 40 plus years and 2 additional if I live that long to finish. For now, my real joy is helping my youngest (18 now) over the last 2 years building a 74 Road Runner he chose. It won’t be a concourse car, but it will turn heads from his collage parking lot to the local cruse-ins. Thank you Hagerty for providing coverage on my and my son’s old favorites. You make driving these easy and affordable with the coverage you specialize in. I give my low-end buddies your business card as often as I can. Again, Thank you, SK