Car Parts 2011

Today is a day that ends in the letter "y" which means an Ebay search is inevitable.  After checking the usual lust worthy subjects, I stumble upon a hallowed mark that has had some rough patches over the years, Maserati.  To my surprise, it isn't the current Gran Turismo or Quattroporte that grabs my attention.  It isn't even the sexy lines of a coupe or cabrio.  It's this:

r3vlimited.com

Considering this Maserati Biturbo is on Time magazine's list of 50 worst cars of all time, most of you probably think I'm crazy for liking it.  It's inexplicable really.  There was a Biturbo coupe on Ebay just a couple days ago and the lines looked so clean.  Now, I see the sedan and it isn't far off the mark.  It just exudes a kind of Italian style that is terribly hard to put into words.

Styling is nice but most of you are aware that I primarily like to talk about drivetrain and performance.  Well, I won't disappoint today.  Depending on year and trim, the Biturbo housed anything from a 2 to 2.5 liter V6 which made anywhere between 180 and 290 horsepower.  The lower end of this range is comparable to an E30 M3!  All the physical dimensions are within a stone's throw of the M3 also.  In addition, it was naturally a rear driver.

So what's the catch?  This isn't titled the The Rich Man's 3-Series for nothing!  The reason behind it being on Time's worst car list is largely due to a plethora of service advisories and reliability issues.  I'm sure after dumping a bunch of cash into the car, it's a sweet ride.  Here's one on Ebay to get you started. 

Before you start thinking that we've gone crazy, FPH still means Flappy Paddle Heads and is not a women's shoe store, or perverse innuendo, called Fabulous Pump House.  Like the shoes that high-maintenance women adore, this perfect yellow wedge is also Italian made, quite sexy and very expensive.  Of course, we're talking about the Lancia Stratos!

conceptcarz.com

Yes, for sale on Ebay right now is a very nicely restored 1975 Lancia Stratos (not the one pictured above) in all its Big Bird yellow glory.  For those who actually have lives unlike us and don't know what a Lancia Stratos is, it is one of the most iconic designs in the motor world.  Penned by Bertone's Marcello Gandini, the beautiful wedge was only 43 inches tall, 146 inches long, and 69 inches wide.  It's mid-mounted 2.4 liter V6 made about 190hp which was applied to the rear wheels.  This formula was applied to just 492 examples of the car and was the basis for three World Rally Championships.  You can own the perfect yellow wedge below.


See the Ebay posting here.

I was just working on some material for Freak of the Week before calling it a night when I received the most incredible IM all week.

I am thoroughly convinced, and proven time and again, that if you ever needed help looking for a car on eBay Motors, you will not find a better person to do the job than Danny Chin.


I cannot overstate this-- I never thought I could want a car as badly as I want this one.


Not. A. Replica. The descriptions state that this 911 is a genuine, numbers matching, 1973 911 Carrera RS. Moreover, of the past 37 years, the vehicle has only changed hands four times!

Work done to the RS include new sport seats, sport steering wheel, and a bolted roll bar. The doors have also been lightened and the original yellow has been painted with a more upright, understated, and charming forest green. Finally, the engine has been completely rebuilt by a Porsche specialist.

I am absolutely certain that this car holds the key to my eternal happiness. Donations welcome! Please, I beg you, I'll eat glass if that's what it takes! If I sound hysterical, that is because I am and my parents have already scrambled up the stairs to see if I needed an exorcist.

Naturally, Freak of the Week will have to wait.  Hope everyone had a great weekend!

People always say that one man's trash is another man's treasure.  Although I'm not a fan of dumpster diving, this seems to be very true considering we have things like Craigslist, Ebay, and 50% divorce rates.  After seeing the two following Ebay listings, I can completely understand the trash part of that statement as well as 50% divorce rates.

At first glance, this doesn't look so bad. It would seem to be a nice piece of military memorabilia and that is exactly what it started life as.  This is a Humber Pig that was built in the United Kingdom.  It could transport eight soldiers along with two crew members.  Well, that's not the case anymore.
Now, it's a 6 ton party wagon that's decked out with leopard print, a 32" flat screen, and a disco ball.  I'm sure that's exactly the kind of life this British soldier wanted to live after its years of service.  Still, the basic principle of hauling a bunch of loaded dudes still applies.

The next vehicle is the very tragic result of the combined forces of a man's wallet and his misplaced passion for car design.  This car started life as a Porsche Boxster with all of its lithe, nimble handling.  Then it apparently fell victim to some sort of elephantiasis.
I can't bear to look or talk about this travesty anymore.  Just click the link.

Like many petrol heads, the writers of FPH constantly click through page after page of listings on Ebay and dream about the possibilities.  Previous posts have shown things like crazily lusted after race homologations, rare European exotica, and high dollar custom builds.  Today, I decided to get back to my routes and looked for some (relatively) inexpensive Japanese performance.

2001Acura Integra Type R

Do you like high-revving, screamer motors bolted to a matching lightweight, agile chassis?

Here's a 2001 Acura Integra Type R with about 71,000 miles on the clock.  The owner seems to have taken good care of this limited edition car and it shows.  This is one of the cleanest examples the I've seen on Ebay and it's a low mileage car too.  All the modifications are performance oriented and are simple bolt-on affairs except for the MSD ignition.  The price seems to be a bit high considering Edmunds.com says it's worth about seven grand.  The low mileage, upgrades, and sentimental value are probably affecting the seller's pricing.  If you're as crazy as I was about these in highschool, the listing can be found here.

1996 Nissan Skyline GTR

Godzilla crossed the Pacific!

Yes, it's true.  There's a Skyline GTR on sale in America!  This is a '96 and is listed with a Buy It Now of $40,000.  That is very low for what these cars can fetch especially considering the extensive modifications.  Interior, exterior, and engine bay have all been modded in one way or another.  I am not a huge fan of buying pre-personalized cars because it doesn't reflect my personal tastes.  All the same, this car will make somebody's dream come true.  Check it out here.

While looking for some post-holiday/New Year steals, I started thinking about what kind of deals I can find in the realm of motorized transportation.  For the motorcycle enthusiast, the off-season means gear and bikes are at a yearly low.  For the (very) affluent yet tight budgeted millionaire...

That's right!  The Bugatti Veyron is a hell of a deal.  $1.7 million is a bargain for the finest piece of automotive engineering... ever!

Now, you may be thinking,"Hold on!  This is a blog about post-holiday deals and $1.7 million is the price of this car all the time."  Well, you are a savvy reader, my friend.  Everyone knows that buying a new car means having to deal with first year depreciation.  Luckily someone has already done that with this particular Veyron.  Available on Ebay at the low low price of $879,980 is this 2008 model in Jonesboro, Arkansas.  With less than 7,000 miles on the odometer and at half the price of new, the lucky new owner can pick this beauty up and have money left over for a couple cases of Dom Perignon to toast his new purchase as well as the new year.

Italy produces some of the most lust worthy pieces of sheet metal in all the world.  Just the mere sight of them can make a person all teary-eyed and weak in the knees.  This Lancia Delta Integrale isn't one of those sensuous pieces of steel but still has the same crisis-inducing effects.

To regular readers of Flappy Paddle Heads, this car needs no introduction.  The race version was covered a little while back in Killer B (part2).  For the uninitiated, here's the short story.  This car is the basis for the all conquering Lancia Delta S4 rally car from the 80s.  It sports a 2.0 liter turbocharged four cylinder that produces 200hp and sends it to all four wheels.  It does 0-60 in the same time as a modern WRX, somewhere in the mid-5 second range, and has tenacious grip from its all wheel drive system.

If this interests you, check it out for sale on ebay.