The matching number frame is painted in red oxide spray prime as was original, and the bumpers and emblems are all properly finished. The car looks right on five factory steel knockoffs, and the lines benefit greatly from no fixed window frames like on some other Elans.

The interior is like new even though the seats and door panels are all original. A new dash and carpet helps keep it looking fresh, and the big wood dash is in excellent condition. The delicate 3-spoke wheel is one of our favorite production units ever sold in a street car. New Rotoflex brake calipers/couplers help the stopping, and a good convertible top with clear plastic window fits nicely.

We like the understated color combination, the clean condition, and the near perfect interior on this Elan. More technical details are available from the seller. Check out the Flickr slide-show below for more detail photos.

6/13/2009 Update: This 356 did not meet reserve at $39,999 with only 2 bidders.

6/4/2009 Update: This 356 race car has now been listed here on eBay by the same private seller. The opening bid is much lower but we’ll have to see where the reserve is set and how many interested parties respond. Still a great car.

From 3/4/2009:

This 1958 Porsche 356A Cabriolet is a full-blown Outlaw vintage racer built and maintained by the originators of the species; the guys at Parts Obsolete. We featured this car just over a year ago when it was listed on the Emory website, and it has since been raced by the current seller and has had some aesthetic changes made. It is now available in Portland, Oregon for $68k.

The car is currently running on 5.5″ space-saver spares and the satin black upper surfaces are a recent addition. This car is run with SOVREN and retains the lighting and wiring necessary to convert it to street legal if desired. The stance, powertrain, and interior features are all pulled from the Emory parts bins that we have grown to love.

The fact that this is a 356A saves it from being mistaken for a Karmann Hardtop, but they are almost interchangeable from the angle above. The quick-release 4-spoke wheel and upgraded 356B shifter make the early cars more manageable on the track. The 904 triple combo gauge is a nice upgrade and small touches like the custom dead pedal show an attention to detail.

Who needs expensive speedster seats when you can have vintage style aluminum shells like these? They remind us of the offerings from Vintage31. Note also the custom routing of the rollcage.

The engine is a 1620cc unit with an impressive 145 horsepower and 7000 rpm redline. The standard oil filter has been deleted in favor of a full-flow system and remote Oberg screen filter. The carbs were rebuilt by noted specialist Don Marks.

This is an impressive build and an opportunity which doesn’t come along very often. We like the aggressive styling and the upgrades, but love how it is all squeezed the lines of an A-series car. More pictues and info is available upon request.

Not much info is given on the build, but we like the center stripe and the understated numbers and class markings. Modern NASCAR number fonts on vintage cars are always a buzz-kill, and this car avoids that. That “X” on the rear lid could imply that this belonged to a rookie driver who hopefully went easy on the drivetrain. White-letter Hoosiers have a cool period look and the lexan dash cowl improves the driving experience over none at all.

Inside the fit and finish looks too good for the price. Again the mix of vintage and modern works well, and the retention of the dash cover and carpets give a finished look even if they add weight. Hour meters are always good to see on race cars.

The engine and trunk compartments are nicely painted in light gray, and the 4-cylinder engine is fed by twin down-draft carbs. Fit and finish looks excellent.

This is an impressive car for the money, and the big fin style of the early cars can sometimes fend off the pesky Tiger questions. Other vintage race groups would be crazy not to accept this car. As an interesting counterpoint, check out the lovely black car with hardtop currently here on eBay.  The choice is yours!

7/28/2009 Update: This Peugeot sold for $9,650 with 12 bidders.The deal must have fallen through, because it has now been re-listed by the same seller.

From 7/3/2009:

This 1975 Peugeot 504 Coupe is one of only about 6000 produced with the V6 engine and is a rarity in any form in the USA.The shapely 2-door was designed by Pininfarina introduced in 1969. Early 504 coupes were even built alongside Pininfarina’s Alfa Duetto in Turin, Italy. Note the car’s design similarities with contemporary Pininfarina designs including the Fiat 124 convertible and the Rolls Royce Camargue. Find this one here on eBay in Brooklyn, New York.

We like this car’s period alloy rims – shod with new tires – and the one-piece European headlights. The seller states that the car was recently imported from Denmark, although the Euro license plates that come with the car would suggest Germany. The car was repainted about seven years ago, and shows some wear to the finish and supposedly minimal surface rust.

This car’s upholstery has been re-trimmed in quality tan leather, and the carpets match. The door panels and dash are black, suggesting that perhaps the interior was all black previously, but we like the contrast. Nardi steering wheels are often overkill, but this one seems appropriate for the vintage and style of the car. We like the 504 coupe interior’s Italianate GT look.

The 504’s 2.7 liter V6 was the product of a joint venture among Peugeot, Renault, and Volvo, and first saw production in the Volvo 264. This car has the Solex carburetor and produces 150hp, and the seller reports that the motor was recently rebuilt. 0-60 takes about 10 seconds, and top speed is in the 115mph range. The Edelbrock air filter is a little over the top, and probably doesn’t do much for the car’s performance. A weekend of detailing would go a long way in this engine bay.

This car lights our fuse the same way that Fiat 124 and Dino Coupes do with emotional Italian styling and more than adequate performance for grand touring, not to mention the way they stand out in a crowd. With a few needs, this car has the potential to be a bargain for someone who will invest a little time in the details.

The photos show a very clean red exterior with brand-new looking Ronal wheels and Euro headlights. The white wheel color is striking but works well with the windshield decal and Hella lamp covers. The seller says it is rust and blemish free.

We have never loved the blacked out rear lamps, bit the overall exterior treatment is impressively clean. With so much work put into the build, we’re surprised not to see engine, interior, and underbody photos. This one reminds us of this classic Audi AG file photo.

7/29/2010 Update: It looks as if we might have been incorrect in our currency conversion on this Nissan…. by a factor of 100! We didn’t think it could have been true at the time of the feature so we adjusted to what we thought was a high but not crazy number, but we’ve been told that the price listed by the dealer actually translates to just over $10,170,000 USD when the decimal point is in the right position. Wow. We are guessing that all the commenters rejecting the $100k pricing might not be too happy about this update. Can this be right?

From 7/27/2010:

This 1970 Datsun is the Z432 model which rises above the other early Z’s thanks to the factory installed S20 Skyline 6-cylinder engine. The 430-ish built came with magnesium wheels, 5-speed transmissions, and one of the sweetest engine notes you will ever find. See this one here at Bingo Sports in Japan for 8,800,000 Yen or about $101k at today’s rate. Special thanks to BaT reader Gerrard N. for this submission!

Check out the video below of another Z432 being run and revved. The tach needle can’t even keep up.

The centered spark plugs and twin-cam valve cover are quick tip-offs of the non-USA powerplant. It is only rated at 160 horsepower, but any real Z enthusiast would give their engine and their right arm for one of these.

The JDM look of this car wouldn’t be difficult to replicate on a non-JDM car. Badges, fender mirrors, rear spoiler, rear lenses, and wheels are the main external hints. Any idea why they would have photographed the car with the wipers up?

Inside is a seemingly perfect RHD interior. The quilted vinyl tunnel and rear towers are great, but we’d likely be dissapointed in the look and feel considering that this is a $100k+ car.

This is a rare model that most Datsun fans may never even see in person. It is still no Toyota 2000GT, but at least the engine is in the same universe. Running one of these on track where the engine could be properly wrung out would be a thrill.

Sure, it would be great if this was a GTO, but the options and story on this car give it plenty of appeal. The car wears both California black plates and despite the thick coat of dust on the car when discovered, the paint shined right up and is well displayed in the auction photos. Check out the YouTube video below for some historical photos and the action of the garage extraction. Love it!

Once cleaned up the car looks great. The Sprint 6 side stripes are in great condition, and the intact original color, vinyl top, and stock wheels mean this one should stay absolutely stock as far a we are concerned. Go build a GTO clone out of something else.

Inside the dash is in impressive shape and the Hurst floor shifter was part of teh Sprint package. The other video in the auction shows all the controls being exercised and working as they should. The tachometer was also a Sprint option and it is nice not to have to add one to that clean dash top.

We like V8’s in these cars, but if you have to have a 6-cylinder it might as well be this one. The Rochester 4BBL carb was just rebuilt.

This car is a real time warp machine. The originality freaks will come out strong on this one, but we suspect that it will still be had for a good deal less than the numerous worn out GTO’s that seem to be turning up more often these days. The auction flippers will likely avoid this car, and we suspect that it will go to someone who either had one when they were younger or always wanted a stocker. Good for them.

The car wears both original blue California plates and the couple of small flaws in the body trim are well shown in large photos.  These alloy wheels and caps are difficult to beat on the E3’s.

Inside the blue interior is in amazing condition, and the Nardi wheel and CoCo mats are nice upgrades. The dash is in great shape too, and we’d lose the 8-ball shifter knob for an Alpina or an original replacement.

The engine is mostly stock except for a ceramic-coated header that was added by the current seller. It runs very well and regular maintenance has been performed and documented.

This car would make a fantastic daily driver and we are happy to trade the sunroof and A/C in exchange for the low miles. If we were itching to work on the car we’d add a new trunk roundel, re-paint the air filter housing, and upgrade to some Cibie headlights. A 5-speed might also be a nice upgrade down the road unless we really took a liking to the current 4-speed and freeway geared rear end. This is all minor stuff considering how needy most Bavarias are these days. This one is a winner even if left alone.

Check out the video below for footage of these cars running in the series. We still don’t know how the V8 power and quattro all-wheel-drive made sense against the more conventional 4-cylinder cars, but the rules are the rules.

The Audi Sport paint scheme, stance, and overall prep are excellent on this one. The seller also offers spare body panels, a 4.2L engine, and a transmission at separate prices.

Inside the dash shape is maintained and the column looks reasonably stock but everything else is track-intended. The seats should be Recaro branded instead of Sparco, but that is nowhere near a deal-breaker. The gauges and switch console look very cool.

The engine features the right DTM carbon air boxes and intake runners, and all the fuel components are plumbed with steel braided lines. The cage can be seen running forward to the strut towers and the camber plates look like hefty custom units.

This is an impressive car that would make a very entertaining track day driver. These cars will age almost as well as the DTM-style E30 M3’s, and clean examples will become even more scarce. Buy this one and spend some time watching those old DTM videos to learn the proper turn-in technique.