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For Sale: David Carradine’s Alligator Car From “Death Race 2000”

This is David Carradine’s car from the 1975 dystopian sci-fi cult classic Death Race 2000. The film stars Carradine alongside Sylvester Stallone and Simone Griffeth, it centers around the Transcontinental Road Race – a race across the United States with no rules where many drivers don’t survive to the checkered flag.

Though this car looks like a custom rear-engined C3 Corvette it’s actually based on a Volkswagen chassis, and it’s powered by a Chevrolet Corvair flat-six which is hidden underneath the dummy engine visible in the rear.

Fast Facts – Mr Frankenstein’s Car From Death Race 2000

This is the original Mr Frankenstein car from the 1975 film “Death Race 2000”, a dystopian sci-fi cult classic that may have influenced a number of films that have been made since, including “The Hunger Games” and “Death Proof.”
Interestingly, “Death Race 2000” provided Sylvester Stallone with one of his final roles before he became a global celebrity after the success of Rocky a year later in 1976.
The plot of “Death Race 2000” centers around the Transcontinental Road Race, a cross-country car race in which the drivers and their cars assume WWF wrestling-style personas and attempt to kill pedestrians for bonus points during the race.
The car itself was designed and built by James Powers, Dean Jeffries, and George Barris. It’s based on a VW Beetle chassis and it’s powered by a rear-mounted Corvair flat-six engine. The fiberglass body somewhat resembles a C3 Corvette and it has a large faux engine atop the rear.

Death Race 2000 And The Transcontinental Road Race

Death Race 2000 became a cult classic almost as soon as it was released, it’s a film that was clearly not meant to be taken seriously and it’s permeated by dark humor, gratuitous gore, and some nudity – earning it an R-rating at the box office.

Above Film: This is the official trailer for Death Race 2000, the full film is available to watch on YouTube for free however be warned that it is R-rated and it includes nudity and plenty of violence.

Although this film isn’t particularly well known outside of film enthusiast circles it is notable for a number of reasons, and it likely had a significant influence on later films like “The Hunger Games” and “Death Proof.”

It would include Sylvester Stallone’s final performance as a little-known actor before he shot to fame in the 1976 film Rocky, which he both acted in and wrote the screenplay for. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for the film including Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay.

Death Race 2000 enjoyed no such awards, having received mixed reviews from period critics and only moderate success at the box office.

Mr Frankensein’s Alligator Car

The car you see here was built alongside the other four, making five in total. They were designed and created by James Powers, Dean Jeffries, and George Barris with unique fiberglass bodies designed to complement the WWF wrestling-type persona’s of their respective drivers.

The design team gave each of the five cars in the film its own character, this one is an “alligator,” with a large faux-V8 in the back over the top of the real engine – a Corvair flat-six.

At first glance, the “Alligator Car” driven by Mr Frankenstein appears to be a modified C3 Corvette with a truncated wheelbase, however it’s actually based on a VW Beetle platform – though it appears that some modified Corvette body parts have been used in the construction of the custom fiberglass body.

The original Beetle flat-four engine was deemed insufficiently powerful, so it was replaced with a Corvair flat-six feeding power into a three-speed manual transmission.

A faux-V8 with a supercharger was created and fitted over the Corvair engine extending up above the rear trunk lid, in order to give the illusion of considerably more power.

This car is used extensively in the film, it’s been well preserved over the intervening years and it’s now being offered for sale through Mecum in mid-March with a price guide of $30,000 to $50,000 USD.

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

Images courtesy of Mecum

The post For Sale: David Carradine’s Alligator Car From “Death Race 2000” appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/death-race-2000-david-carradine-car/
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For Sale: An AC 3000ME Turbo – A Rare Mid-Engined British Classic

This is a 1980 AC 3000ME Turbo, it’s a rare car with only 100 or so produced in total. It’s powered by a mid-mounted 3.0 liter Ford V6 which sends power to the rear wheels via a 5-speed transmission, and the example you see here benefits from turbocharging.

The 3000ME was developed by Peter Bohanna, one of the engineers from Ford’s Advanced Vehicle Operations in the UK who had worked on the Ford GT40, working alongside an experienced race mechanic and Lotus dealer named Robin Stables.

Fast Facts – The AC 3000ME

The name of the 3000ME stands for “3000cc Mid-Engined,” in reference to the mid-mounted 3.0 liter Ford V6 that powered the car. In stock tune the engine made a relatively sedate 138 bhp, however turbocharging boosted this up to 200 bhp.
The car was built with a monocoque perimeter steel chassis with bolt on front and rear sub-frames, a lightweight fiberglass body, and independent suspension and disc brakes at each corner.
The 3000ME was developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s and first shown to the public at the 1973 Olympia Racing Car Show, here it was seen by Keith Judd of AC Cars who worked out a deal with Bohanna and Stables to produce the car.
Ultimately the car would be in production for six years between 1979 and 1985, it’s believed that slightly over 100 were built in total and today they remain surprisingly affordable, with prices typically in the $20,000 – $30,000 USD range.

Bohanna Stables

The Bohanna Stables company was founded by former Lola and Ford GT40 engineer Peter Bohanna with racing mechanic and former Lotus dealer Robin Stables.

The interior of the car is well-appointed by the standards of the 1970s, it even has a gated shifter for the AC 5-speed gearbox.

The two men set out to develop an advanced yet affordable mid-engined sports car that would be far more attainable to regular people than mid-engined vehicles usually are. They developed a tubular steel chassis, a fiberglass body, and they sourced the 1.5 liter engine and gearbox from the Austin Maxi.

Once their prototype was complete they showed it to both TVR and AC Cars, however neither manufacturer would commit to the project.

Not long after this they displayed the car at the 1973 Olympia Racing Car Show in London where it received much interest – Keith Judd of AC Cars managed to convince the AC board to acquire the project and they did shortly thereafter.

Both Peter Bohanna and Robin Stables were brought onboard as consultants as the car was reengineered to make it better suited to mass-production at a planned rate of 10 – 20 cars per week.

AC Cars And The 3000ME

The original tubular steel frame was discarded by AC Cars engineers who realized how time-consuming it would be to produce en masse. It was replaced by a monocoque perimeter steel chassis with bolt on front and rear sub-frames.

This car is fitted with the popular Robin Rew turbo upgrade, taking power from 138 bhp up to 200 bhp.

The Austin Maxi engine was deemed unsuitable due to lack of power and potential supply problems from Austin, so it was replaced with the tried and tested 3.0 liter Ford Essex V6.

The development process took years and several serious hurdles were overcome, including a partial redesign to pass the front 30 mph UK crash test. By the time the car was ready for mass production it was 1979 and the price had risen from the initial estimate of £3000 – £4000 up to £11,300 – out of the reach of many buyers.

AC Cars would keep the 3000ME in production for 5 years and sell fewer than 80 cars before selling the rights and tooling to a newly registered company named AC (Scotland) plc in Glasgow run by David McDonald.

The new Scottish company would build an additional 30 or so cars before they too shut down in 1985. Plans were afoot for a third company to take on the car however they only built a single prototype.

The surviving examples of the AC 3000ME now have a cult following in the UK, it’s not known exactly how many have survived but they do attract plenty of interest when they come up for sale.

AC 3000ME Specifications

The AC 3000ME is powered by a naturally aspirated 3.0 Ford Essex V6 mid-mounted transversely behind the passenger cabin. Power is sent through a chain drive to a 5-speed gearbox designed by AC to the rear wheels.

Wedge-shaped styling like this was popular in the 1970s and beyond, thanks in large part to designers like Gandini and Giugiaro.

The engineers at AC developed many of the components of the car in-house rather than buying them in, one reason for the car’s long development cycle.

AC built the chassis tub, front and rear sub-frames, the suspension wishbones and uprights, window frames, fiberglass body shell sections, aluminum gearbox case, clutch housing, and the chain case assembly. They fitted the car with Girling calipers over AC rotors front and back.

Many 3000ME owners desired more than the stock power output of 138 bhp, as a result of this demand an engineer named Robin Rews developed a system that used a Garrett AiResearch turbocharger blowing through a 1½ inch Reece Fish carburetor, with the engine’s compression ratio dropped to 8.0:1.

Though somewhat simple this forced induction set up increased power substantially, from 138 bhp to 200 bhp with a similar increase in torque. This additional power made the car far more lively, and it’s been estimated that up to half the surviving 3000MEs have had the conversion done.

The 1980 AC 3000 ME Shown Here

The car you see here that still belongs to its second owner. It has 47,935 miles on the odometer and it has five servicings on its record.

The mid-mounted Ford Essex V6 offers reliability and they’re easy to source parts for – unlike many other more exotic engines.

This car is one of those that benefits from the Robin Rew turbo upgrade, and it’s accompanied by its handbook, manufacturer’s brochure, some magazine articles, some expired MoTs, and a V5C Registration Certificate.

The seller notes that the car does have an issue with the chain drive to the gearbox currently though they’re working on getting it rectified. It’s clear that the car will require some level of recommissioning before regular driving is undertaken.

The 3000ME does have a small but highly active owners group who are happy to offer advice and assistance with sourcing spare parts etc, making the recommissioning of this car far easier than it might otherwise be.

If you’d like to read more about this unusual mid-engined AC you can click here to visit the listing. It’s due to cross the auction block with Bonhams on the 10th of April with a price guide of $16,000 – $20,000 USD.

Images courtesy of Bonhams

The post For Sale: An AC 3000ME Turbo – A Rare Mid-Engined British Classic appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/ac-3000me-turbo/
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Barn Find: Jaguar E-Type 4.2 Coupe Project Car

This Jaguar E-Type has spent over 48 years tucked away in a storage shed, it was originally parked up in 1973/1974 when it needed some work on its brake calipers and bodywork. It would remain gathering dust for half a century before being rediscovered and put up for sale.

The E-Type, known as the XKE in the USA, is one of the most universally beloved classic cars of all time. It frequently sits atop lists of “The Most Beautiful Cars Of All Time” and it’s not just a pretty face, the E-Type is an accomplished race car with countless wins to its name.

Fast Facts – A Jaguar E-Type Barn Find

This E-Type has spent the better part of half a century in storage, parked out of the wind, rain, and weather waiting for someone to come a long and get it back on the road.
This car is a desirable matching-numbers example of the 4.2 liter E-Type coupe, the fact that it has its original body and engine make it a desirable candidate for restoration.
Jaguar released the E-Type in 1961 as a replacement for the XK series using many of the technologies pioneered in the Jaguar D-Type that had won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times in a row in 1955, 1956, and 1957.
As a 1965 model this E-Type has a the larger 4.2 liter XK straight-six with double overhead cams producing 265 bhp and 283 lb ft of torque. The top speed was listed as 150 mph (241 km/h) and the car offered excellent performance for the era thanks to its all-independent suspension and four-wheel disc brakes.

The Importance Of The E-Type

Much has been said about the importance and historical significance of the Jaguar E-Type, when it was released in 1961 it’s price was £2,061 – 1/3rd to 1/5th the price of a similarly equipped sports GT car from the likes of Ferrari, Aston Martin, Maserati, or Mercedes-Benz.

It’s clear after looking at images of the exterior and interior that this car needs a full restoration, however all the major parts are here which could make it an excellent project for the right person.

No article on the E-Type is ever complete without referencing the quote attributed to Enzo Ferrari where he called it “the most beautiful car ever made” as well as something along the lines of “the only problem with the car is that it doesn’t have a Ferrari badge on the bonnet.”

Automotive historians debate the whether these quotes are actually real but as the saying goes, one should never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

The world would see the Jaguar E-Type for the first time at the 1961 Geneva Motor Show. The combination of stunning good looks, its technologically advanced unibody chassis, suspension, and brakes, combined with the low sticker price instantly made it one of the most desirable cars on earth.

The top speed in excess of 150 mph is the equivalent to a 200 mph top speed today, and the car cost the equivalent of £48,800 or $66,165 USD in 2022 pounds/dollars. It was essentially a Ferrari-beating supercar that many middle class folks could afford – with some assistance from their local bank manager of course.

Jaguar produced the E-Type from 1961 until 1975 when it was replaced with the considerably less popular Jaguar XJ-S. It wouldn’t be until 2013 that Jaguar would release the true successor to the E-Type – the all-new F-Type.

As a 1965 model this car benefits from the upgrade to the 4.2 liter XK engine over the 3.8 liter unit found in earlier cars. Power stayed the same at 265 bhp but torque increased from 240 lb ft to 283 lb ft.

The E-Type was built over three generations: Series 1, Series 2, and Series 3 cars. The earlier Series 1 cars are the most desirable and most “pure” versions of the design, though they all now claim significant sums on the classic car market.

The Jaguar E-Type Barn Find Shown Here

The car you see here has been preserved, albeit covered in dust, for the better part of half a century. It was ordered new in 1965 by R. Grawford of Grawford (Oaklands) Farm Ltd in Wood Farm, Cabrooke.

It would later be bought by Mr David Trenchard Thom, a professional jockey turned racehorse trainer, who sold it in 1971 to its current owner who bought it to celebrate getting a teaching job. The car was driven regularly in the early 1970s with a distinctive white husky frequently riding in the passenger seat.

The car was parked up in 1973/1974 as it needed new disc brake rotors and some bodywork fixed. As is often the case life got in the way and the car remained in the shed for 48+ years.

It’s now being offered for sale with H+H Auctions, it’ll be crossing the auction block on the 16th of March at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, England. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

Above Films: This excellent short film from Goodwood Road & racing showcases the Jaguar E2A, the early precursor to the production E-Type.

Images courtesy of H+H Auctions

The post Barn Find: Jaguar E-Type 4.2 Coupe Project Car appeared first on Silodrome.

from Silodrome https://silodrome.com/barn-find-jaguar-e-type/
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For Sale: A Ferrari 512BB LM Front Clamshell

This is the clamshell front end from the Ferrari 512BB LM (chassis 35529) that was raced by Fabrizio Violati’s Scuderia Bellancauto team, taking a class win at the 1981 1000km of Monza.

The front end of the factory-built 512BB LM looked quite different to the one you see here, as this one was developed by Violati’s in-house engineer Armando Palanca, with input from racing driver Roberto Lippi, and former Scuderia Ferrari chief mechanic, Giulio Borsari.

Fast Facts – Ferrari 512BB LM Front End

The Ferrari 512BB LM was developed by Ferrari to replace the earlier Daytona model in sports car and endurance racing. Early development work had been done by Luigi Chinetti’s North American Racing Team (NART), but later cars would be built in-house by Ferrari.
The car was based on the production Ferrari 512BB, it was fitted with all new bodywork developed in a wind tunnel by Pininfarina and it was fitted with the rear wing from the Ferrari 312T2 F1 car.
The 512BB LM would enjoy some success, winning the GTX class at the 1981 24 Hours of Le Mans, a class win at the 1981 1000km of Monza, and a number of other highly place finishes.
The distinctive look and the unusual howl from the fuel-injected flat 12 engine have endeared the 512BB LM to the hearts of motor racing fans, and they make regular appearances at vintage racing events.

Front clamshells like this come up for sale from time to time, they make excellent collectible conversation pieces, and display pieces of course – with many of them ending up mounted on walls.

This is the Ferrari 512 BB LM in standard configuration, you’ll note a number of differences between its Pininfarina-design front end and the front end for sale here. Image courtesy of Ferrari.

There’s been some disagreement over the years about what the “BB” in the 512BB LM model name stands for. The “LM” stands for “Le Mans” of course, the legendary 24 hour endurance race that takes place each year in France.

The “BB” is officially described as an acronym of “Berlinetta Boxer,” as the car is a berlinetta (coupe), with a flat 12 cylinder boxer engine.

Ferrari engineer Mauro Forghieri stated years later in an interview that the “BB” stood for Berlinetta Bialbero (dual camshaft), but Pininfarina designer Leonardo Fioravanti explained that the car was so beautiful they called it “Brigitte Bardot” after the movie star.

Fioravanti says they ended up calling the car “BB” as a reference to the actress and that Ferrari later came up with the “Berlinetta Boxer” explanation as it was deemed more palatable.

This front clamshell was being auctioned online by Collecting Cars out of Milan, Italy. It didn’t meet reserve but it’s still available and you can click here to visit the listing.