If there were a dedicated league for neoclassical cars, there would be multiple divisions and conferences capturing the many different manufacturers who once dominated this space. Curiously, these companies were not unsuccessful in their attempts to convince the rich and famous that they needed a car like this to accurately capture their status in life, but sadly, very few of these cars retain value anywhere close to their original sale price. This is a 1974 Clenet Roadster listed here on eBay with an asking price of $45,000.
That’s not exactly pocket change for a car that’s a borderline curiosity. Built on a Ford chassis with Ford V8 running gear, the Clenet was clearly marketed to an affluent customer base. The company was headquartered in Santa Barbara County, California, building approximately 250 examples throughout the the 1970s and 1980s. Although Ford donated the engine and underpinnings, the rest of the car was conceived with high-end features including leather seats, Italian walnut dashboards, and Waterford crystal ashtrays. These details pushed the price into the $100,000 range.
Of course, that didn’t phase customers like Farrah Fawcett and Rod Stewart who were among the company’s loyal customers. These days, Hollywood celebrities don’t have much interest in a car like this, but that entire era is a bygone one, when actors and singers considered a car like this essential to their identity. The various custom Cadillacs and Lincolns that members of Sinatra’s “Rat Pack” favored were another tangent of this high-luxury coachbuilt industry, but given how limited the Clenet’s production numbers were, this high-style roadster seems far more exclusive.
A robust Clenet database keeps track of the surviving cars, but I’m not sure how actively the webmaster is monitoring the current status of these obscure cars. The example shown here is said to have just 367 original miles, which is likely the motivating factor behind the high asking price (and likely justified with such low mileage). With working A/C and front and rear disc brakes, it’s hardly a penalty box to drive. The question is, could you manage all of the attention that comes with a classic Clenet like this one? Thanks to Barn Finds reader JDC for the find.
These types of cars has always been intriguing to me. They were always way above my pay grade but if I ever won the powerball………Hmmm
Is it “Cle-nette” or “Cle-nay”?
…in French: “Cle-nay”!
Amazing what you can do with an MG Midget tub.
It’S Ford-based, not MG.
Center section is Midget sitting on the Ford chassis.
It’s actually a Lincoln chassis with an MG midget cab. It’s been fitted with an extra long hood as well as unique one piece fenders and running boards.
Series 2 and up used a VW cab.
…and he switched to convertible VW bugs when he ran out of Midgets!
At least it already comes with extra cheese.
I don’t think much of the front bumper.
Yeah, I saw that, too. That’s a high school shop class job.
There are several details on this car that would indicate that it is not one of the original series Clenets. Therfore potentially making it worth a lot less.The fenders, hood, spare tire covers,side pipes etc were all available at that time. A MG midget used for the passenger portion along with a full sized Ford, Mercury or Cadillac doner car could be had from out of the the Recycler magazine for a very reasonable amount.
Please elaborate.
It looks a little too much like a kit car as opposed to a faux classic, to command that much money. Still, it’s all there, clean and shiny. I like the interior too.
Delusions of grandeur, execution de crap.
When I did a stint the Ford Design Center in in the late 1970’s as an aerodynamicist, the head of Ford Design,Gene Bordinat, occasionally drove his Clenet. I guess he had one because it was Ford based underneath, with a few Lincoln switches thrown inside the cockpit for good measure. It had an MG Midget tub on a Lincoln Mark Chassis with a 460 mill. My thought back then was that it was a poser mobile, just a couple of steps above a kit car. I thought it was rather strange that the head of design drove something like that. But he also drove a Mangusta to redeem himself or maybe because he was a friend of Alejandro. Actually the Clenet was no doubt a more reliable and far more comfortable than the DeTomaso.
Well, that helps to explain Detroit’s fascination with cheesy vinyl wood trim, cheap knobs, plated plastic, vinyl roofs, and velour seats.
A few years after this car was built, some of the Clenet guys formed Sceptre and built the gorgeous 6.6S Roadster:
https://barnfinds.com/1-of-15-1978-sceptre-6-6s/
Sadly, only about 15 were built before they went under.
At least with the Blue Oval power? You’ll get where you’re going.
If you have a Silverado tow truck.
I always thought that these were ugly.
Pretty versatile. Looks a lot more sleek with the MG than the later VW.
I’m building a monster Cadillac 500 for mine.