By the time 1970 rolled around, it was clear that two things would survive an atomic blast: cockroaches and air-cooled Volkswagen Beetles. The indestructible little People’s Car became the underpinning for a variety of interesting kit cars and low-production… more»
Kit Cars
Sep 18, 2024 • For Sale • 18 Comments
Close Enough? 1957 Porsche Speedster Replica
Kit cars, even after all these years, still seem to be the Rodney Dangerfield of automobiles. They just don’t get no respect. Is that a fair attitude to take? The majority of them were built to replicate famous vehicles… more»
Sep 16, 2024 • For Sale • 8 Comments
Build it Your Way: Kellison J5 Body + Chassis and Rear End
Occasionally, a blank canvas project candidate appears that is worth more than a passing glance. Such is the case with this Kellison J5 kit car. The included parts list isn’t extensive, but they could hold the key to creating… more»
Sep 15, 2024 • For Sale • 6 Comments
1-of-284: 1987 Ginetta G26
We’ve seen a recent influx of kit cars at Barn Finds, and this 1987 Ginetta G26 is among the more unusual. Hailing from the UK, only 284 of these classics were produced. It looks exotic, but with most of… more»
Sep 15, 2024 • For Sale • 8 Comments
Porsche Turbo Powered: 1975 Sterling Kit Car
Kit cars offer buyers the best of both worlds. Most are exotic-looking vehicles that can’t help but turn heads. They achieve this feat while the svelte body typically rests on pretty humble underpinnings like those provided by a Volkswagen… more»
Sep 8, 2024 • For Sale • 10 Comments
Meyers Manx? 1972 Volkswagen Dune Buggy
Dune buggies were all the rage in the 1960s and 1970s, at least along the beaches in California and Florida. Most were fiberglass bodies affixed to a Volkswagen chassis and using Beetle power. Perhaps the best known was the… more»
Sep 5, 2024 • For Sale • 15 Comments
Fiberglass Kit Car? 1957 Ford Thunderbird
This is one strange bird. It’s registered as a 1957 Ford Thunderbird, but is it? Well, looks can be deceiving and this one is a bit of a Frankenstein. This T-bird is actually a Dofral kit car and my… more»
Aug 21, 2024 • For Sale • 10 Comments
Tubular Frame Replica: 1984 Lamborghini Countach
I’m pretty sure that every Barn Finds reader has seen a vehicle where the builder has tried to create a replica of some outrageously expensive exotic. They are typically based on pretty mundane underpinnings, meaning that the dimensions are… more»
Aug 19, 2024 • For Sale • 13 Comments
American Gullwing! Fiberfab Banshee/Caribee
In the 1960s and 1970s, the automotive world had a love/hate relationship with kit cars. On the one hand, the varied body kits offered dreamers the chance to build an exotic-looking car with their custom touches. On the other… more»
Aug 11, 2024 • For Sale • 8 Comments
Unfinished Vintage Kit Car: 1953 Allard J2X by Elite Enterprises
Allard Motor Company, founded by Sydney Allard in 1946, made just 200 cars in its dozen-year history. Jerry Knapp was four years old when Allard produced its first car. He was born in Minnesota but eventually settled in California…. more»
Aug 11, 2024 • For Sale • 5 Comments
Jack Stand Find: Custom Coach Builders Sebring
Is it a Sebring, a Nova, a Sovran, a Cimbria or a Sterling? All three are very similar-looking component cars produced in the 1970s and 1980s by various companies, most of which were based on the venerable VW Beetle… more»
Aug 11, 2024 • For Sale • 16 Comments
Volkswagen Power: 1953 MG TD Kit Car
The TD was part of MG’s T-Type sports car lineup built from 1936 to 1955, with Its run between 1950 and 1953. The seller has a kit car replica that’s been in a barn for the past 20 years…. more»
Aug 3, 2024 • For Sale • 9 Comments
1934 Mercedes 500K The Classic Factory Replica
As one of the more beautiful cars of the 1930s, it’s easy to see why the styling of the Mercedes-Benz 500K has been copied so many times. The Classic Factory, operated by H.T. and Diana Price during the 1980s… more»
Jul 30, 2024 • For Sale • 8 Comments
Unicorn Dune Buggy! 1969 Meyers Tow’d
You’re looking at a rare ride! This kit car is from Meyers. You might be familiar with their most popular model, the Manx. Meyers manufactured other bodies meant for VWs, too. This is one of fewer than 900 ever… more»
Jul 28, 2024 • For Sale • 6 Comments
One Of Only 500! 1976 Bradley GT II
One of the interesting things about Barn Finds is that I stumble upon various models I had long forgotten about, only to be reawakened with an, “Oh yeah, I remember those”. Today’s discovery, courtesy of Tony P. is one… more»
Jul 26, 2024 • For Sale • 19 Comments
Cheap Wheels Oddity? 1960ish Cheetah Kit Car
The 1960s brought the era of the kit car and most of them were based on a Volkswagen Beetle chassis and engine. But the Cheetah was different, it was a fiberglass-bodied kit that relied on Chevy Corvette infrastructure to… more»
