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5 Mid-Engine Machines Under $20,000
Stirling Moss’ victory in a Cooper T43 at the 1958 Argentine Grand Prix signaled the dawn of the mid-engine revolution in motorsport, and the balance of power quite literally shifted over the next decade. Putting the horse before the cart infiltrated nearly every racing series on earth, and by 1962, Frenchman René Bonnet had followed suit with the first mid-engine road car, the Djet. The mid-engine/rear-drive layout has generally been reserved for performance-minded machinery; no one ever thought grocery-getters of this ilk were the wave of the future. As such, mid-engine cars have tended to command big prices, as the Ferraris, Lamborghinis, McLarens, and Bugattis of the world will attest.
However, a handful of manufacturers over the years have gone a little more mass market with their mid-engine platforms, and today several fun performance cars can be had on a budget. We’re eschewing some of the usual suspects—your Porsche 914s and Boxsters, your Toyota MR2s and Fiat X1/9s—because they tend to get plenty of love. So here are five that don’t quite get the recognition they deserve, and in #3 (good) condition will carve up corners (or tight parking spaces) with the best of them, without carving up your wallet in the process.
1956–58 Heinkel Kabine
Inarguably the cutest mid-engine car on this list (and arguably ever), the Heinkel Kabine was the Isetta-inspired brainchild of Ernst Heinkel, who during WWII built bombers for the Luftwaffe. Barred from aircraft manufacture after the war, but armed with engineering knowledge, Heinkel one-upped the Isetta with a monocoque shell, which made his microcar a full 220 pounds lighter than its rival. Three-wheeled Type 153 models and four-wheeled Type 154 models were offered, each powered by a 204-cc one-cylinder four-stroke engine that was later reduced to 198 cc, with four forward gears and a reverse gear. All of the engines produced 10 horsepower. One other key difference from the Isetta, which avoided patent infringement, was that the Kabine’s steering wheel did not fold outward with the single front door when opened. In the classic car market, cute sells, and Heinkels in #2 (excellent) condition can sell in the mid-$20K to low-$30K range, but in #3 condition a 154 (four wheels) model is worth $16,400 and a 153 (three wheels) model is worth $19,900.
1967–74 Lotus Europa
No one has ever accused the Europa of being the sexiest Lotus, but there’s no denying the fun factor when driving one. With a backbone chassis derived from the front-engined Elan, a fiberglass body originally drawn up for a joint Lotus/Ford project that never got off the ground, a curb weight of around 1500 pounds and a height of just 42 inches, these Brits offer something just a bit different. For the most part, all variants easily fall under our $20,000 ceiling in #3 condition, with the Renault-powered SI and SII cars of 1967–71 being the cheapest in the mid-teens, and the later (and arguably better-looking) 1972–74 Europas with 105 hp from their 1.6-liter Lotus Twin Cam engines slotting in around $21,000.
1976–77 Lancia Scorpion
You’d be forgiven for not really knowing what a Lancia Scorpion is. They’re not nearly as ubiquitous as their Fiat X1/9 cousins (which also fall under $20,000), because only about 1800 ever made it to these shores. In Europe, they were badged as the Montecarlo, a nod to Lancia’s rally successes in the Principality, but since General Motors owned the name here, we knew them as Scorpions instead. Pininfarina designed and built them, in both coupe and targa body styles, though only the open cars came to America. Initial plans called for a 3-liter V-6 behind the seats, but the first oil crisis scuppered that notion and Euro cars got a 118-hp 2.0-liter four, while U.S. imports were powered by a 1.8 making just 81 horsepower. Not exactly mind-bending, but the cars were well balanced and a blast to flick around. Currently, their #3 value is $17,800.
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1980–84 Matra Murena
If you thought the Scorpion wasn’t quite obscure enough, try the Matra Murena on for size. Founded in 1945, Matra was a French conglomerate with its hands in all sorts of industries, and with the 1963 acquisition of Automobiles René Bonnet, it entered the car business. (Matra’s racing arm would hit its zenith with three successive outright victories at Le Mans in 1972/73/74.) Building on Bonnet’s revolutionary 1962 Djet, Matra introduced the 530, then the Bagheera, then the Murena for 1980, which would be the final new Matra road car built. An attractive plastic body sat over a galvanized steel frame, with unusual three-place front seating and a transversely mounted 1.6-liter four-cylinder amidships. With 91 horsepower on tap, the Murena hit 60 mph in under 12 seconds, with a top speed of 113 mph. And its #3 value is just $11,000.
1984–88 Pontiac Fiero
Fieros, man. One of the coolest cars to come out of General Motors in the 1980s was also one of its biggest failures. Thanks to penny pinching and quaking management, the Fiero didn’t get the mechanicals it deserved from the get-go, chief among them a worthy powerplant and the suspension to tame it. Instead, the little notchback coupe made do with the 92-hp 2.5-liter “Iron Duke” four and parts-bin components shared with the Chevette and Citation, among others. And yet it was still a hoot to drive. Pontiac made up ground in 1985 with the introduction of the GT and its 135-hp 2.8-liter V-6, and a year later a second body style, with elegant buttresses that created a fastback look, joined the fray. Production ceased after 1988, but not before 370,000 Fieros had been produced. Base cars, SEs, GTs, and Formula Fieros all fall well under our $20K ceiling, and good ones are still out there, with four- and five-speed transmissions, and the ’88s feature an upgraded suspension truly befitting of these neat little econo-rockets.
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I’ve never seen one of the Matras on the road since my dad, a Chrysler exec, brought one home from work. It was an absolute hoot to drive and if one can be had for the price quoted in the article, I’m in.
Nice list. But, not complete without the Fiat X 1/9. Affordable, nimble, and Cool !
Fiat X1/9. missed also. Did you get tired, or did you just get lazy? (Apologies to The Eagles for the paraphrase).
“We’re eschewing some of the usual suspects—your Porsche 914s and Boxsters, your Toyota MR2s and Fiat X1/9s—because they tend to get plenty of love. ”
That’s copy and paste quote from the second paragraph. Did you get too tired of reading by the second paragraph or are you just lazy and only scrolled to look at the photos?
That Lancia with the planned 3.0 v6 and sorted brakes would have been amazing.
I always liked the Lancia Scorpion. It has Delorean lines to it. I had owned an 81 Zagato. Neat looking car with a removable targa and a folding rear roof. But the damn thing made me nervous to drive. Just wanted to die on me at random times and mechanics could never figure it out. With the Fiero I like the standard looking car with the flat nose, better then the GT’s.
None are even worth $2000
Automodello made the 1988 Fiero GT with t tops
I considered the MR2 and the Bertone X1/9 and bought the Fiero GT (‘86.5 with a 5-speed) as my first new car after getting my degree. It was a great car. The V6 would be considered underpowered now but, if there was any moisture on the road, it easily exceeded the adhesion of the street tires available then. Yes, the ‘88 had better suspension but there were aftermarket bits available for the earlier cars. One of big names who raced Fieros recommended removing the steering rack damper, which I did. No, it didn’t handle as well as my Lotus Esprit but it was a fun daily driver.
The Europa is an excellent choice. The pure fun of ripping around a tight corner in a 1500 lb mid-engined car is unmatched. Most other mid-engined sport cars weighing in at a ton plus are just fat and overweight.
I have n 1985 Fiero GT with the 2.8 engine which I bought for $800.00 . It needs a lot of work (paint, new tires, upholstery). It was running when I bought it several years ago ,but has been parked for a long time as I didn’t have the free time to keep it going. I keep toying with the idea of dropping an electric motor in it. I have also considered putting a kit body on it.
My 1988 Chevy S-10 had a 2.5 iron duke and 5 speed transmission. Pretty wild to share a little DNA with a Fiero!
I would have thought that the Fiat X/19 would’ve made the list.
I’ve had a Murena for decades (and a Bagheera also) and I can tell you they are a blast to own, drive and show. When parked next to the usual exotics at local shows, the Matras always get lots of looks and questions. Reliable and easy to work on also.
Thanks for the comment. I was wondering if we’d draw any Matra owners out of the shadows here. They are neat cars.
Hello whatabout the X1/9?
I almost bought a metallic black one off the floor of the NY auto show in 79, but ordered a new 5 liter Mustang instead.
PS: I did end up with a 75 Dino several years later – but it was never under 20k….
And where’s the MR2????