Category Archives: auto enthusiast

76 Groovy Cars on eBay… Part 3, Alfa-Romeo

Sunday, 26 June 2011 08:14

Written by Lane Bailey

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Image by lane.bailey via Flickr

I have a soft spot in my head for Alfas. I love the way they look… except the Spider, oddly enough. For most people, when they think of an Alfa Romeo, the car that comes to mind is the Spider. For me, it is the GTV series.

When I hit eBay to find an Alfa (Always Looking For Another), the car that popped right off the screen for me was this little 1966 Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint Coupe. The engine and transmission are out, but the interior has been redone and the body appears pretty solid.

The best part is that you probably won’t pull up next to another at a traffic light, unless you happen to be at an Alfa Owner’s Convention.

Aside from styling, it seems that the Italians are also pretty good at making engines with a great sound… and I suspect that with a little tuning and the right exhaust that the pipes on this little car could sound like ripping burlap. Combine that with crisp shifting, tight handling and a nimble car and it would be a fun little toy to toss around in the mountains.

This isn't it either... but pretty similar. Image via Wikipedia

I am going to say one thing, though… a VW GTi could probably whack in on a track… in fact, a Ford Taurus might be able to give it a good smack-down. That isn’t to put the car down, it is just to say that technology has moved on… and the VW (not to mention the Taurus) will never be as pretty or have the same kind of sound as this little Alfa.

76 Groovy Cars on eBay… Part 2 (lanebailey.com)
76 Groovy Cars on eBay… (lanebailey.com)
1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale is absolutely beautiful [Found On EBay] (jalopnik.com)
Why Fiat’s U.S. plans for Alfa Romeo will end up killing it [Rants] (jalopnik.com)

Photo Friday… Hop’s Place…

Friday, 24 June 2011 08:22

Written by Lane Bailey

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Hop's has been around since the 1940s...

There is a fair chance that when you run into me, I’ll be wearing a “Hop’s Place” T-shirt. I have a BUNCH of them. My Step-Father has worked there for a long time, and gets me a shirt or two each year. They have really cool street rods on the back, advertising their paint products.

Obviously, I’m not advocating everyone in Gwinnett County, GA run up to Hampton, VA to get some car parts…

But, Hop’s is a symbol of a dying breed, the independent auto parts store. There just aren’t many left. They are being pushed out by the chains even faster than the “Mom & Pop” retailers are being killed off by WalMart.

Hop died a few years ago. He was well into his 80s. When I was in high school… which is NOT recent… I used to buy parts from him for my cars. He was “Old Man Hop” back then. One of my Car Guy mentors knew him pretty well… and he was “Old Man Hop” to him, too.

There is nothing wrong with Pep Buy, AutoZone, Advance and the like. I have done business with all of them. But, I still like dropping into a place like Hop’s. The guys on the counter have been there for 20 years… and might still be there 20 years from now. Assuming that the shop is still there.

And I wouldn’t be shocked if there were some vintage speed parts lost in the backroom somewhere…

76 Groovy Cars on eBay… Part 2

Sunday, 19 June 2011 08:50

Written by Lane Bailey

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1969 SC/Rambler - a compact two-door hardtop &...

Image via Wikipedia

eBay is a treasure trove of strange and unique cars. After all, it is a huge marketplace. I thought it might be fun to wander through eBay Motors, alphabetically, and see what sort of weird things I could find.

Next up, AMC.

The obvious choice would be the AMX, AMC’s entrant into the Pony Car wars, doing battle with Mustangs, Camaros, Firebirds and ‘Cudas. And I do like AMXs. They are pretty cool… But they are the obvious choice.

So, how about a 1969 AMC Hurst S/C Rambler Scrambler.

The Rambler was a pretty boring car, from a very conventional company. But, giving it a warm-over from Hurst changed the dynamic.

Originally there were just 500 of them, but they were so popular that AMC made two more 500 car batches. From the Wikipedia entry for the AMC Rambler:

Although designed as a no-nonsense economy car, the American spawned the audacious SC/Rambler developed with Hurst Performance. While AMC planned to produce only 500 for the 1969 model year, the Scrambler proved so popular two more groups of about 500 each were built. All featured the same 390 cu in (6.4 l) V8, four-barrel carburetor, and close-ratio four-speed transmission of the AMX, plus Hurst shifter, Twin-Grip (limited slip) differential, and cold air hood.

One thing is certain… it isn’t a car that gets lost in a parking lot.

76 Groovy Cars on eBay… (lanebailey.com)

76 Groovy Cars on eBay…

Sunday, 12 June 2011 08:33

Written by Lane Bailey

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Image representing eBay as depicted in CrunchBase

Image via CrunchBase

I thought it might be kind of fun to take a look at some eBay cars. I see some pretty cool machines on eBay pretty regularly. So, I thought it might be fun (and a little challenging) to find a cool car from each “listed” manufacturer on eBay. I think there are 76, but I guess we’ll know later.

While there are many mainstream cars, there are also some fairly obscure vehicles… even among the “normal” brands, like Chevy or Ford.

First up is Acura.

1994-2001 Acura Integra photographed in USA.

Image via Wikipedia

Of course, the obvious choice would be the NSX. But that would be too easy. Instead, I was thinking about Integras. 20 something years ago, I was interested in an LS/SE. It was the first generation of the Integra, and they were very related to the Civics. I was involved in Autocrossing at the time and thought it might be a great car for competition.

While rolling through the Acura Integras on eBay, I came across one that looked fun. It is a current SCCA ITA car and ex-Grand-Am racer.

One of the great things about race cars is that they often come with extra parts… this one has a spare engine. But don’t expect to fly in and drive it home, it isn’t street legal.

Advice when buying a car on eBay (confused.com)

53 Cool Concept Cars… The Wrap-up…

Sunday, 29 May 2011 08:30

Written by Lane Bailey

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Hopefully it will be done one day soon...

It has taken a little over a year, but the 53 Cool Concepts have run their course. Following is a linked list of all of the parts of the series.

This has been a lot of fun… now I need to figure out what sort of Sunday car fun I will start next. I did 101 Cars I’d Like to Drive and 53 Cool Concepts that I’d love to build… there is no telling what the next Sunday car fun series might be.

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Category Archives: auto enthusiast

76 Groovy Cars on eBay… Part 3, Alfa-Romeo

Photo Friday… Hop’s Place…

76 Groovy Cars on eBay… Part 2

76 Groovy Cars on eBay…

First up is Acura.

53 Cool Concept Cars… The Wrap-up…

Custom Listings

Browse Listings

What's YOUR Home Worth?

Follow Me on Pinterest

Category Archives: auto enthusiast

76 Groovy Cars on eBay… Part 3, Alfa-Romeo

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