What is the most odd or obscure car you have driven?

In reply to pkingham (Forum Supporter) :

This reminds me of a truck like this in my area except the guys truck is blue here is a picture

Probably a Daf 33 like this - air cooled 2 cyl horizontally opposed motor up front, cvt trans in the back

This was my first car. 1969 Opel GT with 4 speed. Certainly aren't many of these left today. Loved and hated that car, worst carburetor ever, the 1.9S engine was a strong runner in stock form and with a 3.73 rear axle it would get up and go. Got me thru college and married...and then died early one winter. Oil pump starved the engine probably due to excessive clearances and high mileage...it went boom and that was it. Enter from stage left Honda Civic. :)

Then there was the Corvair hand me down from my father...it was a short lived affair as I was not far enough along in my mechanical training to do internal engine work successfully and at the time couldnt afford to pay someone to do it for me. When the engine died, it was time for another car and the car loan that went with it...yikes.

The 4 door twin to the 2 door Nova I bought and made into my first serious Auto cross car...it was featured in the print version of the magazine a LONG time ago. Drove the car a long time and did a bunch of work to it to make it competitive and keep it running. Ultimately, Rust and divorce forced the sale of the car. I still miss it. It was ugly as sin and quick enough to embarrass much pricier iron. I was proud of what it and I accomplished together.

I don't know if anyone thinks any of these cars are rare or unusual, but they represent a good portion of my automotive history. There are more of course but these are 3 memorable ones.

Borgward with 4 on the column. 

Turner. Two seat sportscar. 

Some sort of small Abarth fastback. 

All of these were driven in early 60's. 

If this thread has taught me anything, it's that I need to buy/drive more obscure cars.

Keep it weird GRM. 

1981 4 door diesel automatic chevette. 

OTOH I did daily drive one of these for a few years

And my turbo Fireflies may be obscure to some

Canada only 89-91

M501 Hawk Loader Transporter.

Cute little one-man track.  It didn't fire the Hawks, it just fetched missiles and fed the launcher.

slantvaliant (Forum Supporter) said:

M501 Hawk Loader Transporter.

Cute little one-man track.  It didn't fire the Hawks, it just fetched missiles and fed the launcher.

I think this guy wins.

My AMG was one of 52 made that year, total production....not just the 5.6SEL

Sonic said:

The Wartburg, the same one that Patrick now has, 1958 Wartburg 311.  I drove it when it was stock after we got it running at the Lemons race when we picked it up and had it running on a bottle of gas with no brakes, and then later on in rear engined Subaru powered form.  Never so much as seen another one.  

This, by far, and I specialize in odd and obscure.  I'll even rule out the modified version because once that's happened its less odd and obscure by virtue of having a "common" drivetrain.  But Sonic and I are probably 2 of less than a dozen people who have driven a stock Wartburg in the US.

Next I'd say my dad's 1933 Olds 6 cylinder.  Documented one of 3 left in existence.

After those two everything else seems downright common and still, Honda Beat, Daihatsu Atrai, Lancia Scorpion, the list goes on, I like weird cars.

How 'bout a US Air Force R9 refueling truck?

I spent 6 years in the Air Force National Guard putting around flight lines at 15 mph, until one trip to support Forest Service aircraft fighting forest fires – got up to bout 85 mph...downhill...with a tail wind - quite nerve racking while sitting on top of 5000 gallons of jet fuel

:)

Not super obscure but mine would probably be my Peugeot 405 Mi16 that was a daily for about a year and the Mazda 323 GTX, although I only drove that around the block a couple times. 

In reply to EvanB :

You have TWO Opels of a certain flavor.  I think technically you have driven them.

Speaking of Opels, did you ever drive the Manta?

FJ40Jim said:

1930 Oakland V8 roadster, Indy 500 racecar. 1 of 1.

Did I see this at Hershey in October? <drool>

1972 Leyland Mini Pickup

Of course with a metro 1275/rodlink swap

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

In reply to EvanB :

You have TWO Opels of a certain flavor.  I think technically you have driven them.

Speaking of Opels, did you ever drive the Manta?

I drove the Manta most of any of the Opels, I suppose that counts as obscure. 

I did a co-op at Volvo in Sweden in 2000.  They had a prototype Volvo S80....with a small Cosworth V10 mounted in it.  They later supercharged it.

In reply to 11GTCS :

Drove a 505 diesel for awhile.  10 MPH per gear in the first 4 gears, everything else in 5th.  It was like an old VW Bug, shift or die!

Most obscure would have to be my 86 Camaro, which doesn't seem obscure, but I put it back on the road a few years ago and it still retains it's numbers matching 'low power' code 305, which is pretty obscure for a third gen 

I just test drove a '91 Honda Beat. Red over gray with Zebra seats and a 5-speed. Guy wants $12500 for it which is a tad more than I'd want to spend on one. 

Having worked as a fabricator for a few hot rod shops, I had some weird ones.

IH Metro van.  I had to get it from one shop to another, which meant sitting on a lawn chair and using a boat gas tank with a primer bulb as the fuel pump.  I got a lot of strange looks on the 405.

Got to drive Cadzzilla.  Granted, it was just from the parking lot into the shop, but I was a bit emotionally erect.

I once raced Carroll Shelby.  Not really, but we were on the track at the same time.  I was puttering around his track in a 69 Mustang at a Kumho event and he came out to do some hot laps in another Mustang.

Edit for pics... and I forgot a special one.  A 29 Nash Museum piece that the owner drove weekly.

Rental car in Austria..........manual trans, diesel Chrysler minivan.

Working as a mechanic at Reedman Corporation in Langhorne PA in the 70s I drove Austin America, Austin Marina, Plymouth Cricket, Triumph Stag, NSU, Italia sports car, Land Rover Series III and Jaguar V12s. I also drove a Plymouth Arrow pickup later in the 70s as a parts runner.

Alpine Renault late 70s A110.

It would turn a corner on a dime and give you change.

But needed boost!

Oh! The Catalina Island Ferry, but that probably won't count.