5 Project Cars Reserved for the Brave

Undertaking any project car is not for the faint of heart. Generally speaking, being the sole funding and labor to keeping an aging vehicle in safe operating condition will take everything you are willing to give. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a hierarchy of craziness to projects.

Starting an old Ford tractor is one end of the spectrum. Far, far way, on the other end, money disappears quickly, parts often don’t exist, and any task requires a mix of jeweler’s precision and brute force. These are the project cars only undertaken by people who have motivations that might not always make sense to the average person. These are not projects that have high monetary ROI, but in a world where restoring cars is done by people who are not in it for the money anyway, these are the cars that require only the bravest DIYers.

Aston Martin Lagonda

With only 645 built over a span of 14 years, the Lagonda is a rare example of a long-running yet low-production car. The Lagonda is also a notoriously complex machine. All cars are complex at some level, but Aston really outdid itself here. The dashboard on the later production cars switched from LED lighting to cathode ray tubes, which was a sizable step backwards at a time in production when bugs are usually getting worked out of models rather than being added. Complicated beyond words and low volume? DIY only if you dare.

Maserati BiTurbo

Project cars often stem from those looking to take an affordable version of a desirable or interesting car and bring it back to life. Deferred maintenance is very common in this segment. If there was ever a car to highlight what happens when maintenance is ignored, it is the BiTurbo. It was a model made to be the affordable option for the marque and thus many went to buyers unprepared for the complications and needs that come with a twin-turbocharged Italian luxury car. Well maintained, these cars thrived, but those that have reached project-car status likely have issues stemming from the empty maintenance log. Catching up on multiple line items at once adds up quickly any way you total it.

Citroën SM

It takes a car so intriguing as the SM for anyone to tolerate a suspension that required coining new terms just to produce it. The hydropneumatic suspension that makes the ride quality unlike anything else requires “suspension spheres,” which function similar to an accumulator and a spring combined. It’s luxury, it’s French, it’s complicated. It’s a perfect storm, and some people just love to chase tornados. Kudos if you are one of them.

Audi Allroad

Before the Safari movement, there was the Audi Allroad; an all-wheel-drive wagon with adjustable air suspension to maximize ground clearance, along with a wider track for good measure. It’s not a true off-roader, but it sure was a lot more than anyone needed just for the street. From its 1999 introduction, the Allroad gained a cult following that continues today. The presence of such loyalty stems from an enthusiastic community of people willing to sort out what seems like near-constant issues in even well-maintained examples. All that work done in the confines of an engineer’s dream—and a mechanic’s nightmare.

Fisker Karma

It’s late-model, it’s a complicated hybrid, and the company has gone bankrupt twice in less than two decades. A Karma might just be the most difficult car to work on—that I’m aware of anyhow. One was once donated to a museum and put on display for six months, only for the battery to die, leaving the car stranded exactly where it was, as there was was no way to disengage the electric parking brake. The museum staff consulted the owners manual but all that amounted to was being told “consult a dealer,” which at the time hadn’t been around for years. The last effort was to try to locate and contact a technician who worked at the dealership before it closed. There is hard-to-find information, and then there is becoming a private investigator just to be able to do even the bare minimum of work on your car.

If you notice a theme on these, it’s that the cars themselves aren’t what makes them bad projects, but rather the other factors that are common to the cars we love but are lacking here: support and knowledge, and parts and their availability. That’s why it takes someone ready for a challenge to take these on. Those who are willing just get to experience more and greater lows, but also the accompanying highs. Kudos to them.