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For Sale: A 1993 Chevy G30 Snowcat Snowcoach – $15,000 USD

This is a 1993 Chevy G30 Snowcat Snowcoach that was used to give Yellowstone National Park visitors unique wintertime tours when heavy snowfalls made the use of normal vehicles all but impossible.

Due to its use by tourists the van has been converted for wheelchair access, it can accommodate up to 11 people, it also has double-pane windows and insulation paired with a heated rear to keep people comfortable when the mercury drops.

Fast Facts – A Chevy G30 Snowcat Snowcoach

This Chevrolet G30 van has been converted with tracks in the rear and skis up front for steering.
It’s fitted with a 5.7 liter fuel-injected V8 which sends power to the rear axle via a column operated automatic transmission.
Due to its use in the Yellowstone National Park it has wheelchair access, seating for 11 people, double glazed windows, and a rear heater.
It’s currently for sale for $15,000 USD though it’s important to note that it’s not road legal, and could only be used on private property or with a special permit.

What Is A Snowcoach?

Those of you from countries with little or no snowfall may have never heard of a snowcoach before, it’s essentially just a bus with either tracks and skis or balloon tires that is capable of traversing deep snow.

This G30 van has a fully tracked rear with rubber inserts for (low speed) road use. The steering is controlled by the large front mounted skis which also have rubber tires for use on asphalt.

One of the first production examples was the Snow Bus built by Bombardier in Canada.

In remote regions of Canada, Russia, and other countries with deep winters, snow coaches play a critical role as school busses, mail and supply delivery vehicles, tour buses, and emergency medical transportation.

The Chevy G30 Snowcat Snowcoach Shown Here

The unusual, custom-built Chevy G30 Snowcat Snowcoach you see here is currently listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace of all places, with an asking price of $15,000 USD. While it may look like the ultimate winter vanlife vehicle there is one major drawback – it’s not road legal.

The G30 was a member of the G Series of vans first introduced by Chevrolet in 1970 and sold until 1996, it became one of the longest-produced vehicle platforms designed by GM. The G Series vans use a front engined layout with a unibody design and either four wheel drive or rear wheel drive.

This (admittedly low resolution) image shows the G30 Snowcat Snowcoach in its natural habitat.

A vast array of engines were offered over the 25+ year production run including the smaller 4.1 liter inline six all the way up to the 6.5 liter diesel V8.

The G30 you see here has been modified significantly, the rear end has been fitted with snowtracks that feature rubber inserts for use on asphalt if required. A large set of skis are fitted up front for steering, and the van has been modified for cold weather use, with full insulation, a rear heater, and double glazed windows.

The listing explains that it’s running and operating, it comes with a spare/backup set of tracks and drive parts, and it’s being offered for sale out of central Washington state.

If you’d like to read more about it or enquire about buying it you can click here to visit the listing on Facebook Marketplace.

The post For Sale: A 1993 Chevy G30 Snowcat Snowcoach – $15,000 USD appeared first on Silodrome.

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This Is The Only Ferrari Meera S Ever Made

This is the only Ferrari Meera S that was ever built, it was designed by the great Giovanni Michelotti in 1983 for the King of Arabia’s son, Prince Saoud, in honor of his “lady of the moment.”

Interestingly this would be the final Ferrari ever styled by Michelotti, it was based on the Ferrari 400i however it was vastly modified with some reports indicating that the total cost of the car was close to $1 million USD.

Fast Facts – The Ferrari Meera S

The Ferrari Meera S is a one-off design by Giovanni Michelotti for Prince Saoud of Saudi Arabia. The car is based on the Ferrari 400i and it includes a slew of modifications which originally included a custom dashboard display by Michelotti Technica and a rear vision camera.
The Meera S is clearly a design from the 1980s and the styling of the 400i is still visible under the additional coachwork by Michelotti.
The Ferrari 400i is a member of the model family that included the 365 GT4 2+2, 400, and 412. It remains Ferrari’s longest-ever production series.
The 400i is powered by a fuel injected version of the 4.8 liter Colombo V12 producing up to 311 bhp at 6,500 rpm.

The Ferrari 400i History + Specifications

The drivetrain of the Meera S remains untouched, with power provided by the legendary Colombo V12. The 400i is powered by a 4.8 liter version of the engine with fuel injection and double overhead cams per bank, producing up to 311 bhp at 6,500 rpm depending on model year.

The Meera S exudes pure 1980s styling and some argue it’s a better overall design than the controversial 400i that it’s based on.

The 400i was built on a modified version of the tubular steel chassis from the earlier Ferrari GTC/4, suspension is independent all around, with double wishbones, coil springs, a tubular shock absorbers at each corner.

The bodies were built in steel by Pininfarina at its Turin plant, though fiberglass floors were used for weight reduction, Ferrari would then assemble the cars at their own factory.

Interestingly Enzo Ferrari decided not to officially import the Ferrari 365 GT4 2+2, Ferrari 400, or Ferrari 412 into the United States, instead relying on the company’s V8 offerings.

The model series would stay in production from 1972 until 1989, making it Ferrari’s longest ever production model, with 2,907 built in total.

The interior of the car has been modified somewhat during its restoration, the original Michelotti Technica digital dashboard has been replaced with a much easier to maintain original 400i dash.

The 400i and its siblings have always been a controversial member of Ferrari’s back catalogue, some love them but for others the departure from the beautiful, curvaceous Ferraris of the 1960s was too sudden.

As a result of this the 365 GT4 2+2, 400, and 412 series has remained one of the most affordable of the V12 Colombo-engined Ferraris.

The Ferrari Meera S

The world of one-off Ferraris is an elite space, the Italian manufacturer is famously fussy about who it sells special cars to.

The Meera S started life as a regular Ferrari 400i that was sent directly from the Ferrari factory in Modena to Giovanni Michelotti’s facilities, where it was turned into a unique car that would capture the design zeitgeist of the 1980s.

With seating for four, trunk space, and a comfortable interior featuring a rear vision camera and twin air conditioning systems, the Meera S is more practical option than most one-off Ferraris.

Michelotti worked with respect for the original 400i design penned by Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina, he created a slew of new body panels and new glass for the car, with a significantly modified interior that included a new digital dashboard by Michelotti Technica and twin-air conditioning systems.

The car was ordered by Prince Saoud and named after a woman who was obviously very important to him. It was subject to €252,100 worth of restoration work by Ferrari Classiche in 2010 and it’s currently being offered for sale from a location in Dubai.

RM Sotheby’s will be rolling the Meera S across the auction block on the 2nd of February with a price guide of $100,000 – $125,000 USD, likely making it one of the most affordable one-off Ferraris in existence.

If you’d like to read more about this car or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

The post This Is The Only Ferrari Meera S Ever Made appeared first on Silodrome.

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1 Of 175 Made: The Chevrolet Nova LT/1 “Yenko Deuce”

This is 1 of just 175 examples of the Chevrolet Nova LT/1 “Yenko Deuce” ever made. Don Yenko became a legend first as a racing driver, then as a creator of high-performance American cars not unlike his rival Carroll Shelby.

Each of the Yenko Deuces that were made were fitted with a slew of performance upgrades, most importantly they were given the highly-tuned 350 cubic inch solid-lifter Turbo-Fire V8 engine producing 360 hp.

Fast Facts – The Chevrolet Nova LT/1 “Yenko Deuce”

Don Yenko became a famous racing car driver in the 1950s and 1960s, typically piloting Corvettes. He competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and we became a four time Sports Car Club of America national driving champion.
In the 1960s Yenko set up a performance garage out of his family’s Chevrolet dealership in Pennsylvania. Today he is best remembered for the many hundreds of high-performance Chevys that were sold through this workshop.
His first creation was “The Stinger,” a high-performance Corvair, he later modified other cars including the Camaro, Nova, Chevelle, the Vega, and others.
The Nova LT/1 “Yenko Deuce” was built using a COPO special order, each car was fitted with a highly-tuned 350 V8 as well as suspension, transmission, and rear-end upgrades.

Don Yenko

Don Yenko was born Donald “Don” Frank Yenko on May the 27th, 1927 into a family of Chevrolet dealers. He would remain faithful to the brand his entire life, first as a racing driver and then as an unofficial performance department for the marque that included a slew of exceptionally quick cars.

The interior of the car is largely original, with the exception of some Yenko badging and some additional gauges – including a hood-mounted tachometer.

Early in his life Yenko had a passion for both racing and flying, he earned his pilot’s license at the age of 16 and he served in the United States Air Force before attending Pennsylvania State University and starting the university’s first flying club.

In the 1950s and 1960s Yenko would become a celebrated racing driver competing on both sides of the Atlantic, he won over 10% of the races he entered and ended up on the podium almost 20% of the time – an impressive record by any standard.

The Yenko Specials

In the mid-1960s he established a performance garage connected to his family Chevrolet dealership in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. Customers could chose to order high performance parts and fit them themselves, or they could have the parts fitted by Yenko’s specialist mechanics.

In 1965 the first Yenko Special would appear, it was called “The Stinger” it was a highly modified version of the Chevrolet Corvair. Each Stinger was fitted with engine upgrades, some producing as much as 240 hp, they were also fitted with upgraded transmissions, suspension, and differentials.

The distinctive “hockey stick” side decals are the easiest way to spot a Yenko Deuce, coupled with the “Deuce” decal on the front of the hood.

Yenko would become most famous for his highly modified Chevrolet Camaros, typically with 427 cubic inch V8s, upgraded transmissions, differentials, and suspension – making them considerably faster than any comparable road going production Camaro.

Increasing insurance premiums and emissions restrictions saw a slow decline in muscle car popularity as the 1970s began, Yenko quickly adapted to this new reality by developing a Chevy Nova powered by the same high-performance small block 350 V8 used by the then-new Z-28 Camaro and LT1 Corvette.

This Nova was named the LT/1 “Yenko Deuce,” and each one was built by Chevrolet specifically for Yenko using the COPO or “Central Office Production Order” system that he had used so effectively in the past.

Due to his family connections at Chevrolet, Yenko was able to lay out a series of special high performance modifications for new production Chevrolets and have them built at the factory using the same COPO system that was typically used to produce special order vehicles, like police cars or taxi cabs.

The 350 cubic inch V8 is the same as the one fitted to the LT1 Corvette, it produces 360 hp which is sent to the rear wheels via an upgraded 4-speed manual transmission.

The Chevrolet Nova LT/1 “Yenko Deuce”

Each Chevrolet Nova LT/1 “Yenko Deuce” was built with a 360 hp LT1 V8 under the hood, mated to an uprated transmission and rear end to better handle the power. As a racing driver Yenko fully understood the importance of handling, and so each car was also fitted with uprated suspension to match.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency would cause enough trouble for Yenko in the early 1970s that much of his high performance operation would be wound down, much like his fellow east coast peers at Motion Performance.

The Nova LT/1 “Yenko Deuce” is now one of the most collectible of the original Yenko cars, thanks both to its remarkable performance and its eye-catching looks courtesy of the Yenko decal package.

The ar you see here is one of the original 175 that were built, it’s finished in Fathom Blue with contrasting white racing stripes and Yenko lettering, and the interior is trimmed in black vinyl. The car is now being offered for sale out of a prominent Reno, Nevada-based collection, and it has had a nut-and-bolt restoration.

If you’d like to read more about this car or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing, it’s due to cross the auction block in Scottsdale, Arizona on the 27th of January.

Images courtesy of Bonhams

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California Barn Find: An Affordable 1974 Jensen Interceptor

This 1974 Jensen Interceptor has spend years tucked away in storage in California. It’s now being offered for sale on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $16,900 USD – probably making it the cheapest Interceptor in the world.

That said, there is a catch. This vehicle will require a full restoration including an engine and transmission rebuild, the good news is that (from the images provided) there looks to be very literal rust to deal with.

Fast Facts – The Jensen Interceptor

The Jensen Interceptor was originally released in 1950 and sold until 1957, but it would be the second iteration of the model released in 1966 that would become a legend on both sides of the Atlantic.
Many earlier cars built by British automaker Jensen Motors Limited had used fiberglass bodies, the Jensen Interceptor released in 1966 and sold until 1976 made use of a full steel body designed by Carrozzeria Touring of Italy.
The Jensen Interceptor was powered by Chrysler V8 engines from the United States, typically coupled with TorqueFlite automatic transmissions. They were luxuriously appointed inside with comfortable seating for four, and ample trunk space.
Over 6,400 examples of the Jensen Interceptor were built and it remains the most famous car ever built by the company. Their valves have been climbing steadily in recent years, and as a result many that have been left in storage are now coming to light and being offered for sale.

The Jensen Interceptor – A British, Italian, American GT Car

When the Interceptor name was reanimated for use on their new car in 1966 the executives running Jensen Motors could have barely dreamed of how popular the car would become.

Above Video: Back when they were hosting Top Gear the trio of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May loved the Jensen Interceptor so much they made a 1970s TV show intro starring one.

Though Jensen is a British automaker the Interceptor would be a truly international affair, the design was created by Carrozzeria Touring in Italy, the engines and transmissions were sourced from the Americans over at Chrysler, and the rest was taken care of by Jensen in West Bromwich, England.

Early Interceptors had their steel bodies made by Vignale in Italy however they moved this in-house to simplify their supply chain and maintain a close eye on quality control. The design of the car has enjoyed enduring popularity, it’s had its looks compared with earlier cars like the Studebaker Avanti (rear) and the Brasinca Uirapuru (side profile), however it undeniably has its own unique charm.

A highly modified four-wheel drive version of the Interceptor would be sold, named the Jensen FF, which is now remembered as the first non all-terrain production car equipped with four-wheel drive.

Over the course of its 1966 to 1976 production run Jensen would sell 6,408 examples of the Interceptor over three major model iterations – Mark I, Mark II, and Mark III.

Each model received various subtle changes to body styling and optional equipment, and the engines being offered also changed – early cars received the 383 cubic inch (6.3 liter) Low Deck Big Block V8, this was followed by the 440 cubic inch (7.2 liter) High Deck Big Block V8, and the final engine used was the 360 cubic inch (5.9 liter) Small Block LA V8.

This car is fitted with the largest engine ever fitted to the Interceptor, the 440 cubic inch High Deck Big Block V8.

As with many steel bodied cars of this era, the surviving examples of the Jensen Interceptor are prone to issues with rust. On a more positive note, the use of American V8s means that it’s always easy to get spare parts and engine work won’t typically bankrupt owners in the same way that more exotic European engines can.

The Barn Find Jensen Interceptor Shown Here

The car you see here is a 1974 Jensen Interceptor, it’s a Mark III car fitted with the desirable 440 cubic inch (7.2 liter) High Deck Big Block V8 producing 305 hp.

The eBay listing explains that the car has much of its original interior including seats, carpeting, and headliner. The floors are described as being solid and they say the engine turns but they haven’t tried to start it as it’s been sitting for so long.

Importantly they also note that the car has a clear California title, a critical thing to get when buying any car let alone a barn find like this.

If you’d like to read more about this Interceptor or make them an offer you can click here to visit the listing on eBay.

The post California Barn Find: An Affordable 1974 Jensen Interceptor appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/barn-find-jensen-interceptor/
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The Harley-Davidson XA – The Great-Grandfather Of The Pan America

Although most people don’t realize it, the Harley-Davidson XA is the forefather of the recently-released Harley-Davidson Pan America adventure bike. Before emails from offended Pan America owners begin pouring in let me clarify that statement below.

Both the Harley-Davidson XA (Experimental Army) and the Pan America were built primarily to compete with similar, more established German machinery. The XA was built to compete with the BMW R71 and the Pan America was built to challenge the BMW R1250GS. Both bikes were built with significant influence from their German counterparts, and both were intended to work well both on and off-road.

Fast Facts – The Harley-Davidson XA

The Harley-Davidson XA was developed to meet a demand from the US military for an American equivalent to the BMW R71, with a flat-twin engine, good ground clearance, and shaft drive rather than chain.
Harley-Davidson engineers copied many parts of the R71 almost exactly as the German motorcycle had already proven itself highly-capable in the European theater of WWII.
The flat-twin engine layout resulted in vastly superior cooling to the V-twin layout typically used by HD, the XA engine ran close to 100ºF or 38ºC cooler than the V-twin Harley WLA.
Despite the promise shown by the XA the US military decided to instead stick with what they already had – the Jeep four-wheel drive and the Harley-Davidson WLA motorcycle. Just 1,000 examples of the XA were built.

The Mighty BMW R71

BMW released their first motorcycle in 1923 at the Berlin Motor Show, it was called the BMW R 32 and it was powered by a flat-twin boxer engine with a shaft drive to the rear wheel – a layout the company still has in production today.

The Harley-Davidson XA was based closely on the BMW R71 which was being used extensively by the Germans in the early days of WWII.

BMW, or Bayerische Motoren Werke, first started out in 1916 in the closing stages of WWI as a German aircraft engine manufacturer. In the post war years they needed to line a new line of business to keep from going bankrupt, and motorcycle production was chosen.

Interestingly, BMW started making motorcycles five years before they started making cars, and both took signifiant influence from pre-existing British machines. The BMW boxer motorcycle engine was said to have been influenced by the Douglas motorcycle engine of the same design with a different layout (longitudinal vs transverse), and the first BMW car was the BMW 3/15 which was an Austin Seven built under license.

BMW would see great success with both their motorcycle and automobile production lines which continues to the current day.

The BMW R71 was released in 1938, perhaps the most notable new feature was the use of plunger-type rear wheel suspension rather than the more traditional hard tail rear end. This rear suspension had been trialed by BMW riders in the grueling International Six Days Trial a year earlier in 1937 with much success.

This restored XA is equipped with twin leather ammunition boxes on the rear and a front rifle holster containing a (non-firing) reproduction Tommy Gun.

The R71 is powered by a boxer twin mounted longitudinally with the heads and cylinders out the sides in the clear airflow for optimal cooling. The engine has a swept capacity of 746cc, a compression ratio of 5.5:1, and it was capable of 22 bhp. Though low by modern standards this was reasonable power output for the era, and the engine’s good torque characteristics resulted in a motorcycle with solid performance.

The relatively simple design and the engine that was able to run on very low octane fuel proved to be perfect for the German war effort during WWII, and the R71 was put to extensive use in Europe and North Africa both with and without a sidecar attached.

The BMW R75 with its more advanced overhead valve engine would begin to replace the R71 in the early 1940s, but both models remained in use through to the end of the war.

The Arrival Of The Harley-Davidson XA

The success of the BMW R71 encouraged the Americans to get their own version made – it was clear that the shaft drive and flat-twin engine was ideal for use in places like North Africa where the high temperatures and desert sands proved challenging for many motor vehicles.

With its cooler-running engine and 7 inches of ground clearance, the XA proved ideal for use off-road, particularly in regions like the North African deserts.

Exactly how the engineers at Harley-Davidson got their hands on an R71 has never been disclosed, however we know that the XA was so similar it must have been the result of careful reverse engineering.

Both Harley-Davidson and Indian worked on their own versions of the bike, with the resulting Indian 841 being more closely related to a Moto Guzzi with its longitudinally mounted, air-cooled V-twin and shaft drive to the rear wheel.

The Harley-Davidson XA is powered by a flathead boxer twin with a swept capacity of 45 cubic inches (740cc), a bore x stroke of 3.063 in × 3.063 in, a compression ratio of 5.7:1, and 23 bhp at 4,600 rpm.

Power is sent to the rear wheel via a 4-speed gearbox and a shaft drive. Remarkably the engine in the XA was reported to stay up to 100ºF or 38ºC cooler than the V-twin used in the Harley WLA, largely because the XA had its cylinders out in the clear airflow.

Despite the promise shown by the XA only the original 1,000 or so examples were ever made, it was never approved for full production. The Indian 841 experienced a similar fate, and the US military instead decided to focus on the Jeep and the Harley-Davidson WLA.

Ultimately just over 1,000 examples of the XA would be built, as the US military decided to stick with the Jeep and the pre-existing Harley-Davidson WLA.

Harley-Davidson attempted to find other uses for the flat-twin engine from the XA, experiments were done using the engine for generators, including as blower-cooled generators on tanks, Willys-Overland experimented with the engine as the power source for their mini-Jeep named the “Peep,” and Harley-Davidson made a three-wheeled Servi-Car prototype using the engine.

The Harley-Davidson XA Shown Here

The XA you see here is a 1942 model that has been restored by a marque specialist. It’s been finished in the period-correct color scheme.

The bike is also fitted with twin leather ammunition boxes on the rear and there’s a rifle holster up front fitted with a reproduction (non-firing) Tommy Gun.

This usual military HD is due to roll across the auction block with Mecum in last January, at the time of writing there’s no price guide, and it’s being offered with no reserve. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.