A Gazelle kit car may be one of the most recognizable replicas of all time, if not the most recognizable replica of all time. And like all replicas, it can make you grin or grimace. The fact that this was intended to replicate the iconic Mercedes-Benz 540K roadster almost always caused some snickering among elitist enthusiast circles, but a lot of folks took their replica ownership quite seriously. This Gazelle roadster listed here on Facebook Marketplace actually looks quite tidy and if you have to own one, you may as well buy one that’s been screwed together well. The seller is asking $6,500 and thanks to Barn Finds reader Pnuts for the find.
The Gazelle was based on many, many different cars. The chassis and engine was always a bit of a guess, almost as if it could fit anything you had lying around the shop. It seems the VW Beetle was most often the sacrificial lamb for the chassis, while the Chevrolet Chevette or Ford Pinto were the engine donors. The end result was a car that was fairly cheap to build and certainly not all that quick, but if you were into neoclassical design and didn’t want to spend a ton of money, the Gazelle was your ride. And based on how many we see pop up for sale, they must have been fairly popular at one point in time.
Now, upon closer inspection, you’ll likely find plenty of cheap details in this interior, but from a distance, it looks quite tidy. The leather seating surfaces front and rear, along with the matching door panels and the dash pad, all present well, and the attempt at further class and sophistication with the wood-look dash and three-spoke steering wheel tie it all together. Being able to bring some friends along for the ride makes every vintage car more enjoyable, and while I don’t see any seat belts, I doubt you’ll be going fast enough for the lack of safety features to be a problem.
The seller leaves the drivetrain description at “4 cylinder Ford motor”, which I’m guessing gives us a few limited possibilities, from a Pinto to an early Fox body Mustang. Regardless, this is a fairly basic engine, good for around 90 horsepower. The shame of it is the automatic transmission, which likely means it is 3-speed slusher. With three pedals, you could make the most of this sub-100 b.h.p. engine, but the automatic will limit your fun a bit. For an occasional summertime errand runner to jumping into the local 4th of July parade, however, it won’t be hard to find a way to make the most of it, but you might want to make a lower offer for a kit car with limited utility.
Quite ironically, just this morning I saw one of these (in much worse condition) parked in the parking lot to my apartment complex.
I’ve never been a huge fan of these, but this seems to be a good price for one in such nice condition. If that’s the going price for a Gazelle, the one I saw is probably worth only 3 figures!
Quite the pkg the Gazelle treatment. 🎩
It actually looks like good cheap weekend sunny day type fun at that price but I would have to remove that horrible engine and drop a nice little V6 in there and add a third pedal. Because although it looks ok, it would be like driving Miss Daisy as it is. There would be zero driving enjoyment for me as it is.
Built one, All white, Used a 71 Pinto drive train, Lift the body off, they had no frame, used the 2000 cc 4cyl engine, 3 speed trans, shorten the drive shaft, purchased a jig frame out of Hollywood Florida, Purchased all parts needed to
assemble car, upholstery the fiber glass seats, it showed using just a few tools to assemble, :) A lot of work , during the winter with a lot of snow, took it out on the street with just the engine, trans, Gas tank and a wood box to sit on, had a ball with it. (in the 80’s) gave to my brother last year after selling house.
Lots of stories to go with it , Good luck to buyer
Built one, All white, Used a 71 Pinto drive train, Lift the body off, they had no frame, used the 2000 cc 4cyl engine, 3 speed trans, shorten the drive shaft, purchased a jig frame out of Hollywood Florida, Purchased all parts needed to
assemble car, upholstery the fiber glass seats, it showed using just a few tools to assemble, :) A lot of work , during the winter with a lot of snow, took it out on the street with just the engine, trans, Gas tank and a wood box to sit on, had a ball with it. (in the 80’s) gave to my brother last year after selling house.
Lots of stories to go with it , Good luck to buyer
The Gazelle as a “Mercedes” replica is a bad joke, but seen as a smaller parody of an Excalibur it’s right on!
Surely it’s the Fake Snake, AC Cobra that’s the most recognisablekit car of them all?
While there were plenty of neoclassic kit cars built on VW bug chassis including the VW powertrain, I doubt any Gazelles were VW-based at all, hard to fathom how you’d adapt a conventional front-engine/rear-drive powertrain to that rear-engined platform and its bulky front torsion bar suspension.
This Gazelle at least gets props for not being obviously built around a production car passenger cell, like the many that used readily-identifiable Spridget cabins/doors or the even more glaring Fox-body derivatives.
Found this page with build sheets showing the custom tube frame:
https://smclassiccars.com/replica-and-kit-makes/26734-1929-mercedes-gazelle-replica-kit.html
The repurposed passenger cells that you refer to, at least in the case of Clenet Series I cars, were used due to (I was told as an employee) the testing and FMVSS certification for the doors, door latches, etc. being already completed and paid for by the original manufacturer. This saved a lot of money. Similarly, we purchased crates of all of the passenger cell and door sheet metal and associated components, windshields and convertible top frames from the VW Cabriolet, brand new in primer, directly from VW for the Series II automobiles. No one seemed to be bothered by the original source of body materials when they were lining up “back in the day” to purchase these $100K + automobiles. Unlike some other similar vehicles, the Clenet bodies were all steel, with fiberglass only used for the one piece fenders.
Couldn’t use in Michigan without seat belts. That being said, seat belts are easy to find and not that difficult to install. But I too would prefer a stick shift in a car like this.