David and I are at a conference in Salt Lake City at the moment, and I’ll be the first to admit that Salt Lake City isn’t a place I usually associate with interesting car culture. Sure, there’s plenty of things that leap to mind when you think of Salt Lake City – the famous cheesesteaks, the way the air from the Seine feels when you’re standing on the Left Bank, the stately Matterhorn looming in the distance and so on – but car culture generally isn’t one of them.
As we were driving around, I felt my suspicions were confirmed: the carscape was pretty boring, mostly the same grayscale miasma of crossovers and SUVs that you see pretty much everywhere. But then, just a bit ago, David suggested we check out Facebook Marketplace to see what sorts of cars are actually out there.
Now, let’s be honest here, Marketplace can be hell to actually use, but it can provide a decent snapshot into what sort of automotive treasures are lurking somewhere. And boy was I wrong about Salt Lake City. Under that boring surface beats a deeply weird automotive undercurrent, with some genuinely bonkers things for sale. I had to stop myself from putting more in here because I need to sleep, but I think this sampling of a dozen or so of the weirdest stuff will make the point just fine.
Okay, Let’s get started! We’ll ramp into this nice and easy.
First, we just have a lovely Volkswagen Karmann-Ghia. Not especially unusual, but not exactly common anymore, and they’re just so lovely that they always catch my eye. At $6,500, this one looks like a pretty good deal! It’s clean! The nose is undented!
Okay, let’s turn the weird dial up just a bit. A ’73 Capri! When was the last time you saw one of these? The color of this one is so mottled and a mix of rust and primer and paint that it almost feels like it’s been marbled, like the inside covers of an old book. These were always charming cars, and I’m happy to see a driving one for sale, even if it looks a bit rough.
Keeping moving, this ’98 Nissan Skyline GT is interesting because it’s one of the legendary and coveted R34s, but it’s a GT, not a GT-R, and as such is a four-door sedan. It has most of the iconic styling cues of the R34 GT-R, but, you know, longer. And with double the doors. It’s an interesting choice!
Should we get a little weirder? Hell yeah. How about a nice double-decker bus? It’s a 1989 Leyland Olympian, it’s has a 5.9-liter Cummins diesel, and the top is partially open. This would make an incredible camper conversion, complete with an upper patio! Anglophiles with a fetish for going bankrupt buying diesel should leap on this!
I’m a sucker for any of the rear-engined VW pickup trucks, and the double-cab ones are especially cool. This is an allegedly military-spec (what military isn’t noted) 1986 VW Doka, complete with a double cab, flip-down bedsides, and a rear-mounted diesel engine. It’s just RWD, not a Syncro, but still something exciting.
I love this one because it’s nice and baffling. A Hyundai Atos is a competent little city car, but who the hell imported one to the US? And why? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I think this little car has some charm, but it just feels like an extremely unlikely choice when you think about the effort expended to bring it here, and all of the other cars that effort could have been expended upon. Still, it’s here, and that’s fascinating. Though that mustache decal feels like it is in the wrong place – it’s just too high. The grille is the mustache!
Okay, this one isn’t a car, but it’s so gleefully baffling I wanted to include it. Have you ever wanted a replica of Thor’s Hammer, but wanted it to be, you know, more alive with pleasure? If so, boy are you in luck. If you can find a better weapon of a god themed in the livery of a popular ’70s and ’80s cigarette brand, then buy that. If not, here you go.
Look at this! A Crosley Hot Shot! These were America’s first post-WWII true sports cars, and I think they don’t get enough attention. This one is actually a Super Sports model, which you can tell because it has actual doors, you know, like a Ferrari. These also had the first caliper-operated disc brakes! They’re a blast!
If you want something about the size of the Crosley but slower and yet feels faster, then this may be for you: a Vanderhall-based racing sim rig. I was wondering why the hell someone would make a racing sim rig from a Vanderhall Edison EV roadster, but then I saw these are A Thing. Who knew? It’s not cheap, though. That Crosley is $10,000 less and it actually moves, or at least has the potential to.
Here’s another rear-engined VW soldier: a Chenoweth Fast Attack Vehicle! These were basically VW sand rails that got drafted into war. These saw extensive use in the Gulf War, and are very cool and nimble little fighters. It’s a ruggedized sand rail, with a VW flat-four and 24V electrics and a lot of military hardware. Very few of these have ended up in private hands, so I’m really excited to see this for sale!
This isn’t exactly a car, but it’s car-related enough: a coat rack made from manual shifters. There’s someone out there who has been waiting for this, I’m sure.
I was really excited to see this, and don’t let the title fool you: this is no Volkswagen. It’s a Tempo Matador E, and while it’s not a VW, it has some VW ties. The earlier version of these Matador trucks and vans used an air-cooled VW engine up front, driving the front wheels. Eventually, VW decided they didn’t want to supply engines to a competitor, so Tempo was forced to re-design the Matador into the version you see here, that uses and Austin inline-four between the front seats. It’s a charming and incredibly rare little van, a fascinating alternative to the VW Type 2.
An airport tug! I’ve always been curious about these, and have perversely always wanted to turn one into a little daily driver/commuter. That’s probably not a great idea, but if you are considering starting an airport of your own in your backyard, this seems like a fantastic way to start. I bet this thing weighs a shocking amount for its size.
Okay, finally, I just had to include this: for $45, this artist will paint any animated character you want, but all buff and ripped. Hence shredded Hank Hill up there. Have you ever wanted to see Stimpy with an eight-pack, or the see Q*Bert with a back so muscular that looks like it has snakes rippling and wriggling underneath the skin? Then you best reach out to this artist, pronto.
Man. Not what I expected at all from the land of Deseret!
Top graphic images: Facebook Marketplace
