Weekend Quickies

1977 Pontiac Bonneville - I was kind of startled when I saw this car. I don't know why, they used to be everywhere. You just don't see them anymore.

This was the first year for the downsized Bonneville. It was part of GMs "B Body" cars, which means it was still the biggest Pontiac you could buy, but it was 800lbs lighter and a foot shorter than the previous Bonneville. It was, for awhile, the last big Bonneville. In 1982, GM inexplicably put the Bonneville name on a G Body car (the same size as the Olds Cutlass and the Chevy Malibu). Big Bonnevilles would not be seen again until the early 90s.

I honestly can't tell you why I'm posting this car. Maybe it's the shock of seeing one in this condition. Maybe I'm posting it as a reminder of just how lucky we are today not have to deal with big vinyl bench seats, acres of fake wood and giant bumpers. I don't know. Whatever, it's a piece of automotive history. You can decide whether it's good history or bad history.

Located in Cambridge, Minnesota, click here to see the listing for this car.

1974 Innocenti Mini - The ad for this car contains very little info. The seller claims it has 31K original miles on it and has a rebuilt engine and transmission.

These Italian built Minis didn't differ much from the UK built ones, but there are a few subtle differences. They were never officially exported to the US.

If I were to buy an older Mini, I'd go with the Innocenti version, just because it's such an unusual car in the US.

Located in Windsor, VA, click here to see the Craigslist listing.

2007 Lucra LC 470 - I was prowling around the internet one night a year or so ago and found a Motor Trend report on the Lucra LC 470. The article concluded with this line...

"In short, if you like retro with reliability and love steering with the throttle, the hold-on-and-scream LC 470 is for you."

It was that sentence that kept this car stuck in my head. A "hold-on-and-scream" car...

Only 15 of these cars have been built. This car, now being offered on eBay, was the first production model. As far as I can tell, the company is still in business.

The eBay listing lists much of the car's tech specs. You can find it here.

The Motor Trend article I read can be found here.

1991 BMW 850i - There seems to be no clear price guide when it comes to these cars. I've seen similar ones with asking prices of $30,000.00 and more. I've seen a few under $10K. All were listed as being in "good" condition or better.

This one is right at $10K and it appears to be in very nice condition.

Click here to see the eBay listing.