For all of its engineering wizardry and marketing magic, today’s auto industry is running short on strange. In dealerships, there’s something for everybody, from speed freaks to fuel sippers, but much of it looks pretty much the same.
Of course, it wasn’t always this way. Back before reams of safety regulations standardized grille heights and crumple-zones, and certainly before global conglomerates perfected the art of sharing parts and platforms, cars were creative and sometimes downright odd.
Six of the quirkiest vehicles to ever roll off an assembly line will be available at RM Sotheby’s auction in Santa Monica, California. Each of these machines makes a vintage Porsche 911 look common—even boring. And what’s more, they cost far less.
This micro-car is what happened when a manufacturing giant no longer had to supply the German Luftwaffe. Over a decade, the former fighter-plane maker cranked out about 10,000 of its “kabinenroller,” which roughly translates to “cabin scooter.” It has three wheels, two seats—one in the front and one in the back—and one handlebar for steering. It also has four different gears for driving in reverse.
1968 Mazda Cosmo Sport Series I
($110,000 - $130,000)
Japanese sports cars have been having a moment, and the Cosmo is arguably the granddaddy of them all. It was racecar-light and built around a rotary engine, a configuration of cylinders most commonly found on airplanes. The engine alone is still considered vanguard technology.
1936 Lincoln-Zephyr
($70,000 - $85,000)
Picture a Chicago mobster in a Depression-era chop shop and you’ll be near the provenance of this opulent Lincoln. Theoretically, the twin grilles were designed for more efficient engine-cooling; practically, they were for making a grand entrance. Sotheby’s sold the rusted out shell of this car for about $11,000 in 2011. Since then, its interior and engine have been painstakingly rebuilt, although it still has a safe bolted in the trunk.
1960 Tatra 603
($35,000 - $45,000)
Another major supplier for Germany’s WWII arsenal, Tatra’s post-war vehicles were best known for shuttling Communist officials around the Eastern Bloc. The company made almost 21,000 of its model 603. Consider it a Czech Lamborghini: The engine was in the rear, the body featured massive fender-vents, and normal citizens couldn’t buy them.
1955 Woodill Wildfire
($55,000 - $65,000)
A pet project of a California car dealer, less than a dozen Woodill Wildfire’s are thought to have left the garage intact, with another few hundred sold as kits. This was one of the original DIY cars; customers were expected to buy the body, which was made of fiberglass, and pair it with their engine of choice.
1964 Ford Econoline
($15,000 - $20,000)
Ford’s answer the Volkswagen van. This well-maintained camper has a six-cylinder engine directly underneath the driver’s seat. The company expected most customers to take the pick-up version, so the RV treatment was rare. Ford still makes the Econoline today, but this version is from the first generation—its seminal selling of #vanlife.
