It’s safe money to wager that practically every Barn Finds reader has at one point in time or another had to deal with their itchy trigger finger when it comes to bidding on cars for sale online. I’ve been bitten by mine once or twice (or three or four times). Luckily for me, I occasionally let cooler heads prevail and let someone else do the bidding and the shipping, and that occurred in late December when this exact car showed up on Bring a Trailer. The high bid fell short of the reserve, but I maintained as dignified a posture as I could by reminding myself that I didn’t need another car with SU carburetors at that precise moment. Now, those temptations have come rushing back, because first-class Barn Finder Curvette has sent in this 1964 Vanden Plas Princess 4-Litre R, which is now for sale on craigslist in Portland, Oregon, with an asking price of $14,500. It’s so odd and so cool that I’m doing my best to resist; rather, I hope to live vicariously through some lucky reader who shares my passion for quirkiness.

If you’re not well-versed in the intricacies of the British Motor Corporation, you may not know what a Vanden Plas is, or even how it’s pronounced (nobody seems to agree on that anyway). It’s simply a nameplate that sold well-trimmed versions of other BMC products (including some limousines). The Princess shown here is based on the Austin A110, but its lines have been somewhat softened, including a new roof and shorn fins. The big news was under the hood, where you’ll find a Rolls-Royce-designed 3909cc inline six called the “FB60.” With 175 horsepower and 218 lb.-ft. of torque, the smooth six could power the Princess to sixty in 12.7 seconds, through the quarter-mile in 18.9, and up to a top speed of 106 miles per hour.

The interior was clearly more luxurious than a standard Austin’s, with “polished walnut veneer accents, rear tray tables, and reclining front seats with separate center armrests.” The leather seats are well-worn, but the warm, inviting look of a not-quite-Rolls is darn near irresistible. Notice the gear selector quadrant: The 4-Litre R had a standard three-speed Borg-Warner automatic, but the pattern is reversed from what you’d expect on an American car. Strangely, no radio was installed in this example; some people prefer to be alone with their thoughts, I guess.

The seller says that this is a 53,000-mile car that has two issues: a power-steering leak and low brake pressure (?). Aside from that, it looks like a solid car that obviously needs a little TLC. Anyone know what parts availability is like for an uncommon-in-America brand with an engine built by Rolls-Royce?

Unfortunately, the Princess 4-Litre R was a failed experiment, with sales never living up to expectations over its 1964-68 production run (only 6,555 were built, and production had tailed off to 200 cars per year by 1967). A commenter on Bring a Trailer related his experiences with 4-Litre R ownership, mentioning that a lot of these cars were scrapped because they had a propensity to quickly blow head gaskets when overheated, but the repair was as simple as having the head milled and installing a new head gasket. It’s unlikely that someone who’s interested in a Vanden Plas, however, is not ready to take a hands-on approach to ownership. If you are at all of my mind, please let us know if you pick this one up. I’m getting a little itchy just talking about it.