According to the seller, this OSI spent much of its life in storage in a dry western climate. As such, the seller states that the main rust is confined to one front lower fender and a hole in the trunk. A fair amount of surface rust can also be seen however, so and serious buyer should budget for more unsavory discoveries. Still, for a 45 year old Italian car stored outdoors, the body appears to be in reasonable shape. The trim also appears to be largely complete and the glass looks decent as well.

It appears that it will need a complete restoration. The dash looks to have serious cracks, while the upholstery is clearly toast. It does look to be largely complete however, while the dash design is clean, simple, and attractive.

No information is given about the current state of the car’s mechanicals, so it can be best assumed that everything needs to be done. The engine appears complete and reasonably tidy however which is never a bad thing.

The seller points out that this car shares it’s mechanical components with the Taunus and Capri, so sourcing parts should not be an insurmountable challenge.

While no performance beast, the OSI 20m TS is a rare car with clean and graceful Italian lines typical of the 1960s. If the body is reasonably solid, the Ford mechanicals should make any restoration financially feasible. Sourcing some interior bits may be a challenge, but this one appears to be well worth the effort.

6/4/2009 Update: This Abarth sold for $32,100 with 4 bidders.

6/2/2009 Update: In an odd turn of events, this Abarth 2200 has been offered on eBay several times since our feature in March, and with each auction the price has been slashed considerably. Was it the sister car in Europe spotted in our comments section? Who knows? It is now offered here on eBay from the same seller with a reserve just over $31k. It was well over $125k just a couple months ago! This time the seller has also added better photos with the car out of the garage.

From 3/9/2009:

As the story in the auction goes, this Abarth 2200 was purchased off of the floor at the 1962 Turin Auto Salon by Briggs Cunningham for his wife who promptly rejected the gift after the car was already imported to New Jersey. The seller recounts an amazing buying experience with Briggs that was supposedly passed down from the original owner. Find it here on eBay in Los Gatos, California. Special thanks to BaT reader Derek T. for this submission!

The car was totally restored in black in 1988, and the only other similar coupe in existence remains in a museum in Italy after it was originally owned by Carlo Abarth’s wife. Cunningham added the spoke wheels stateside and photos are included which show it with original steel wheels and hubcaps.

The car has been with the same owner for the last 20 years since the restoration, but has been somewhat neglected as it needs electrical sorting and exterior freshening. The 6-cylinder engine has three Weber carbs and produced 140hp when new.

This is an impressive specimen and the rarity and connection to Cunningham are both very interesting. Show cars were often rolled off the stage and used daily back in this time period, and we’ve seen many of the Italian one-off designs grabbing big money on the auction stages lately. We wish this one was a bit less expensive as it would be a great driver with the Abarth-tuned engine. Or maybe we should be like Carlo and Briggs and bring it home for the wife.

1973 Porsche 914 2.0

Location:		Atlanta, GA
VIN:		4732907446
Chassis mileage:		65200
Engine type:		2.0 Fuel Injected 4 Cylinder (numbers-matching) with 65200 miles

How long have you had the car? Since Fall 2010.

Describe the body condition: The car was repainted in the early 90′s in its original L32K Phoenix Red. The previous owner noted it was an $8000.00 paint job performed by the Porsche dealer’s shop here in Atlanta. It’s aged very nicely. Gaps are excellent, pans and battery tray are original. It is extremely straight. No Rust

Describe the mechanical condition: The car is set up to stock spec on injection and timing. The engine revs quickly and freely, there is no hesitation or stumbling at idle. With a new cold start valve and fuel pump it starts hot or cold any time you—re ready to go. The transmission shifts well. The dogleg engages easily. Clutch is good. It runs very cool in traffic.

Included documentation: Original manuals. Service Log Book. Bill of Sale. Registrations slips for years. And receipts for all of the recent work.

What makes this car special? It’s rare to see a 914 that was loved from the beginning. With a low entry price and rust issues, so many were used up and not worth bringing back. Everything that made it special in 1973, it retains today; a great color, a great look, and focus on handling rather than pure power.

Asking Price: No Reserve Auction

For more info: Click Here for the auction link.

The car is said to have been under the watchful eye of the same enthusiast owner for 14 years. In that time, it was refreshed to its current state with new paint, the upgraded engine, brakes, cooling system, and much more work that likely cost more than the current asking price. It was built to be driven, and it is nice to see an owner that is not afraid to put miles on. We love the Euro 1-piece lights and the wide Ronal wheels on these cars. We’re also happy to see the red and amber rear lenses without the blacked-out treatment.

Several photos of the undercarriage are shown to verify the seller’s claims. The interior looks good for a reliable driver with nearly 200k miles. While not completely stock, it keeps the factory look while incorporating some functional upgrades. Heated leather seats, auxiliary gauges and switches have been added to improve the driving experience. We like that S2 steering wheel too, and the seller says that the original could also be swapped back in if desired.

The 3B motor out of the 1991 Audi 200 is a great choice for these cars, but that does not mean it is an easy swap. We have only seen a few cars on offer in the USA with it already completed. This one looks like it was done right, even including a few RS2 parts for increased power, and some custom components when nothing else was available. Audi’s 5-cylinders are frequently tuned far beyond their factory numbers, and this one could easily be pressed for more if desired.

The seller sounds very knowledge and states that every upgrade was intended to enhance the driving pleasure. While not a museum piece, it is a well sorted car coming from the right owner. It sounds like a great candidate for a fly and drive, taking the long and winding mountain roads home.

The car was delivered on August 30,1971 to RS of Pasadena, California, and today has 160,262 miles. It has never been restored, just kept fresh with an engine rebuild at 144,071 miles in 2001, a transmission rebuilt at 151,660 miles, and Carrera chain tensioners added at 157,109 miles. Over $10k was spent on the car at Rennwerke Porsche in 2/2010 as shown on the invoices in the album below. And many fixes and upgrades are also cataloged there. The seller has even more details, and we love how his detailed records are organized and thorough. Anyone who appreciates documentation of their cars will love this one.

The interior is nicely preserved and freshened where needed, with a carpet kit and refurbished door pockets by Tony Garcia of Autos International. The wooden steering wheel was hand-made by Lightning on the aluminum last, and the seller had the houndstooth fabric into the original seats becuase it contrasts very nicely with the green exterior. The non-A/C dash looks great and has a proper period radio so it has never been cut.

Engine number is 6118095 remains in its original place.  The engine rebuild done on Dec 20,2001 by Foreign Motor Service of Temple City, CA. Stage 1 cost of $5,390. Stage 2 cost of $3,159. Additional work done increased the total cost to $11,210. Mileage at the time was 144,071. The second owner purchased the car in 2004 and continued the trend of good maintenance and care by specialists.

We love early 911′s in stock and modified form, but everyone agrees that the numbers matching cars in their original specification and colors are the hot ones right now. This one presents very well and would be a great car to own and drive.

Click here to email the seller directly if you are interested.

Check out the additional photos of the car in the Flickr album and slide-show below.

(More below)

Though this website is called Bring a Trailer I believe cars are meant to be driven, not trailered.  I had a few necessary repairs performed in D.C. so I could fly out last week and drive the car 700+ miles back to Chicago. The car ran perfectly while cruising at, uh, extra-legal speeds and I arrived home still fresh and relaxed.  How many 40 year old cars can you say that about? That is a testament not only to the car’s original design and engineering but also the incredible restoration done by Jerry Hathaway and the recent work by a certain Citroen master mechanic in D.C. who prefers to remain anonymous (thanks again!). Along the way and at each stop the car received thumbs up, compliments, questions and reminiscence.

This past weekend I loaded up the SM for a family road trip to hike at Starved Rock state park and take part in an MTB race in nearby Matthiessen state park. The sound of the Maserati V6 put my son to sleep for much of the drive – an unexpected benefit of SM ownership! The car was a hit everywhere we went, and attached is photographic evidence that all old cars look better with a roof rack.

Thanks BaT!
-S.M.”

Way to go, SM! Thanks for the story. We love to see the car getting used, and great paint match on that Merlin! -BaT

The R5 Turbo 2 was a highly modified version of the R5 economy car, better known to Americans as the LeCar. The R5 Turbo was very successful in rallying, but wild oversteer eventually proved not match for all-wheel-drive. We feature these cars almost whenever we see one, as they are an icon of performance, style, and ridiculousness. We love them.

This car has been tastefully modified, using bits from an English R5 specialist. Seats with more aggressive bolstering would be beneficial, as the stock units currently installed appear to be very flat. We’d think about OMP buckets to match the cage. Overall the interior looks spotless, and it is said to be original.

The wide Gotti wheels are very attractive, and are a common add-on to the R5. The seller is including a second set of HRE mesh lace wheels with more streetable Pirelli rubber, compared to the R-compound Toyos on the Gottis. Both sound great. The engine bay is tidy with what looks like original red paint and decals. The head gasket and injectors are also fresh.

The key to this model is finding one in very clean shape that hasn’t been hammered or crashed. This one looks to be a good contender, and if the original paint claim check out, all the better.

This coupe was purchased from the original owner by a Mercedes Master Mechanic from Thousand Oaks who rebuilt the engine. The car then made it’s way to a Fresno area to the gentleman that completed the rest of the restoration. The original color of the car was DB334 Light Blue and was changed to Dark Blue DB332 about 5 years ago. The current seller remains in touch with the Fresno restorer, and says the job was very thorough. There is only one spot of rust in the drivers front wheel well according to the seller, which is documented in the pictures.

The interior is about 15 years old and the wood was all redone about 3 years ago. The coupes and convertibles had beautiful, high-gloss wood and the light colored leather and steering wheel on this car make for a striking contrast. We love the floor-shifted 4-speed, and it makes it a true driver’s coupe. The original radio works, and the speaker is new and an Ipod connection has been added. The speedometer reads slightly off due to the different wheel/tire size. Wipers work and the foot pump is there for the washer but the tubing and bag has been removed.

Included with the sale are a complete set of factory manuals which are quite rare, some vintage advertising of the W111 from the 60′s, the blue plates for California, and a set of 1961 Colorado plates that the seller uses on the car currently. Here is a video from the seller that shows some additional details:

The engine compartment is really, really clean according to the seller, and in the photos we notice instantly the properly plated fuel system components. There is a small oil leak at the rear axle which is fairly common on these cars, and the seller says that it runs very nicely at freeway speeds and gets regular exercise.

Click here to email the seller directly if you are interested.

Check out the additional photos of the car in the Flickr album and slide-show below.