This is the last pair of these I’ll subject you to, I promise. But I couldn’t let this week of weird customs go by without showing you all these two creations. One of them I’ve seen for sale for a while, and I’ve been waiting for the right time to feature it. I guess that time is now.
Yesterday we went cheap, and, well, you get what you pay for. The monsterized Buick scared most of you, so the slammed Ranger ended up winning by default. Quite a few commenters wanted to put the Ranger back to some semblance of a functional truck, which I guess is possible. The Buick is pretty much beyond saving.
That little Ranger isn’t my style, but I can see how much work went into it. It was probably a nice show truck once upon a time, but it has been mightily abused since then. If someone really wanted to return it to its former glory, it could be a fun project. It’s certainly cheap enough to start with.
Most folks just walk into a dealership, buy what they sell, and drive it as-is. But for a bold few, the way a car comes from the factory is just a starting point. I’m not one to customize cars myself (at least not real ones; some of my model car creations are pretty far out there), but I have long been an admirer of custom vehicles. I especially enjoy it when someone comes up with a way to customize a car that I never would have thought of. One of these I’ve seen before, but the other one is new to me – and probably all of you as well. Let’s check them out.
1960 Morris Minor on 2002 Toyota Prius platform – $10,000
Engine/drivetrain: 1.5-liter DOHC inline 4 plus electric motor, CVT automatic, FWD
Location: Hayward, CA
Odometer reading: 27,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Most of the time, when someone customizes a car, a boost in horsepower is part of the formula. When the car you’re customizing is a Morris Minor, it’s hard to make the horsepower lower, so a boost is virtually guaranteed. I’ve seen Minors with all sorts of engine swaps: V6s, V8s, Mazda rotaries, and more, but this is a new one. What we have here is a Morris Minor body swapped onto a first-generation Toyota Prius.
Swapping the Minor body onto the Prius’s platform changes the drivetrain layout entirely. This car is now front-wheel-drive, with a 1.5 liter gasoline engine, an electric motor, and a very clever continuously variable transmission between them. Taken together, they’re about double the power of the Minor’s original four-cylinder engine. The seller says this car runs and drives very well, and completed a long road trip down the coast last summer with no problems. You can’t say that about a lot of custom cars.
The interior is pretty much all Prius, and it appears to be in good shape. Ironically, one element of the dash is the same between the two cars: a center-mounted speedometer. The stock airbag steering wheel has been replaced by a wood-rimmed Grant wheel – not strictly kosher if this car is legally considered a Prius, but fine if it’s considered a Morris Minor. I don’t know which is the case. It has working air conditioning, which is funny, because it has no roof.
A 2002 Prius is about seven inches wider than a Morris Minor, so the bodywork had to be widened to make it fit. It looks a little off, but only if you know what a Minor is supposed to look like. It has been decorated with a few tiki statues, which is an interesting choice. It looks like this was originally a Morris Minor Traveller wagon, rather than the more common sedan, which is kind of a shame. Travellers look cool the way they are.
1973 Chevrolet Corvette custom wagon – $20,000
Engine/drivetrain: 350 cubic inch OHV V8, four-speed manual, RWD
Location: Richmond, CA
Odometer reading: 87,000 miles
Operational status: Runs well, but not drivable
Corvettes, especially C3 Corvettes, seem to get modified a lot. Sometimes the result looks pretty good, but other times not so much. This ’73 Corvette was sort of a mixed bag when it was built: the shooting brake conversion works pretty well, I think, but I’m not as sold on the row of rectangular headlights it once wore.
It seems to be a fairly standard Corvette under the reworked fiberglass, with a 350 V8 and a four-speed stick. It sat for 25 years, and the seller has done a lot of work to revive it. Mechanically, it’s ready to go as soon as the bodywork is done. The engine, brakes, suspension, and cooling system are all new.
This is the only interior photo in the ad. It looks like it’s in reasonably good shape, but the dash is disassembled. The seller says the power windows work, but it needs a lot more wiring work to be roadworthy. I’m assuming all the dashboard parts are included to finish it.
The custom bodywork was designed by a guy named Harry Bradley. He also designed a bunch of Hot Wheels models for Mattel, as well as the Dodge Deora custom pickup truck. That makes this car a bona-fide piece of hot rodding history. It has seen better days; the custom front clip is gone, and I have a feeling it’s because the car was wrecked. There’s some damage to the left rear as well that has been partially repaired. It now wears the front clip from a newer C3 Corvette; I guess the intention was to modify it to match the original. The trim surrounding the original six-headlight setup is shown in one photo, and I assume it’s included.
The trouble with custom cars is that they’re the product of one person’s individual tastes. They may love it, but that doesn’t mean someone else will. And that makes selling one a difficult proposition, especially something as left-field as these two. One is a combination of two vehicles no one would have ever thought to put together, and the other is a semi-famous one-off looking for someone to bring it back. Which one appeals to you more?
Oh my good lord, I want that Morris Prius SO MUCH!
Obviously not for the money they’re asking, but yeah. I would so totally drive that if you knocked down the price to a reasonable level.
I actually like the look of the widened car, it has a sort of Fallout look to it, but I wish they’d kept it a wagon.
I can’t really vote at these prices. If the Vette were $10k, maybe. If the Morris were $2500, like a beat Prius, maybe. Custom projects are the passion of their creators, and if the product is too niche, nobody will buy it, much less finish it.
Can I spend my Autopian money on an 1800es shooting brake instead?
I guess the Minor prius? It’s running at least. The Shooting Vette isn’t and seems to need a lot of electrical work and may need more parts. For a car that’s not finished like this, my heart would have to be in it. And it just isn’t.
Tough call. The Vette is twice what it should be, especially in the unfinished state. The Morris is driveable, but I wish it was still a wagon instead of an awkward convertible-trucklet that looks like it should be a decorative piece at a tiki bar. I let random chance pick for me and the C3 gets my vote.
I voted for the Corvette. The price would have to drop about 95% for me to have any semi serious interest in this car, but I at least think it has potential.
I don’t understand the Minor. Grafting it onto a Prius makes little sense. The only reason to do this would be to create a unique daily driver, but for a daily driver I want something more comfortable (or at bare minimum something with a top). It seems odd to pair a practical but boring drivetrain with an impractical open-air vehicle like this Minor. The Prius interior, weird proportions, and “unique” custom work (i.e. the creepy tiki statues) also are off putting. It also has a very home built appearance in a lot of the details, which is not a complement. I hope the seller enjoyed building and driving this vehicle – I really don’t see this selling for anywhere near $10k.
Big pass from me
I like the idea of the shooting brake vette, but not at that price and level of completion. I’ll take the runner. If they were the same price, the decision would be a lot harder.
SHOOTING BRAKE!!!SHOOTING BRAKE!!!SHOOTING BRAKE!!!
Plus, it looks like the Morris sold.
The ad for the Morris expired; it doesn’t look like it was taken down by the seller. I’m not sure the car actually sold.
Anybody else notice that the tags expired on the Morris in 2021?
Things that make you wanna go Hmmm…
A pair of fright pigs. Think I’ll pass. Go tinker on my 68 AMX that looks sharp, runs good, and cost around what they want for the Vette.
The Minor could have been for sale since 2021 at this price.
Weird Prius for the win.
Just never was into Vettes, especially ones with weird mods done.
Edit: change of mind here. The weird Prius just looks wrong in every way.
Something tells me this is a turd created out of junkyard treats. No thanks.
I voted for the vette only because I remember having or wanting a Hot Wheels C3 shooting brake many years ago
The term shooting brake is used variously to describe any number of body styles; typically combining coupé and station wagon elements.[11][12][13] Descriptions of the body style associated with the term include:
I actually like both of these, but I’d prefer the one that’s already driveable. It’s the Minor/Prius for me.
I would like the Corvette if it was MUCH cheaper. At that price it should be drivable if not very nearly complete. I think it would be the more fun to own.
The Morris is interesting as a concept, but I am scared of how trashed that interior looks. If you are going through all that effort to strip out an interior…could you have at least dropped the parts off at a detailer? Did they even remove all the candy wrappers and change that fell between the seats?
I cannot choose either one. Gun to the head, I would take the Morris.
Seriously! Mark’s like “interior looks fine” and my first reaction is “that looks disgusting, god knows how this person treats their cars.” I’d run… but not into the arms of the way-overpriced Vette.
Between these two? I think I’d take the gun.
$20K for the Vette, it’ll take you another $20K to finish it if your lucky, do you really want to be sattled with a $40,000++ 1973 Corvette?
Not I.
Corvette all day. I do know what a morris minor should look like and I can’t get over the extra width on that one. The Corvette looks great though
The Prius thing is interesting, but lacks the weird odd 70’s only(and Rare) vette Kammback set up. Not that it really makes this gen of vette any better, just different. I am kind of dissapointed the ugly quad nose snout is missing.
That being said, while I would choose the vette with autpian funny money, I would probably actually use my own money for this little VW custom. https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/d/rio-vista-1968-volkswagen-roadster/7913024546.html
I would definitely tart it up with Mario Kart Livery complete with a rear wing change to a delta shape to make that look like a Hang Glider add on.
Hell yeah, that rocks!
I love a Morris minor but the prius interior kills it for me. At least have the decency to keep the minor dash and put the prius gauges into it.
Not fan of body-shell swaps. The Prius interior just spoils the look of the Morris exterior, especially as dirty as it is.
I love a good shooting brake conversion on a sports car. Hopefully whoever winds up buying this one (probably for a lot less than $20k!) can turn this into one. As others have said, I take the longroof Vette for what it could be.
MT clearly using this week’s horror shows to bias us before presenting some K-car matchup.
I don’t hate either of these cars. Both creators had a vision and implemented with some skill.
I’d be attracted to the Vette wagon, but at twice the price and in its damaged, some-assembly-required state – nope.
The hybrid Morris looks fun, and is ready to cruise. Plus the Prius underneath is almost unkillable. If I were really ambitious, I’d try to build a wagon top for it. I’m not that ambitious, so I’d probably just rig a bikini top for a little sun shade.
I think a bikini top like that of the Monkeemobile or a WW2 Jeep would suit that car well.
And it would only need to be a tarp and some string to keep with the look.
Bikini top makes the most sense based on the overall design theme.
I’ve seen that Morris offered for sale numerous times over the years.
I was all set to vote for the Morris, but then I saw it had been widened, and now I can’t unsee it. I don’t know why it bothers me so much, but it does. So I guess I’m getting the Corvette.
I sort of get the pricing for the Corvette, but it would take a pretty specific buyer to pay that. My take on it would be to strip any remaining cheesy 70’s “kustom” crap off of it and build it as a phantom stock C3 shooting brake. Maybe even backdating the front end to a ’68-72 chrome bumper configuration. Ironically, this might be one of the few customs to actually improve on the usability of the original car as this generation of Corvette didn’t have external access to the trunk.
The Minor looks vaguely gross and is also grotesquely overpriced. This is a “fuck it” toy for real car money.
Corvette today. Not for what it is, but for what it could be.
My thoughts as well on the Corvette. Return the front clip to a classic Stingray look, and in general keep the whole thing classy. The pictures aren’t terribly clear at showing what’s going on with the side pipes, but they look unnecessarily bulky; side pipes are fine, but they need to be trim and tucked-in close in keeping with the Coke-bottle shape.