# What's the most interesting car you saw today? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 21, 2014, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889 "2014-05-21T02:35:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 268
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2023, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5347 "2023-06-05T16:23:20Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > I guess today, the concept would be to put a sleeper body onto a Tesla S underpinnings. Wouldn’t that be cool? I have no idea if it’s still around, but a decade or so ago I heard about an electric dragster someone built with an electric drive train in the body of an early 1970s Datsun. It was the ultimate sleeper, and would completely blow the doors off of traditional muscle cars at the drag strip. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2023, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5348 "2023-06-05T16:37:13Z")
LOL. My wife drives a Leaf. She once came to a red light next to a kid in a souped up Mustang, blipping his throttle. On the green light she mashed the go pedal and enjoyed the look on the kid’s face because he couldn’t leave her in his dust. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2023, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5349 "2023-06-06T02:18:50Z")
The “G-Wagen” is (was?) actually designed and built by Puch in Austria … so yes, the austrian army drives those: [![](https://gomotors.net/pics/Steyr-Puch/steyr-puch-g-01.jpg) ](https://gomotors.net/pics/Steyr-Puch/steyr-puch-g-01.jpg) and also (no longer) the : Puch Haflinger: [![](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/2H29F9P/treffen-von-steyr-puch-haflinger-gelndewagen-in-bad-ischl-sterreich-europa-meeting-of-steyr-puch-haflinger-off-road-vehicles-in-bad-ischl-austr-2H29F9P.jpg) ](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/2H29F9P/treffen-von-steyr-puch-haflinger-gelndewagen-in-bad-ischl-sterreich-europa-meeting-of-steyr-puch-haflinger-off-road-vehicles-in-bad-ischl-austr-2H29F9P.jpg) and the Puch Pinzgauer: [![](https://www.motortrend.com/f/102882497.jpg) ](https://www.motortrend.com/f/102882497.jpg) - which existed in 4x4 and 6x6 configurations. needless to say, all 3 are highly capable off-road vehicles… I distinctly recall the ability to lock out both the rear and front diff in the Puch-G during my time in the army … Things were fairly relaxed in the 1990ies and quite often they would off-road together with Jeeps ™ … and run circles around them 😉 Pinzgauer and Haflinger are alpine horse breeds … so the nomenclature is not unlike Laborghini 😉 … ohh … and don’t get me started on Unimogs … ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2023, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5350 "2023-06-06T21:07:49Z")
Wow I’d love to have a Puch Pinzgauer. I can meet my friend who has two Unimogs! But first I think I’d rather have a deuce-and-a-half. My first military driving experience was (illegally) borrowing one to drive all throughout the LA area picking up Toys for Tots barrels. I was a young and ballsy (and naive) Lance Corporal and my sergeant said let’s go for it! That was fun, but if I was caught, or worse yet got into a fender bender, I was going to be in REAL trouble. Because I didn’t have a military driver’s license at the time. I’d finally get one some six years later, after many more illegal, sans-license driving expeditions. 😉 Another obstacle is getting this plan past the boss (da wife!). ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2023, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5351 "2023-06-07T00:36:22Z")
Just ran across this and it reminded me of the sleeper side conversation (starts around 50 seconds in, but it should be cued up) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/vBzVlqknZGE/hqdefault.jpg "Lamborghini vs FARM TRUCK DRAG RACE ( STREET OUTLAWS") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBzVlqknZGE) ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2023, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5352 "2023-06-07T00:38:41Z")
There are a couple of cute Youtube compilations of sleeper cars at drag tracks. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2023, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5353 "2023-06-07T02:36:36Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > OTOH, I remember it being really common for people to get cheap ($3k?) lamborghini body kits… Does anyone still make kit cars? Back in the “VW bugs are everywhere and cheap” days, there were beautiful kits like the Bradley GT, fun Dune Buggies, the Myers Manx, and the 1980 Tiger kit car that evoked a classic Morgan. Here are [some kits on barnfinds.com](https://barnfinds.com/genre/kit-cars/) that were “assembled” back in the '70s, but I wish someone was making cool bodies TODAY. Sporty cars that could get bolted onto an easily-purchased car…(a VW bug isn’t anymore). A Civic? A Corolla? A Ford Focus or Fiesta? ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2023, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5354 "2023-06-07T03:34:50Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > But first I think I’d rather have a deuce-and-a-half. My first military driving experience was (illegally) borrowing one to drive all throughout the LA area picking up Toys for Tots barrels. That’s very cool Bullitt. And good for you. Good use of Government. Seriously sometimes you do need to say “I’m going to do this”. I’m glad you did that. So are the kids. You are bringing back memories though… At my Wifes best friends wedding, a different friend drove up in a deuce-and-a-half. When the ceremony was over, the wedding party all jumped in back and drove around town. Horn blazing all or us in full wedding attire. We where quite the site. We made an impromptu parade. Surprisingly, there where no injuries that day. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2023, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5355 "2023-06-07T08:00:57Z")
Very cool! And very memorable! ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2023, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5356 "2023-06-07T12:00:33Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Does anyone still make kit cars? I’m sure they do, but I feel like in the 90’s there was a shift to modding cars instead of getting body kits. You couldn’t get near a high school in the 90’s without hearing a Honda CRX farting it’s way down the road and a little over a decade later we have The Fast and the Furious. Now, instead of spending all that money on a body kit, you can use it to replace half your engine with brightly colored anodized aluminum parts. Unrelated, but I thought of it while typing this, but if anyone hasn’t seen Baby Driver, it’s well worth a watch. Here’s the opening scene: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/4DsgEVxvU-c/maxresdefault.jpg "Epic Movie Scenes - Baby Driver: Opening Scene (Bank Robbery)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DsgEVxvU-c) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2023, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5357 "2023-06-07T12:31:08Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Does anyone still make kit cars? [These guys make classic rod kits for modern chassis.](https://www.scottrodscustom.com/body-packages/) [Here’s a company that makes baby Hummer kits for classic Beetles](https://www.wombatcar.com/) but the site hasn’t been updated since 2007 so they might not still be around. The world’s largest VW collection had one: > **[Volkswagen Humbug in "Car Crazy"](https://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_483196-Volkswagen-Humbug.html)** ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2023, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5358 "2023-06-07T13:20:42Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Does anyone still make kit cars? > [@digs](#): > > Sporty cars that could get bolted onto an easily-purchased car…(a VW bug isn’t anymore). A Civic? A Corolla? A Ford Focus or Fiesta? Take a look here: > **[Build Your Own Car - Roadster, Hot Rod, & Supercar - Factory Five Racing](https://www.factoryfive.com/)** > > The Built, Not Bought Company! Factory Five Racing was founded in 1995. Over the years we have grown from a… Their Mk4 Roadster is a replica of the Shelby Cobra. You supply the running gear parts from a 1987-2004 Mustang GT donor car, buy their $15,000 kit, and put them together. Or you can get the kit plus new running gear from them for $21,000, and all you have to provide are an engine, transmission, wheels, and tires. > **[Mk4 - Factory Five Racing](https://www.factoryfive.com/roadster/mk4/)** > > Overview The Factory Five Mk4 Roadster is the world’s best-selling, best-engineered, and best-performing replica of all time. There is no… The also have a replica of a Shelby Daytona (also built on a Mustang), a “GTM supercar” you build on a C5 Corvette, a 911 knock-off (Subaru WRX), and a hot rod. I’ve driven one of the Mk4s on track, and it was a lot of fun. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2023, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5359 "2023-06-07T16:19:39Z")
> [@digs](#): > > “VW bugs are everywhere and cheap” On that note, the Beetle was the first car I really noticed transition from “regular car” to “classic collectible”. Even though they stopped selling new ones in the US before I was born (I was born in 1980), but in the 1980s and into the 90s there were still plenty of Bugs on the road being used as regular cheap transportation. They never really went away, but at some point they all ended up in the hands of car enthusiasts and now they’re all either pristine restored examples, or customized. Or you’ll see the ones with the intentional “patina”. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2023, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5360 "2023-06-07T16:44:40Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > in the 1980s and into the 90s there were still plenty of Bugs on the road being used as regular cheap transportation They still are – in Mexico. > **[Mexico ends Beetle production, but original car is still a favorite in the hills](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/mexico-ends-beetle-production-original-car-still-favorite-hills-n1028146)** > > The VW factory in Puebla was the only one left in the world making the original Beetles and more recently the only one making the modern version. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2023, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5361 "2023-06-07T16:48:12Z")
You will occasionally see a Mexican Beetle in California. The easy tell is that the front turn signals are on the bumper rather than the fender. I assume older ones can be brought in under the 25 year rule. > [@Skywatcher](#): > > Production there ended four years ago: IIRC production of the original Beetle in Mexico ended in 2003. I believe it was production of the new Beetle (apparently built in the same factory) that ended four years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2023, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5362 "2023-06-07T16:55:21Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > IIRC production of the original Beetle in Mexico ended in 2003. I believe it was production of the new Beetle (apparently built in the same factory) that ended four years ago. Yeah, you’re right; I’ve retracted that part. That article is a little confusing. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2023, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5363 "2023-06-08T20:18:10Z")
I didn’t know other Chevrolets used the Corvette logo, but here’s an Impala. [![](https://i.imgur.com/fEo3RMC.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/fEo3RMC.jpg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/tIqv1zl.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/tIqv1zl.jpg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/L1Z1E1s.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/L1Z1E1s.jpg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/8nXNYj2.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/8nXNYj2.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2023, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5364 "2023-06-08T20:22:59Z")
Saw my first new Prius. Definitely slick, and a very dramatic improvement over the previous generations. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2023, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5365 "2023-06-08T21:01:16Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I didn’t know other Chevrolets used the Corvette logo, but here’s an Impala. There have been other variants as well. > **[3840318 - 1964-67 Camaro, Impala, Nova; Cross Flags Front Fender Emblem;...](https://www.oerparts.com/product/3840318.html)** > > Reproduction of the original V-Flag front fender emblem for use with various 1964-67 Chevrolet models as listed. Each emblem is manufactured to factory specifications in die-cast zinc offering originality and authenticity. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2023, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889/5366 "2023-06-09T04:24:48Z")
I think this is a Dodge Charger Ute conversion from [Smyth Kit Cars](https://www.smythkitcars.com/charger-ute) [![Google Photos](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/NDkzI88bDl3RaEMxDy6I4Rtc2YcvdKNj3JMSxpEFd7DLh3dbSW9RB-_6IcQ5wKsVpcMUpwjboJoiJD70VhwmyxAG7Pw6yPaklUXDWTHbchonyADdMycHy_OoxTXJ6hhHOdfS_dZZ4-k=w600-h315-p-k "New item by David Metsky") ](https://photos.app.goo.gl/exPUAq9ExGG8bsMw8) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889.md?page=267) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-interesting-car-you-saw-today/688889.md?page=269)