Flamethrower Equipped: A 1968 Chevrolet C20 Longhorn Franklin Camper

This 1968 Chevrolet C20 Longhorn pickup and its Franklin camper may be the perfect home-on-wheels for the modern age. It’s equipped with a flamethrower that shoots out of the nose of the grille-mounted Longhorn skull, and it has matching propane flamethrowers fitted to the exhaust tips.

Inside the Franklin camper on the back you’ll find accommodation for two people, with a toilet, a hot shower, kitchenette, and dining table – everything you need for life on the road.

Fast Facts – A Chevrolet C20 Longhorn Franklin Camper

• Campers like this are becoming increasingly popular due to the surge in popularity of the “Van Life” movement, fueled in equal parts by a desire to travel after two years of Covid and the unattainable cost of housing in many major cities.
• This camper is made up of two parts, a restored 1968 Chevrolet C20 Longhorn pickup and matching a restored 1968 Franklin 11FK6 camper, it’s also been modified with front and rear mounted flamethrowers and a front mounted CO2 sprayer. Because reasons.
• The C20 has been fitted with Firestone Ride-Rite rear air springs to allow the ride height to be modified depending on whether the camper is fitted or not.
• It’s powered by the 396 cubic inch L66 V8 with a towing-specific camshaft, paired with a New Process four-speed manual transmission that sends power to the Dana 60 rear axle.

The Chevrolet C20 “Longhorn” Pickup

The Chevrolet C20 Longhorn was a factory special built from 1968 until 1972 with a frame and bed that were 6 inches longer than stock – with a wheelbase of 133 inches versus the two shorter wheelbase options of 115 inches and 127 inches.

This Longhorn C20 is equipped with both a propane flamethrower and a CO2 blaster that shoot out of the skull’s nostrils. No explanation is given for these unusual additions, but it would certainly make starting and extinguishing campfires much simpler.

The Longhorn was intended for the booming camper market and for the cattle industry in Texas, the longer bed in the back made it ideal for accommodating campers. Engine options included V8s up to 402 cubic inches (6.6 liters) offering plenty of power to get the truck and camper up to highways speeds when needed.

The benefit of this bolt-on campers was the fact that they could be quickly removed when needed, leaving you with a standard pickup truck. Campers with permanently built-in camper sections lack this additional functionality.

The Franklin Coach Company

The Franklin Coach Company was founded in 1945 by Paul Abel, it was one of the earliest camper manufacturers in the United States and the company played a pivotal role in the development of campers and caravans/trailers.

Abel was one of the founders of the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) which established safety standards for the industry. His company remained in business for over 60 years, well into the 2000s.

Inside the Franklin camper there is sleeping accommodation for two, with a dinette table and seats, a kitchenette, and a toilet and shower with hot water.

The Flamethrower Equipped Camper Shown Here

The unusual combination of a Chevrolet C20 Longhorn and a Franklin camper you see here is equipped with triple flamethrowers. No reason is given for this unusual modification but if the past few years has taught us anything, it’s that it’s probably a good idea to have a flamethrower handy because you have no idea what’s coming next.

Both the truck and camper back have been restored to a high level, before and after photographs are included in the listing, and the entire rig is now ready to hit the highways and byways of North America.

Should you need to light a campfire it should be just a matter of placing a pile of wood in front of the longhorn skull mounted to the grill and hitting the red button on the shifter knob. No need to fiddle about with firelighters or kindling.

Power is provided by a 396 cubic inch L66 V8 with a towing-specific camshaft, this is to better cope with the weight of the Franklin camper on the back, and power is sent to the Dana 60 rear axle via a four-speed manual transmission.

If you’d like to read more about this camping rig you can click here to visit the listing on Bring A Trailer. It’s currently being auctioned live with seven days remaining to bit at the time of writing, and the current highest bid is $30,200 USD.

Images courtesy of Bring A Trailer

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A Rare 1988 Isuzu Piazza Nero XE: “Handling by Lotus”

This is a rare Isuzu Piazza in Nero XE specification with the desirable “Handling by Lotus” package that vastly improved the capabilities of the Italian-designed, Japanese hatchback.

Despite its eye-catching looks the Isuzu Piazza is still a relatively little-known sports hatchback from the 1980s. Unlike many of its contemporaries it’s rear-wheel drive, and it was styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro – the designer of the DeLorean DMC-12, BMW M1, Maserati Merak, and the unusual Gordon-Keeble GT.

Fast Facts – The Isuzu Piazza

• The Isuzu Piazza was introduced in 1981 to offer an alternative to the common front-wheel drive hatchbacks pouring out of Europe. With its rear-wheel drive arrangement and futuristic Giugiaro styling, the Piazza became a cult classic.
• In the US market the Piazza was marketed as the Isuzu Impulse and in Australia it was sold as the Holden Piazza, carrying Holden badging.
• The first generation of the Piazza was powered by either a naturally aspirated or turbocharged 2.0 liter engine, a 2.3 liter naturally aspirated engine was later introduced for the US market. Front suspension was independent and the cars received a live axle rear end.
• The most desirable version of the Piazza is the “Handling by Lotus” variant that featured largely redesigned front and rear suspension and improved brakes, paired with the 2.0 liter turbocharged engine option.

A Different Kind Of Hot Hatch

Though there is some disagreement it’s generally accepted that the VW Golf GTI launched what would become known as the “Hot Hatch” phenomenon in Europe and around the world.

Above Video: This is a 1988 review from the Isuzu Piazza Lotus by MotorWeek, known as the Isuzu Impulse in the US market.

Though performance versions of small cars had been made before, like the Fiat 595 Abarth and the Mini Cooper S for example, the Golf GTI was the first to include all of the ingredients of the hot hatch into a single vehicle.

By the late 1970s it was clear to executives at Japanese automaker Isuzu that the Isuzu 117 Coupé was getting long in the tooth, and that a replacement was needed for the rapidly approaching decade of the 1980s.

Isuzu worked with legendary Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro of Italidesign on the project, the same man who had designed the earlier 117. Giugiaro created a modern, almost futuristic design with a wedge-shaped side profile, a hatchback (or lift back) rear, two doors, and seating for four.

The concept car was first shown to the public at the 1979 Tokyo Motor Show where it proved hugely popular, so popular in fact that Isuzu rushed it unto production.

Isuzu Piazza – Specifications

The first generation Isuzu Piazza was built from 1981 until 1990 at which time it was replaced by the notably less successful second generation version. We’ll be focussing solely on the first generation cars here today.

The styling of the Piazza was futuristic by the standards of the 1980s, you can see shades of the DeLorean and BMW M1 in its lines as well – all three cars were designed by the same man within a few years of one another.

Four primary engines were offered over the Piazza’s 10 year production run, the least powerful was the 2.0 liter (1949cc) naturally aspirated engine producing 90 hp and 108 lb ft of torque.

A turbocharged version of this engine was offered which initially made 140 hp and 166 lb ft, and this was later updated to the 4ZC1 turbocharged inline-four producing 180 hp and 185 lb ft of torque.

A naturally aspirated 2.3 liter engine was later introduced for the US market, which made 110 hp and 127 lb ft of torque.

Trim Levels And Handling Packages

At least six trim levels were offered including Bella, XN, XJ, XE, XG, and Nero, there were also three different suspension tuning levels, standard, Irmscher, and Lotus. The Lotus option was by far the most desirable as it included redesigned sway bars, new stiffer dampers, new bushings, and a change in spring rates that noticeably improved handling. The Lotus package also included uprated brakes.

The Piazza rides on independent front suspension with a live axle in the rear, coil springs were used at each corner. The use of a live axle in the rear was mildly controversial as independent four-wheel suspension was standard for the hot hatch genre, however with the Lotus handling improvements these criticisms were largely resolved.

This is the 2.0 liter turbocharged version of the Piazza engine producing 140 hp and 166 ft lbs of torque.

With its distinctive Giugiaro styling and the solid performance of the turbocharged versions it’s surprising that the Isuzu Piazza isn’t better known that it is. It remains a solid 1980s cult classic with a dedicated fanbase, you have to wonder if it’s only a matter of time before the Radwood generation discover the model en masse and pricing soars.

The 1988 Isuzu Piazza Nero XE “Lotus” Shown Here

The car you see here is a 1988 Isuzu Piazza Nero XE with the “Handling by Lotus” package. It’s listed as a highly original example and it’s powered by the 2.0 liter turbocharged inline-four, delivering 140 hp and 166 lb ft of torque to the rear wheels via a 5-speed gearbox.

This car was well-optioned when bought new, it has cruise control, electric windows and mirrors, a Technics Dolby stereo with a graphic equalizer, and air conditioning. The exterior is Nero black and the interior is trimmed with grey cloth, and it rides on 15 inch multi-spoke BBS alloy wheels.

This car is for sale out of Hong Kong, it’s being auctioned live online by Collecting Cars and it’s currently showing 90,804 kms on the odometer (56,422 miles). If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

A period advertisement showing the 1988 Isuzu Impulse with the Lotus handling package, this was the American version of the Piazza.

Images courtesy of Collecting Cars

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Barn Find: 1987 Buick Grand National – Factory Turbocharged

This 1987 Buick Grand National is a one-owner car that was left parked up in an open barn for years. This protected it from the majority of the weather and it has less rust than it otherwise would, it’s currently on eBay looking for a new owner to give it a restoration.

The 1987 model was both the most powerful of the Grand Nationals, producing 245 bhp and 355 lb ft of torque and outpacing its V8 contemporaries like the Corvette and the Camaro. Car and Driver magazine clocked the ’87 at 4.9 seconds in the 0 – 60 mph dash, faster than the Lamborghini Countach.

Fast Facts – The Buick Grand National

• The Buick Grand National was first released as an option package in 1982 to celebrate Buick winning the NASCAR Manufacturers Cup in 1981 and 1982. It was named after the NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National Series and just 100 were planned.
• Ultimately 215 would be built. Demand was so high Buick quickly realized they were onto something. They spent a year working on a full production Grand National that could be offered in far higher production numbers.
• The distinctive jet black Buick Grand National would then appear for the 1984 model year. It was powered by a turbocharged 3.8 liter V6 producing 200 bhp and 300 lb ft of torque. Power would increase each year until the final year of production – 1987.
• The 1987 Buick Grand National was the fastest of the lot, power was now 245 bhp and 355 lb ft of torque. Most importantly it was faster than its key competitor – the C4 Corvette.

Buick: Making V6s Cool Again

Americans have had a long love affair with the V8, it dates right back to the turn of the 20th century, but V8 power wasn’t truly democratized for the average American until the release of the 1932 Ford V8.

Above Video: Actor David Spade shows his ’87 Grand National to Jay Leno in this episode of Jay Leno’s Garage.

With its 221 cubic inch (3.6 liter) flathead V8, the 1932 Ford offered power and speed with an affordable sticker price, and America was hooked. Soon enough each of America’s major automakers had V8 models in production, often powering their fastest and most desirable cars.

Through all of this the humble V6 was largely forgotten by the American general public. The 1973 Oil Crisis and increasing emissions regulations led Buick to take a closer look at the engine configuration, they would release two V6-powered versions of their second generation Regal in 1978, including a turbocharged version that could hang with V8s.

Win On Sunday, Sell On Monday

Following the age old matra of “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday” Buick set out to compete in America’s most famous racing series – NASCAR. Defying the odds the company managed to win the Winston Cup Grand National Championship in 1981 and 1982.

In order to celebrate the company released the 1982 Grand National as an option package on the Buick Regal. 100 were planned but 215 were sold – public demand was high and Buick engineers were set to work creating a production version that could be built in higher numbers.

This one-owner car has been sitting in a barn for years, it now needs a restoration but it’s a potentially a good matching-numbers base to start with.

There was no 1983 Grand National but the 1984 model landed with a bang. It was jet black and powered by a turbocharged V6 that gave it the pace to chase down Corvettes. Each year the model would get more powerful until its final year of production – 1987.

The 1987 Buick Grand National

Is one of the most desirable iterations of the model, alongside the less powerful but far rarer 1982 Grand National, and the pinnacle of Grand National evolution – the GNX.

It was known ahead of time that the 1987 Buick Grand National would be the last of the series due to the fact that the new front-wheel drive GM W platform was due to debut the next year. It was decided to send the Grand National off with a bang.

The intercooled 3.8 liter V6 was further upgraded, it was now capable of 245 bhp and 355 lb ft of torque. These were serious power figures for the era, Car and Driver magazine tested the car and recorded a 4.9 second 0 – 60 mph sprint and a 13.9 second quarter mile. Though they had their doubts the car they used was in stock configuration.

The 1987 Grand National was capable of 245 bhp and 355 lb ft of torque, making it quicker than the contemporary C4 Corvette.

Many of America’s formerly great V8 coupes had been left wheezing and underpowered due to emissions restrictions, so the 1987 Grand National could make short work of them on the street or drag strip.

A total of 20,740 1987 Grand Nationals would be built, surviving examples are now highly sought after by enthusiasts.

The Buick Grand National Barn Find Shown Here

The car you see here is a one-owner 1987 Buick Grand National with 74,097 miles on the odometer, a New York title, all the original manuals, and the bill of sale.

For many years cars from the 1980s were viewed with contempt and as a result many ended up getting scrapped, parted out, or otherwise wrecked.

The Grand National has always had a solid fan base in the United States including Sean Penn and Joe Dirt actor David Spade who regularly drives his 1987 Grand National including in an appearance on Jay Leno’s Garage (see it above).

It’s clear that this car needs a full restoration, it’s being offered for $22,500 out of East Setauket, New York. If you’d like to take this project on you can click here to visit the listing.

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The AC Greyhound: A Rare Cousin Of The Shelby Cobra

The AC Greyhound was released in 1959 as a touring car to accompany the more sporty AC Ace and AC Aceca. The AC Ace won its class at Le Mans in 1959 and it was soon to become famous as the platform Carroll Shelby would use to build his famous Shelby Cobra.

The Shelby Cobra became such a juggernaut in the automotive world that many have forgotten about AC and their handbuilt sports cars – without which Carroll Shelby may still be remembered as “just” a retired racing driver.

Fast Facts – The AC Greyhound

• The AC Greyhound was developed on a slightly larger version of the chassis used by the AC Ace, the sports car that won its class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and formed the foundation of the Shelby Cobra.
• The success of that Cobra would strain the already limited resources of AC Cars, resulting in the AC Greyhound being discontinued after just 83 had been made, so the workers could focus on building cars for Carroll in California.
• Much like the AC Ace and the AC Aceca (pronounced “a-see-ka”), the AC Greyhound is based on a tubular steel ladder frame chassis, it has an alloy body, and independent suspension on all four corners. Though the Greyhound uses coil springs in place of the transverse leaf spring on its stablemates.
• The AC Greyhound was built with a number of different engines including the AC 2.0 liter, the 2.0 liter and 2.2 liter Bristol engines, and the 2.6 liter Ford Zephyr engine. Power was sent back to the rear wheels via a four speed manual transmission with optional overdrive.

AC Cars + The Shelby Cobra

Very few people in the world have never seen a Shelby Cobra. It’s a car that has adorned countless t-shirts, posters, magazine covers, advertising billboards, and it’s appeared in many films and television shows.

This car is powered by the Bristol 2.2 liter inline-six, originally a pre-WWII BMW engine design.

Most people don’t realize the car was originally designed in England by John Tojeiro, it was called the AC Ace and in its original form, it was never designed to fit a V8 engine under the hood.

Recently retired racing driver Carroll Shelby saw the AC Ace and had an idea. He had raced Allards back in the early 1950s, lightweight British sports cars with excellent handling and large American V8s up front, and he realized this same formula would work with the Ace.

He managed to get Ford onboard to provide him with V8 engines and transmissions, then had AC send him an Ace. His mechanics fitted the engine and transmission to the car in his California workshop and the rest is history.

The AC Greyhound

There are many “what ifs” in motoring history, some have wondered how things may have played out if Shelby had instead decided to build his sports car using the AC Aceca coupe or the AC Greyhound as his starting point – both of these cars were also in production with AC when Shelby chose the Ace.

The AC Aceca was essentially just the coupe version of the Ace but the Greyhound was an altogether different car.

The interior is well appointed by the standards of the late 1950s, with ample use of leather, carpeting, and dashboard with all the gauges and switch gear you might need.

Whereas the Ace and Aceca were designed as two-seaters for drivers who wanted sports cars, the Greyhound was designed to compete more with the likes of the Aston Martin DB4 and the Jaguar XK150.

Chassis + Specifications

The Greyhound was given a slightly longer version of the steel ladder frame chassis and the alloy body was slightly longer to match, allowing space for an additional row of two seats behind the driver and front passenger, as well as a decent sized trunk.

Most cars in the late 1950s still relied on live rear axles, leaf springs, and four wheel drum brakes but the Greyhound broke out of this mould. It came with fully independent front and rear suspension on coil springs and it came with front disc brakes (and rear drums).

The interior of the car was well appointed, with leather seats front and back, full carpeting throughout, ample instrumentation, and good headroom for all occupants.

Though unique, the styling of the car was very much in the same vein as similar 1950s GTs like the Aston Martin DB Mark III.

The design has been compared to Aston Martins of the era, it was designed to compete against them and the likes the Jaguar XK150.

Under the hood you’ll find any one of four engines: the AC 2.0 liter, the 2.0 liter and 2.2 liter Bristol engines, and the 2.6 liter Ford Zephyr engine. The Zephyr engine is the most powerful of the bunch but many purists prefer the Bristol engines due to their history with the marque.

AC Cars would make just 83 examples of the Greyhound between 1959 and 1963, production was ended to focus resources on the AC Aces that were being built and sent off to Carroll Shelby in the United States – without a drivetrain fitted.

The AC Greyhound Shown Here

The car you see here is a 1961 AC Greyhound that was once owned by Colonel John Nicholas Blashford-Snell CBE. British Army officer, explorer, and author who founded Operation Raleigh.

After having belonged to just two families for its entire life the car is now being offered for sale. It’s had a recent recommissioning including attention to the engine, brakes, ignition, cooling system, overdrive and steering etc not to mention a gearbox overhaul.

It retains its original interior complete with ‘sunburst’ pattern door cards and it’s believed to have covered just 37,000 miles from new.

If you’d like to read more or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing. It’s due to cross the auction block on the 16th of March with a price guide of £60,000 – £70,000 or $81,400 – 95,000 USD.

Images courtesy of H+H Classics

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There’s An 840 BHP Dodge Hellcrate Redeye Crate Engine For Sale On eBay

When Dodge released the Hellcrate Redeye 6.2 liter Supercharged HEMI® V8 crate engine in late 2020 it gave the wider automotive community the chance to get their hands on the engine that had been first introduced in the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon.

At the time of its release it was the fastest muscle car ever made, powerful enough to lift the front wheels off the ground when accelerating and able to do the 0 – 60 mph dash in just 2.1 seconds, that’s even faster than the Tesla Model S (2.28 seconds).

Fast Facts – The Dodge Hellcrate Redeye Crate Engine

• The Dodge Hellcrate Redeye crate engine is the heart and soul of the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, one of the fastest accelerating production cars ever made.
• In standard tune the engine produces 808 horsepower and 717 lb ft of torque (on 91 octane pump gas), this rises to 840 hp and 770 lb ft of torque on 100+ higher octane race fuel with a different tune loaded into the ECU.
• The Dodge Hellcrate Redeye crate engine was a displacement of 6.2 liters, and unusually for a high-performance engine it uses pushrods and two valves per cylinder. The engine is topped with a 2.7 liter supercharger pushing 14.5 PSI into the intake, and it hits the redline at 6,500 rpm.
• We only rarely see these engines come up for sale, they cost over $20,000 USD apiece before you start adding accessories and most who buy them have very specific plans for them. Usually a car destined for the drag strip.

The Dodge Hellcat Hellcrate Crate Engine

The continuing surge in popularity of electric vehicles has most (if not all) automakers investing heavily in electric drivetrain technology, oftentimes at the detriment of their internal combustion engine model range.

This Hellcrate Redeye is unused and still bolted to its shipping pallet, ready for a new owner to install it into the car of their choosing.

One major exception to this phenomenon is Dodge, who seem hellbent on making sure the gasoline-powered engine goes out with a bang rather than a whimper.

The American automaker has released a number of sports cars so powerful they set new world records, as well as a series of high-performance crate engines with the Hellephant and the Hellcrate Redeye at the top of the range.

Dodge Hellcrate Redeye – Specifications

The Hellcrate Redeye is a significantly upgraded version of the earlier Hellcrate (sans Redeye) engine, it has the same 6.2 liter displacement but a new 2.7 liter supercharger replaces the original 2.4 liter unit.

A number of internal changes were made to handle the extra boost including a forged alloy steel crankshaft, induction-hardened crank bearing surfaces, a 5150 alloy gun-drilled camshaft optimized for high rpm performance, forged high-strength alloy pistons, powder-forged connecting rods, and much more.

The 2.7 liter supercharger atop the Redeye version of this engine is slightly larger than the 2.4 liter version on the regular Hellcrate engine, it produces 14.5 PSI of boost vs the 11.6 PSI on the less powerful non-Redeye version.

In standard tune the Hellcrate Redeye produces 808 horsepower and 717 lb ft of torque on regular 91 octane pump gas, increasing to 840 hp and 770 lb ft of torque on 100+ higher octane race fuel with a special tune applied.

A number of custom-built cars have been released that use the Redeye, the majority of them focus on 1/4 mile drag racing, this makes a lot of sense given that it was also the intended playground of the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon that was first fitted with this V8.

Many of us grew up in the 1980s with supercars like the Ferrari Testarossa and Lamborghini Countach plastered all over our bedroom walls. These seminal supercars are a good reference point as they produced something in the region of 375 – 414 bhp (depending on variant) – less than half of what the Hellcrate Redeye is turning out.

The engine you see here is a new and unused Hellcrate Redeye that’s still fixed to its shipping pallet. The eBay seller has it listed for $22,699 USD and it’s available for pick-up in Garland, Texas.

Visit The eBay Listing

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