Barn Finds reader Johnny S uncovered a great find in Oregon: a 1970 Opel GT, 1963 Volvo P1800, 1968 Saab V4, and a Datsun Fairlady, all in the same barn! They all need work, but the asking prices don’t seem too bad. The seller only includes pictures of the Opel and the Volvo in their ad, and the pictures aren’t great, but you can follow up here on craigslist if you’re interested! It sounds like they are selling them for someone else and they mention that there are other cars available too.
Opel GT’s have always been one of my favorite cars. One of my best friends had one in high school… We never could figure out why we couldn’t get it aligned to track straight until one day the headliner ripped and we saw that the car had been sectioned together from three different vehicles! Masterful welding, but a lesson hard learned. I loved the way the headlights rotated over sideways with the flip of a lever – completely simple and mechanical, no need for the popeyed look that many period hidden headlight cars experienced when a headlight motor failed. This car, however, is plenty rusty, and the poor pictures don’t help with evaluation.
Given the amount of corrosion on the aluminum valve cover, I’m guessing this has been in a seriously moist environment. The seller states that it’s been sitting for a while but looks complete, and wants $1500 cash. Its neighbor, the ’63 Volvo, is said to have a clean title and is “99.5% complete”. The seller was told it ran when parked in 2001, and has some rust in the trunk seal bead and under quarter panels. I wish there were more pictures to show exactly what is offered. The seller is asking $3500, which seems a bit steep. The other cars aren’t pictured, but I can dream… The Saab is $1800, the Datsun $1500 without engine or transmission. Based on the limited information given, which one do you think you would go for?
I have always loved the Opel GT “Poor Man’s Corvette” because the design is timeless. It’s a shame this one was kept in a moist environment. One would be upside down on this one in no time even starting out at $1,500.00 even $500. It would still be a fun project though.
This is the quintessential poor man’s eclectic car collection.
I hope there is a lot of leeway in the OBO part of this ad. Looks like these old girls have been oxidizing for a bit too long.
Maxwell Smart/Agent 86!
Tough choice. I’ve always had a soft spot for the Volvo so that would be first. Loved driving my brothers Roadster back in the day, so the Datsun second. My friend had a really nice GT, except for the vapor lock problem he never solved.
I can’t believe that puts the Saab last, but there you go.
oh, for the Datsun, a 1966 would have low windshield and looks better, more proportional. The 1969 would have the taller windshield.
need more photos but the volvo would get the first look. nice finds
There’s a mention in the ad of more cars available. I’d go for the Volvo too, but not at that price and not without looking underneath. Even still, the asking is too high…
The Datsun is defiantly a high windshield, it has no side markers so unless the maker light holes have been filled it is a 68. Although it could be titled as a 69, Datsun did a lot of that back in the day.
http://oregoncoast.craigslist.org/cto/4781037927.html
Tim, don’t you just love the line from this ad “also just noticed no tranny or seats”? I wondered what he hasn’t noticed yet, maybe the fact he doesn’t have much grasp of what he is trying to sell?
P1800’s are finally getting attention. Timeless design and no, I don’t own one but I know a good looking car.
would like to see pictures of the Saab , I had a 96 with a two stroke engine .
Having resurrected an 1800 just last year, I can tell you that merely sorting the engine, brakes, exhaust and tires is gonna cost close to 3K, assuming you do all the work yourself. And that’s assuming the engine turns.
There you’d be, 6500 into the car, with the suspension, interior, paint, and rust repair yet to do. That’s when the real bloodletting would begin. But, maybe the 1800 is going to go the way of the 911, where rustbuckets are gonna command big prices. We’ll see.
A very nicely sorted 73 1800ES just sold for $13500 on BaT. I strongly doubt that the rest of the work could be done for $7k or even x2 that amount unless you are the jack of all trades and do 90% of it yourself. Plus, keep in mind all the stress and time it will take to get it done. Maybe something I’d consider at about a grand, and only if I had the time and space to devote to a complete restoration…
Opel GTs! I own a 70 currenty and had a 72 that I pulled out of a field and got running. Great little cars and blast to drive!
Had a ’64 Fairlady just out of high school in the seventies- fun car but rusting badly & it was
less than 10 years old
I like these GTs as GM stole the design from the Rene Bonnet Djet – the first ever midengined sportscar in early ’60s. Rene Bonnet, of Deutsch-Bonnet fame at Lemans, first did the Panhard-based DB HBR5 coupes with FG bodies by Matra (aerospace co. first to get into FG), then when he split from Charles Deutsch, started building his gorgeous fastback Rene Bonnet midengined cars which segued into Matra Bonnets, then just Matra when they bailed him out financially. Got my ’65 Matra Bonnet with Gordini hemihead engine out of Toronto, supposedly by way of Watkins Glen way back. So Opel purloined the design, but that’s ok as it’s a great shape worthy of copying to keep it going.