Which ‘Model Kit’ Would You Rather Assemble? 1971 Saab Sonett vs 1982 Mazda RX-7

I have always been the sort of person who enjoys taking things apart and putting things together. My parents figured that out early on, and the majority of my Christmas toys arrived unassembled: model kits, Lego sets, Erector sets, those Radio Shack electronics kits with the spring-loaded terminals and bits of wire to connect stuff, things like that. I still enjoy it, which is why I’m so involved in the RC car hobby. And I think I’d enjoy putting one of these two cars back together, too.

Yesterday’s choices were complete and functional. We looked at the red-headed stepchild of the air-cooled Porsche family, and the rock star of Dodge’s Neon range. This was a close one, but in the end, the Neon took the win. Quite a few of you said that the Porsche 914 felt like too much of a collector’s item already, and that the Neon would be more carefree fun.

I have to agree. I love the 914; I’ve driven one, and it was an absolute delight. But I fear that these days, you can’t just have an air-cooled Porsche, even a 914; you have to be an “air-cooled Porsche person.” I just got away from being a “British car person,” and I have no desire to become a part of another automotive cult like that. I’d rather just have a happy little yellow Dodge.

Taking a car apart and putting it back together is no mean feat. You need time, space, a good sense of organization, a lot of perseverance, and an understanding spouse. I personally have never stripped down a car quite as far as these two, nor have I ever bought a project in such a state. But I think if you approached it with the right attitude, and didn’t spend too much money on it, it could be a lot of fun. And going through all those cardboard boxes full of parts would be kind of like Christmas morning anyway. So let’s take a look at a couple of cars in kit form – not to be confused with kit cars – and see which one you’d rather put back together.

1971 Saab Sonett III plus parts car – $500

Engine/drivetrain: 1.5-liter OHV V4, four-speed manual, FWD

Location: Reseda, CA

Odometer reading: 65,000 miles

Operational status: Disassembled

Old Saabs are a bit of an acquired taste. They’re not as accessible as other classics; with their front-wheel-drive layout, two-stroke inline 3 or Ford V4 engines, and weird styling, they only appeal to a certain type of person. But just about any gearhead can appreciate them, even come to love them, with a little familiarity. It’s a bit like playing a Tom Waits record for a Billy Joel fan: At first, they recoil and make a face, but slowly they start to understand and appreciate how cool it really is.

What we have here is an offer for two Saab Sonett III sports cars, one of which has a good body but a rusty chassis, and the other has a solid chassis but a rough body. The Sonett is based on a steel chassis with a fiberglass body dropped over the top, so you can mix and match parts to make one good car. Both cars have had their bodies removed, and some other parts disassembled – the photo above does not represent their current condition. The seller says there are easily enough good parts to build one solid car, and have a bunch of spares to keep it going.

The Sonett’s unusual V4 engine comes from the German Ford Taunus (that’s Taunus with an N, not to be confused with Taurus), driving the front wheels through a four-speed gearbox. These cars are pretty rare, but they have a strong enough following that finding parts – and advice – shouldn’t be too hard. And with two whole cars to pull from, you’re ahead of the parts game from the start.

Once you get everything sorted out and reassembled, you’ll be treated to a really neat and unusual little car. It’s got a legitimate racing pedigree, and the sort of “if you know, you know” cool factor that classic Mustang owners can only dream of. Oh, and pop-up headlights operated by a lever! You’ll be the popular kid at any sports car gathering with those – unless an Opel GT shows up.

1982 Mazda RX-7 former race car – $1,999

Engine/drivetrain: 1.2-liter 2-rotor Wankel, five-speed manual, RWD

Location: Encinitas, CA

Odometer reading: unknown

Operational status: Drivetrain is out and engine needs rebuilding

Mazda tried its rotary engine in all sorts of vehicles early on: luxury cars, pickup trucks, even a small bus. But eventually, the rotary engine’s one true believer realized that the high-revving, low-torque engine was best suited to sports cars. The RX-7 kept the rotary faith for more than twenty years, starting with this sleek, trim little number. The first-generation RX-7 had a long and distinguished racing career, and secondhand examples often found their way onto race tracks as well. This one is a retired race car, with full SCCA approval. It was last raced in 2006, and is in need of a full mechanical rebuild.

The 12A rotary engine and five-speed transmission are already out of the car, and the engine has been stripped down to – I guess you’d call it a long block? Without a cylinder head, the lines between different levels of engine completeness get a little blurry. The rotary engine has always fascinated me, ever since I built an Entex model kit of one as a kid. Rebuilding one actually sounds like a lot of fun.

It has a full roll cage inside, and a racing seat that has been removed. But most of the rest of the interior is still there. I don’t know what’s involved in putting a former race car back on the street, but I have a feeling that that was the plan here. The seller says his son bought it, but realized the project was too much for him. We’ve all been there. It sounds like everything is included to at least get it back up and running, if not street-legal again.

It’s in good shape outside, with cool Panasport wheels and ’80s-tastic Dixie-cup-looking graphics. The hood and front bumper are removed, but included. And it does have a title, which race cars sometimes don’t have, and it’s on non-op registration with the California DMV, so getting it back on the road should be a matter of making sure you’ve got the right seat belts, and that all the lights work.

These are both major projects; no one is denying that. But with all the stuff that’s included, they also feel like good deals. That’s not to say that you won’t need to buy anything else, but you shouldn’t have to buy much. Which one looks like a better use of some quality garage time to you?