I feel like I’ve been taking it easy on you all recently, showing you cars that run and drive and all. So today, I decided to subject you to a couple of long-derelict rides. One of them is a British classic, and the other just kinda looks like one.
Yesterday’s cars were from the same year, and they complemented each other well enough that I decided to give you a “both” option in the poll. It seems that every time I do this, the “both” option outperforms one of the cars, and yesterday that was the Ford Crown Vic. You all seemed impressed by its cushy interior, but less so by its outward appearance. The Nissan pickup, on its own, won out over the package deal pretty decisively, and I suspect without the “both” option, the gap would have been even wider.
I don’t really have any interest in owning that Ford, nor do I need another 4×4 pickup. I’ll say this much, though: if I ever did decide to sell my Chevy truck, or if some terrible fate befell it, its replacement would probably be a Nissan 4×4 pickup with a stickshift.
Nobody buys a project car with the intention of letting it sit, but things happen. The time isn’t there. Some repair frustrates you more than you thought it would, or thwarts you entirely. All that hope, all those grand plans, that you had when you handed over that pile of cash turns into “I really should go work on that,” and then into “I really should just sell it.” Today’s choices have been sitting for years, and it doesn’t sound like anyone has even tried to get them going in ages. Could you be the one to put one of them back on the road? Let’s see.
“The Duke” – 1939 Jaguar SS100 kit car – $2,000
Engine/drivetrain: 1.6-liter OHV inline 4, four- (or maybe five-) speed manual, RWD
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Odometer reading: 76,000 miles
Operational status: Been sitting for 10 years
Fun fact: the original name of Jaguar was SS, short for Swallow Sidecar. The company got its start making motorcycle sidecars before producing its first car in 1931. Jaguar was used as a model name in 1935, and the company name changed to Jaguar in 1945 to avoid any association with Nazi Germany. This is a replica of the sports car that made the company famous: the SS Jaguar 100, so named for its 100 MPH top speed. I very much doubt that this replica can come anywhere close to that speed, even after you get it running.
Unlike most kit cars, this one is not based on a VW Beetle platform. Instead, it uses a Chevy Chevette engine and transmission, and probably the rear axle and front suspension as well. Whether this is an improvement or not depends on what you think of the Beetle and the Chevette. It does place the engine in the correct spot, at least. This car appears to have been finished and driven some, but it has not turned a wheel in more than a decade. The Chevette’s guts should be easy enough to find parts for, and it’s not a complicated engine.
The interior is where a lot of kit cars feel half-assed, and this appears to be no exception. It’s also disgusting. You’d probably end up gutting the whole thing and starting over. I see a lot of Chevette parts in here, which I would expect; a lot of kit cars use as much of the donor vehicle as possible. The thing in the plastic bin on the driver’s seat looks like an air conditioning compressor, but I can’t imagine why you’d want air conditioning in a car like this.
Like most kit cars, the body of this car is fiberglass, built on a square tube steel frame. The body looks like it’s in decent condition, but the paint is pretty bad. You’d probably have to repaint it. I suggest some wild, garish color; I don’t think this car wants to be brown and beige.
1975 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow – $3,800
Engine/drivetrain: 6.75-liter OHV V8, three-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Beavercreek, OR
Odometer reading: 82,000 miles
Operational status: Been sitting for 5 years
While the car above is not a real Jaguar, this one is the real McCoy, a bona-fide honest-to-Crewe Rolls-Royce. The Silver Shadow had the largest production total of any Rolls-Royce model, more than thirty thousand over fifteen years. But it still proudly carries the Spirit of Ecstasy atop its grille surround, and it’s still hand-built by a bunch of guys with names like Charley and Nigel.
The Shadow was a car of firsts for Rolls-Royce: its first unibody (rather than body-on-frame) car, and its first car with independent suspension on all four corners – with a self-leveling hydropneumatic system licensed from Citroën. Its engine is a 6.75-liter V8 producing 189 horsepower, though Rolls never officially published horsepower ratings in those days, simply listing the engine’s power as “sufficient.” The transmission is a nice, simple, bulletproof TH400 from General Motors. This car has been parked for more than five years, and the seller says nobody has tried to start it in that time. It might wake up without much effort, or it might never run again. You pays your money, you takes your chances.
The interior of a Rolls-Royce is what every lesser luxury car manufacturer aspires to: a cozy environment of leather, wood, and wool carpets. It could use a good cleaning, but it’s in good shape, which is good, because restoring a Silver Shadow interior properly can’t be cheap. One thing does concern me: It has footrests for the rear passengers, but I don’t see any fold-down trays. Where do they expect you to put your Grey Poupon?
There aren’t a lot of photos in the ad, so it’s a little hard to assess this car’s condition, but what we can see looks promising. It doesn’t look rusty, and the paint is shiny under all the dust. The right taillight is cracked, and it might be hard to find a replacement, but there’s always that taillight repair tape. Using that stuff on a Rolls-Royce is my kind of blasphemy.
You’ve got your work cut out for you if you want to revive either of these, but the good news is the price of entry is relatively cheap. It’s only the beginning, of course, but nobody said project cars are cheap. If you were to take one on, which would it be?
Hmm, a kit car based on a Chevette or 1970s British engineering. Pretty sure the statuses of these *projects* are just one in a looooooong line of stalls for either of these.
But give the choise I’d buy the Rolls and paint it “Grey Poupon” (yes that IS a real color) and enjoy it.
Then you’d be Mr. Cheap Mustard.
Cheap mustard is the best mustard!
I helped to wake up a Rolls of that vintage which a widow hoped to sell. Beautiful, beautiful car with an interior that smelled and felt wonderful. But 1970s era build quality, British electrical gremlins, elderly luxury feature failures, and $$$ Rolls parts not available at NAPA make this a hard “nope!” It’s three tons of sadness and disappointment with a really nice interior.
The faux Jaguar, on the other hand, looks pretty good for what it is, and should be easy and cheap to work on. As a cheap convertible with a manual, it may even be fun to drive. Jagvette for me.
Man, there are some serious car people in that parking garage. An old Humvee? And whatever that green car is in the distance? And the turd in question.
Since it has a GM transmission, it’s easy enough to swap in a crate engine 😉
My first job out of the Navy in 91 was dealership that also did Rolls. Maintenance & $$ to get a non-running Rolls on its feet? No thanks.
At least the Chevette-based car should be easy to get parts for.
I think I see some Grey Poupon the roof of that Rolls
I have to agree with other commenters – if I wanted a kit car, I’d build one rather than restore it.
And I’d pick a fun original design over a replica of a standard-looking interwar car that only stood out in-period for its performance.
Look, I can have the sticker ‘My other car is a Rolls-Royce’ on my daily as I consume Grey Poupon, or I can make the joke that ‘My other car is a ‘Vette’ but in a Cockney accent. Just like it still was 1982.
They’re both hackneyed jokes….just like these cars.
Rolls, because it will look better doing nothing in the driveway.
If you’re going to do anything with one of these, it may as well be the one that’s real.
Isn’t the point of a kit car to build it? If you want to restore something, get the real deal. Those old jag and merc SSK kits are everywhere, and are usually Pintos or VW based. Lots in great running condition for not much more (4-5k), and often garaged and babied. I’ve had delusions of putting the turbo 2.3 in one….
But this is easy. The rolls will clean up nice with just a bit of elbow grease — although the wood dash will be some effort. IIRC the most expensive part of these old Rollers is the brakes. Most other stuff is shared with other cars.
Successful kit car enjoyment begins by snapping up someone’s stalled project for a hefty discount and finishing it.
Shop carefully so you don’t have a million poorly done things to undo.
There’s always something to get into with a homemade car.
^^^ this is the way.
Ha! If anyone does take up the Rolls, I know exactly where to get parts and service for it. My local Albers Motorcars. https://albersrb.com/ They ONLY work on Crewe Rolls and Bentley models. They even have the taillamp lens in stock https://albersrb.com/parts/reproduction-amber-tail-lamp-upper-lens/
“Inquire Now” makes me think that thing isn’t cheap
…I want an unloved kit car over the cast-off of someone who is either now a billionaire or no longer on this planet. And no one will care if I drop a K-Series in it and make a fancy Caterham out of it.
It has to be the Rolls. If you can’t get the factory drivetrain running then install something more conventional (sbc/ls). Not sure if it is feasible to convert the suspension if you run into issues there, but as they say that is a problem for future Matt.
I mean, maybe I’d want the Jag if it was a Beetle based conversion. Maybe. You can take it to VW shows, and they’re usually a pretty cool bunch. Parts are incredibly easy to find and it wouldn’t be hard to add some power. Maybe you could even get it up to 100mph. But ultimately it’s someone’s half finished kit car with a Chevette engine. So the Rolls for me.
Do I think the kit car with the ‘vette (CHEvette) running gear would be easier and cheaper to get running? Yes. Would I rather spend my fake internet money on Rolls that may or may not run? Also yes. It’s a Chevy transmission, so an LS-swap on the roller isn’t too far-fetched. Is that total blaspemy? Again, yes.
How hard would a GM crate motor and transmission into the RR be?
Clean it up, clean it out and have a nice, if not all original, weekend cushy drive.
You wouldn’t even need a transmission potentially, as any GM motor of the last 60 years or more will bolt right to that THM.
Who the hell wants a Chevette with a body kit? Seriously. This isn’t even a discussion.
100% Agree!
I do!
Me too. Way cheaper and easier to get fixed.
I’m guessing you’ve never spent time in a Chevette before.
There’s not much left of the Chevette’s interior. Nevermind that it’s entirely possible Opel Kadett/Vauxhall Chevette go fast bits would fit the Chevy model suspension. If it doesn’t use Mustang II bits for that.
But I don’t want a plush boat, or to feel like a millionaire. I like the small, cheap, and unloved. If an ’88 Nova showed up I’d be making phone calls. I think the Crazy ’80s Museum Mercedes wrote about is an awesome collection. And I’ve come around to this kind of retro ’70s/’80s replica. They’re a bit of a laugh if you get the joke.
Besides, the Chevy is mostly gone, so that little engine has a lot less car to move. I think even without putting a modern engine in it, it’d scoot. A K-series? “He-he! I’m in danger!”
Perhaps your idea in that perhaps a better powertrain is exactly what the doctor ordered. Also, I don’t know how much of the Chevette suspension and braking systems are used, but those should probably get tossed as well.
However, at that point, is it really worth swapping everything out and using the fake Jag body that is well worn? Even then, there’s a law of diminishing returns. It might be the right passion project for someone. But that someone ain’t me.
I dunno. Recently I picked a model of an F-100 Super Sabre someone had built at an antique mall. I just couldn’t let all that time and effort someone spent go to waste. Someone cared enough to get this car this far built.
Maybe if I didn’t have a non running VW Beetle, I might consider a project like this.
If that body would fit on a VW without much fuss, I could get behind that idea. These days old VW beetle parts are still easy to source and not terribly expensive plus there’s still a good number of aftermarket companies building parts for it. Not sure that the same aftermarket parts availability and enthusiast communities exist for the Chevette.
Mine’s a Super, wouldn’t be room for the strut towers.
Chevettes were supposedly fun to drive in the right hands. My buddy’s hands weren’t those.
Cheap Rolls = very expensive
Look, if you want to spend boat money, get a boat.
Better yet, convince a friend to buy this thing so you can be entertained.
The kit car is as terrible as you’d expect, so at least it lives up to low expectations. It’s also probably super easy to get running.
You could have some fun creating hilarity with that thing.
I couldn’t be paid that much to take either of them, quite honestly, but the GR86 in the background of the “Jaguar” photos is rad.
One is a genuine Rolls Royce, and the other is… that thing.
I worked on enough Chevettes in high school auto shop to not want to ever come close to anything associated with one ever again.
Heart says Rolls, head says ‘no’.
The Rolls could be $5k to get going, or it could be $30k. And who knows how much to keep it going. Truly rolling the dice.
At least the kitcar could be fixed with some well-curated junkyard parts. And would be a fun runabout. There’s nothing holding you from mix-and-matching something newer to keep it moving.
I had a coworker in LA w/ an immaculate late 90’s Bentley Continental R
He said he needed to budget $3000/year to keep it maintained.
Some years were more, some were less – but that was the average.
That’s probably closer to $4000/year now.
But simply turning up in it during Car Week in Monterey gained him instant entry to the Bentley paddock – with all the benefits that entails.
$3,000 per year for a Bently R? That doesn’t seem bad to me, for some reason.
I’ll take mine in burgundy or blue, thank you. Cream or medium brown interior.
When you compare to the maintenance needs of a Continental GT, with all it’s complexities – it’s a bargain.
Gimme the fake Jaaaaaag. Pull the engine and transmission and replace it with something with some real power!
Then it becomes a contest to see if the chassis pretzels itself or all the body panels fly off first.
Warn me not to drive behind you when this happens.
That Rolls has at least 5k in part out value alone, the kit jag, probably scrap value.
Rolls, please!
No, [when running] it doesn’t make much power for ~412cid, but that’s not the point.
It’s a fantastic car. This is the type of project where I would almost be happy just to take my time doing a cosmetic resto: it’s not bad now and could be stunning, and it’s a thing of beauty even if it’s stationary. It would also be interesting to see how it was engineered without worrying about breaking anything.
Compare this with the kit car: parts from an unloved crapcan cobbled together with a middle-school-shop-project caliber interior. Just… no.
No brainer –
Not only is it a Silver Shadow – it’s a LWB version.
The Shadow would probably need anywhere from $3-12K to get running again, and another $3-5K on refinishing the wood and $3K more on a thorough cleaning, leather conditioning and detailing – but then you’d have a running Rolls-Royce which could be worth about $45-50K.
Yeah I feel like this one needs two trips to Ammo NYC, first a baseline full clean and detail to see what we’re working with, and then a post job to make it perfect.
Unlike my current fleet, this car is actually worth the money spent on such endeavors.