Every April, regular as rain (and it does), a consortium of car clubs hosts two swap meets – one at Portland International Raceway and one at the nearby Expo Center. Every year, I’m there, sifting through greasy rust for something, anything, worthwhile. Why! Because you might see a PasseParTout (“go anywhere”), of course. Also known as a PPT, this tracked ATV was made by Valcartier in Quebec starting in the mid 1960s, largely aimed at military use. But when the Vietnam war ended, the company pivoted to recreational marketing. Early versions had two-stroke engines made by Sachs – a German company. Model names corresponded to displacement, which ran up to 398 ccs (good for 30 hp). The PPT was produced well into the 1970s at least. Uses were myriad – construction sites, snowmobiling, trail running. This one is probably rebuildable. Note the engine installed directly between the driver’s legs, yeehaw!
Rand, cripes, can’t you write about anything normal? Okay, here’s one of my favorite cars of the weekend, this 1992 Buick Roadmaster with only 65,000 miles. The owner wanted $6500 for it, and he drove it to the meet from Washington, so I’m confident it behaves at least well enough to go a hundred miles. It had the third-row rear-facing seats, and acres of trademark vinyl “woodgrain”. This was the last big American station wagon, and it was a also a status statement. While this example wasn’t perfect, it was darn nice, and after a weekend of cosmetic attention, I would have been happy to take it to Cars ‘N Coffee.
This photo is here only to prove it rained, and to let you know that I’ve been to Hershey many times, but I like Portland’s swap meet better. There’s just a lot more stuff.
Moving back to “weird” on the spectrum, here’s a Fiat-based Siata Spring. This guy had pulled it out of a barn, didn’t really know what it was, and thought he could make a buck. He was trying to convince me it would be an easy restoration. He didn’t know I bear the scars of multiple “easy restorations”! The Siata Spring was a short-lived model produced from about 1967 to 1970. Its mechanical bits came from the Fiat 850, and though its engine was asthmatic, the car weighed only about 1500 lbs soaking wet. It could manage 70 mph with a tailwind. The Spring was never fitted with seat belts, and those cut-down doors didn’t always stay shut. This styling, with its boxy shape and large upright radiator, is considered “neoclassical”. Perhaps not unsurprisingly, Siata went bankrupt midway through Spring production.
This guy was selling a Buick 215 cu. in. V8 and a bunch of related parts. The 215 Buick V8 is my favorite engine of American persuasion. Its features and GM’s construction methods broke new ground, influencing generations of engines decades later. Thanks to all-alloy construction, the 215 weighs only 320 lbs. It’s compact, revs nicely, installs easily into MGBs, was original equipment in TR8s, and parts are available. Output is variable but can be as high as 200 hp. GM sold the design to Rover back in the 1960s, but iterations of this same V8 were still being used as recently as 2006.
Hope you’ve enjoyed seeing the swap meet through my eyes. Maybe you’ll come walk the muddy fields to paw through rusty junk next year!
Um,,,normal,,,compared to what? Rain in Por’land? No,it ALWAYS rains in Portland,,It’s a shame my son didn’t inherit the “tinkering gene” , funny how that works, my DAUGHTER( in L.A.) did, and my son and DIL live in Portland, and would be fun to attend something like this with them, even though this is all antiques to them. In Wisconsin, we had a similar gathering, Jefferson Swap Meet, my brother still attends, and very similar in nature, despite declining attendance. These canopies are a God send, I remember, if the stuff got wet, it got wet, stay home, in fact, some best bargains are in the rain. It’s why there are raincoats. Colorado? Nothing, not in my neck of the hills, anyway, and I’m not risking life and Jeep to go to some big city. As the author admits, it’s such a fun way to spend an afternoon, unfortunately, most pack up their stuff and go back home. Sorry, Charlie, not many want finned valve covers for a 215 anymore,,,not to say some great finds can’t be had. Give ya’ $5 bucks for the thermos. I had one like that for all my trucking,, had a lot of coffee out of that, filled for free back then, don’t ya’ know. A trailer or pickup is a must. As these older folks pass on, not all the kids throw the stuff out, and some real treasures. Now, if the next generation knows what to do with this stuff, is another matter. Happy treasure hunting, all.
Michelle is on a roll today with the non-cars. It’s a nice change of pace. The enginevset up on this thing is like the bumper car written up a few days ago. It does not look comfortable.
Maybe she’ll write up the Pontiac boat (?) I submitted. Looks like today would be a good day for it.
I went with a couple friends from Seattle on the first days, Thurs at the track and Fri at the Expo center. It was beautiful like summer days: sunny and warm. But we saw that Sat brought some rain, unfortunately.
It is so intense and overwhelming, the sheer amount of stuff. But many treasures if you are diligent and lucky. I got a load of stuff for my 68 Chevelle and other goodies. Bring cash and really good walking shoes!
Sadly, like everything in the hobby, this meet is shrinking yearly. Even the cart kid I hired at the end hilariously sounded like an 80 year old man grumbling about how when he was younger it was huge and extended throughout the parking lots. Haha.