First U.S. 2-Seater
Cars-On-Line newsletter readers know the story of the Kaiser Darrin two-seater sports car. For decades the American automotive manufacturers had been challenged by the concept of producing a two-seater sports car as European automakers like MG were doing in Europe. So in 1954 Howard “Dutch” Darrin, a noted automotive designer, penned a two-seater sports car for Henry Kaiser’s fledgling automotive company. The resulting Kaiser Darrin Roadster beat Chevrolet’s Corvette to the drawing boards, thus allowing Kaiser to claim to be the first manufacturer to produce an American 2-seater. (This scenario is hotly contest by Chevrolet fans, however, since Corvettes came off the assembly lines before the Kaiser Darrin was in production.)
This yellow 1954 Kaiser Darrin Roadster is being offered for sale at Gullwing Motor Cars in Astoria, New York at a price below the average market value. They say it is an older restoration and that it starts right up when you turn the key. They rate the paint, chrome and interior as “excellent.” They say the undercarriage is clean and solid. It is a later production example. It is Number 383 out of only 435 ever produced. 1954 was the only year the Kaiser Darrin was produced. Beyond the sweeping profile and heart-shaped grille, the fiberglass-bodied Darrin was most famous for its pocket doors that disappeared into the front fenders on sliding tracks.
Howard “Dutch” Darrin was a car designer extraordinaire during the Golden Age of automotive design. Darrin worked for Henry Kaiser during Kaiser’s short lived attempt at building a car company. He also worked for Packard and Studebaker. It was Darrin who came up with the idea of a1954 Kaiser Darrin pocket door which would slide open and then tuck into the front fender. The long front fenders blended seamlessly into the low-cut doors. This was distinctly Darrin. A small but uniquely styled grille puckers out as the bulge of the hood flares nicely back to the cowl. An elegant uncluttered dash made the interior seem progressive. The car was powered by an inline six with overdrive creating 90 horsepower.
New Listings
New Listings Page
Click this link to see all of today’s new listings.
Linked above are the New Listings to the Cars-On-Line.com website. The page is updated in real time.
Classic Car News This Week
Jobs in Automotive
A new website popped up on the internet that could be a way to get your career ontrack. It’s called ClassicCarJobs.us, and it is having a surprising effect on the automotive jobs market. A mechanic started this site on a whim, and in just three months it has grown to have a surprising effect. The site founder says “over 1500 shops/organizations have listed jobs and hundreds of mechanics have signed up.”
“I created this site because a buddy of mine who is a genius metal worker was doing work at a standard insurance shop,” he told us. “When I asked why he’s doing dull work, he mentioned there was nowhere to find jobs working on cool cars.” Well now there is. “Just last week, a guy named Greg Sonders went from doing warranty claims on modern cars to landing a job doing paint/body work at a shop that does full frame off restorations – plus making more money!”
High end automotive talent earns more money. That is just a fact. But how do you find those jobs?
The site says that there are opportunities for mechanics, paint specialists and bodymen to switch from flat rate dealer work to the more lucrative field of classic and specialty cars. When we checked the site we found full-time positions being offered by classic car and coachwork shops, custom car shops and jobs for painters and exotic car specialists.
You can check it out for yourself at https://classiccarjobs.us
Prices Are Right
As prices on collector cars are in a downtrend something new is happening in the collector car market. More buyers are showing up to take advantage of the lower pricing. Makes sense, doesn’t it? This week we are seeing cars sell as soon as they are listed. (Many sold before we could show them to you here today in the New Listings.) And as more buyers are showing up, some of our older listings are disappearing as well. Take this 1936 Ford 5-Window Coupe for instance. It had been in our listings for more than a year as a Run Till Sold ad. But this week the California seller just notified us that it was SOLD. Nice. It just goes to show … with over 10,000 cars for sale on the Cars-On-Line website there are some bargains to be had when you take a deep dive into our listings.
This Weeks Featured Stories
Boattail Speedster
The Auburn Boattail Speedster is one of the most popular collector cars of all time. You can always tell which classic cars are the most popular by how many companies design replicas of them. This 1972 Auburn Boattail Speedster is a recreation produced by Auburn Roadsters Company out of Buffalo, New York.. It is currently being offered for sale by Gullwing Motor Cars out of Astoria, New York. This could be something of a restoration project since they say it has just come out of long-term storage. Since it is not running you should have it inspected. It has a Ford V8 engine so it is anybody’s guess as to how much work it will need. It also is in need of a repaint. Find out more when you call Gullwing Motor Cars. Their price could be a “steal” if you can get this car running and painted. These cars often go for over $100,000 in top condition.
Auctions
As the summer season comes to an end, we are reminded that the Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg Festival is coming up on Labor Day Weekend. Traditionally one of the best auctions of the year is held in Auburn, Indiana during that week. It is put on by Worldwide Auctioneers, one of up-and-coming auction houses in the U.S. Their big sale is August 29-31, 2024. Here are some of the cars they will be selling. Of the 400+ collector vehicles in this sale, 250 will be offered at No Reserve.
1933 LaSalle Restomod
This elegant and breathtaking 1933 Cadillac LaSalle Restomod is among the cars that will be selling at No Reserve when the Worldwide Auctioneers bring the Auburn Auction back to the Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg Festival, August 29-31, 2024. The photos show an professionally restored long-wheelbase vintage classic redone as a custom show car. The exterior is stunning and the interior has been redone in custom leather. The engine compartment is custom show quality with no wiring showing. With power brakes, power steering and air conditioning, you can see why someone would want to modernize their classic ride. This masterpiece of classic restoration will draw some interest during this year’s sale.
1969 Camaro Z/28
It will be interesting to see what will happen when this Lemans Blue 1969 Camaro Z/28 crosses the auction block at the Worldwide Auctioneers’ big sale in Auburn on Labor Day Weekend. It is being offered at No Reserve, and will sell on Thursday, August 29, 2024. They say it is a fresh rotisserie restoration with everything brand new. They tell us it is a real Z/28 with the DZ code 302 engine. The Lemans Blue color is correct and the interior is correct. It comes with a 12-bolt rear end, dual exhaust and new Vintage Air.
1966 Shelby GT350-H
On Saturday evening, in prime time, many of the top featured cars will cross the auction floor. This very rare 1966 Shelby GT350-H Hertz Rent-A-Racer will be one of them. They are offering it at No Rexerve. It will be one of the most interesting classic muscle cars to sell this year. They think only about 50 of the Shelby Mustangs which were part of the Hertz promotion that year came in Corinthian White. This is one of them. You never see them for sale. This car has had only one owner its whole life. It is in the Shelby Registry.
Video Ads
1965 Malibu SS Convertible
Hurry! Southern Motors just posted this 1965 Chevrolet Malibu SS Convertible for sale. These cars are rare and desirable in this condition. They say it is a true (138) Super Sport, with beautiful factory (N) Madeira maroon metallic paint, factory (714) black vinyl interior, black convertible top, matching numbers L34 (EB) 327 ci/300 hp engine, factory 4 speed manual transmission, plus 4 barrel with factory intake & exhaust manifolds. Click the video window above for a walk-around inspection and more history.
Have you seen our CarsOnLine.tv Classic Car Video marketplace? To feature your car on CarsOnLine.tv, just add a video to your Cars-On-Line.com ad. Video ads have become the most important development for internet sellers. Just upload your video to YouTube and we’ll embed your video in your Cars On Line.com ad at no extra charge.
Here are a few more ads with interesting videos:
Collector Cars with Low Miles
1950 Mercury Sedan
The Fall Carlisle Auction is being promoted on Cars-On-Line.com this week. The auction will come up on Octobler 3-4, 2024 during the Fall Carlisle Car Show & Swap Meet in Pennsylvania. One of the featured cars is a 1950 Mercury Sedan, a very rare find in what appears to be original condition. They say it still has only 16,749 actual miles. It has recently undergone a complete and comprehensive restoration. It has a Flathead V8 with a manual transmission. With fender skirts and whitewall tires, it would be a great addition to any top quality collection.
You’ll find this and hundreds more in our Low Miles Section online now.
Project Vehicles for Restoration
1969 Dodge Dart
Here is a project that is not for the faint of heart. A 1969 Dodge Dart was prepped for restoration. Then for health reasons it was forgotton in storage for too long. Now it needs another blasting and some touchup where bondo exists. Look at that built 408/485 hp engine.That alone might be worth the price of this project car. There is a long list of what has already been done in the description.Find out more when you go see this California car.
The following are just some of the cars available in the Project Car Section this week:
1954 Austin Healey 100-4 BN1, Gullwing Motor Cars, NY
1954 Jaguar XK120 Roadster, Gullwing Motor Cars, NY
1929 Chevrolet Standard 2-Door from Washington, MD
1978 Camaro Z28, Country Classic Cars, IL
Find hundreds of project cars for sale in the Project Car Section.
Price Reduced
1930 Brookville Roadster
When this 1930 Brookville Roadster was listed for sale some time ago, the seller had it at a fair price at $59,900. Unforeseen by him, this all-steel reproduction has dropped in value as the collector car market is seeing a correction in pricing recently. With top quality street rod bodywork and parts used to build this rod, you have to see the photos to believe this car hasn’t sold. He just dropped the price to $45,000. Hurry! It won’t last long at this price.
Here are more vehicles with price cuts this week:
| Vehicle For Sale | Original Price | Reduced To |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 Corvette LT-1 | $68,000 | $55,500 |
| 1940 Ford Deluxe | $33,000 | $26,000 |
| 1968 Plymouth Barracuda | $65,000 | $59,000 |
| 1967 Pontiac GTO Convertible | $85,900 | $78,988 |
| 1957 Ford 2-Door Custom | $69,900 | $65,900 |
| 1959 Lincoln Continental | $18,000 | $14,000 |
Pro Touring and Resto Mods
See more great deals in the Street Rod Section, or watch the the New Listings page.
Find more in the Off Road Section on Cars On Line.com. There’s even more on the New Listings page!
Find more in the SUV Section online. You can see all the fresh ads on the New Listings page.
Fresh ads appear first on the New Listings page.
You can see all the fresh ads as they are listed each day on the New Listings page.
You can see all the fresh ads as they are listed each day on the New Listings page.
You can see all the fresh ads as they are listed each day on the New Listings page.
Chevy Muscle
Find more on the New Listings page of our website.
Ford Muscle Cars
Find more in the Ford Muscle Car Section, or watch the fresh listings as they appear on the New Listings page.
Check the Mercury Muscle Car Section. Or you can see all the fresh ads as they are listed daily on the New Listings page.
Check the Pontiac Performace Section for more. See all the fresh ads listed on the New Listings page.
Check the Oldsmobile Muscle Car Section . See more listed each day on the New Listings page.
Check out the Buick Muscle Car Section. More listed daily on the New Listings page.
You’ll find many more modern sports cars listed by year in the Late Model Sports Car Section.
Scroll through the Trucks & 4x4s Section for more. The newest ads come in on the New Listings page.
Classic Customs
You’ll see more for sale in the Customs Section and on the New Listings page.
You’ll see more for sale in the Pro Street Section, or on the Cars On Line New Listings page.
See more for sale in the Truck Section or watch for fresh listings on the New Listings page.
See more great deals in the Luxury Section or on the New Listings page.
See more great deals in the Mustang Section and on the New Listings page.
Muscle Car Clones
1969 Yenko Camaro
Among the many muscle cars featured in the Fall Carlisle Auction in October we were really impressed by a 1969 Yenko Camaro Tribute which will be sold to the highest bidder during the Fall Carlisle Car Show & Swap Meet, October 3-4, 2024. It is so authentic looking … they used mostly NOS sheet metal. And it has a 1969 “512” block 427/450 hp engine with a 4-speed Muncie. The black and white houndstooth interior is iconic, and all the correct Yenko badges and gauges are present. It comes with tilt column, tinted glass and original style AM/FM radio. Very authentic. Check out all the photos. Then find out how to bid.
Make sure you watch our New Listings page for daily updates on historic muscle car tributes. There’s even more in the Muscle Car Section.
Deals of the Day
1967 Olds 98 Convertible
As a Canadian collector is downsizing his collection, he posted this 1967 Oldsmobile 98 Convertible for sale this week. It is one our readers should check out. It is powered by a 425 ci V8, and is highly optioned. In his words, “this is a solid and excellent driving car.” Recent maintenance includes new tires, brakes, battery and a tuneup. He feels you could jump right in and drive it across country. He says it came from the U.S. and has a U.S. title. He is obviously marketing it to a U.S. buyer because his asking price is only $15,000 in Canadian currency. That’s only about $10,900 U.S. dollars. It will be our DEAL of the DAY on Saturday. Hurry!
1956 Studebaker
Another Canadian collector is offering his 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk for sale. This classic Studebaker sports car shows so well in the photos and it is hard to believe you can buy it now for such a great price. Showing only 54,978 miles, it has a rebuilt engine and shows well all around. He says it runs very well having a 3-on-a-tree transmission with O/D and a 352 Packard engine. He says it has been in the same family since 1996. Look at those whitewall tires with beauty rings. It will be our DEAL of the DAY on Sunday. His asking price is $28,500.
1966 Oldsmobile 442
Country Classic Cars out of Staunton, Illinois came up big this week as they listed several interesting collector cars at great prices. Here is a 1966 Oldsmobile 442 classic muscle car in dark blue paint with a black interior “in great condition.” They say it is powered by a 400 ci V8 engine mated to an automatic transmission, and runs and drives excellent. They just posted this car so not all the information is available on it yet. But you should inquire. It will be our DEAL of the DAY on Monday. Their asking price is only $29,700.
1985 Nissan 300ZX
The Colorado seller says this is “literally a barn find.” He found this 1985 Nissan 300ZX in a storage facility and brought it back to life. Now with 100,000 miles on it he says it is a “Super nice classic sports car.” And it comes equipped with all the options plus T-tops, cruise control and air conditioning. It also has new tires. It has the 3.0 V6 enigne with a 5-speed. This was the year that Nissan dropped the Datsun name. If you are looking for a car that is super fast and real cheap, here it is. It will be our DEAL of the DAY on Tuesday. The asking price is $6,500.
1958 Chevrolet Biscayne
Check out the photos on this 1958 Chevrolet Biscayne 4-Door Sedan which was just listed by Country Classic Cars. Just out of long-term storage, they tell us it runs and drives very well. You can see from the photos that it is finished in two-tone green over a green inteiror. It is powered by a 6 cylinder engine mated to a 3-speed manual transmission. By the way, Country Classic Cars has indicated that a warranty is available on classic cars which they sell. It will be our DEAL of the DAY on Wednesday. The asking price is $16,200.
2012 Mustang GT
Country Classic Cars also has a hot deal on a late model retro Mustang. This black 2012 Mustang GT looks real good in the photos. Finished in all black over a dark grey interior, this Mustang is powered by a 5.0L Coyote V8 engine mated to a proper 6-speed manual transmission. It has Flowmaster Dual Exhaust and Cold Air Intake. With a clean CarFax report with no accidents or damage through 4 previous owners, this late model Mustang sports car is ready for summer fun. It will be our DEAL of the DAY late next week. Their asking price is only $15,000.
Often there are more cars that deserve to be in the DEAL of the DAY than we can schedule for our front page feature. Here is a list of cars that just missed the cut for the DEAL of the DAY this week. Remember, you saw them here first:
| 1981 Mercedes-Benz 380SL | $18,500 | Texas |
| 1995 Mercedes-Benz E320 Convertible | $10,900 | Stanley, WI |
| 2002 Ford Thunderbird | $19,995 | Tampa, FL |
Cars for under $10,000:
| 1983 Jaguar XJ6 Vanden Plas | $8,900 | Stanley, WI |
Cars On Line features vehicles here based on their listed price. We are not endorsing these vehicles. We have not inspected or appraised any of the above vehicles. We are only pointing out that these vehicles are priced at a discount to the market. When you buy from a private party the purchase is always “as is” and “where is.” There is no warranty implied or given on any of these cars by Cars On Line. It is your responsibility as the buyer to protect yourself from misrepresentation of any car advertised. We strongly recommend having a vehicle inspected as one precaution before you buy. Click here to purchase a detailed vehicle inspection.
NEW Free Parts Ads Section
… NOW FEATURING PHOTO ADS FOR PARTS
Check out our NEW Parts For Sale Section with Photo Ads. We think you’ll really like using our FREE Parts Listings. It is now much easier to place your ads. Have some old but valuable parts you want to sell? Cars On Line Parts Ads are FREE. And we just added photo capability. It is the best of both worlds.
You can run Parts For Sale ads for FREE! Check it out. Just click go to the Parts Section. Once there, look for the FREE Plan, and click “Get Started Now.” We also have ad plans for vendors at a very modest cost.
Thank You
Thanks for reading Cars On Line ads. We really appreciate the community of car enthusiasts who read our website daily to keep up on what’s for sale. This newsletter is designed to make your efforts a little easier and give you a shot at the great deals when they first hit our pages.
Click Here to Place an Ad on Cars On Line
Click Here to See the Cars On Line Homepage
For more info, call 1-800-880-5105.
DISCLAIMER: Readers should be aware that the editiorial comments made in this newsletter are strictly the opinion of the author, Larry Kolb. Mr. Kolb offers his editorial opinion of the marketability of these cars based on information provided by the sellers. Neither Mr. Kolb nor Cars On Line.com has seen or inspected these cars. These comments are not to be mistaken for advertising, nor should they be considered an endorsement of any product. They are strictly editorial in nature. Neither Mr. Kolb nor Cars On Line will profit from the sale of any of the cars mentioned here. No warranty of these vehicles is implied or given. It is strongly recommended that anyone interested in the purchase of these vehicles should have them inspected before the sale.
Cars On Line – PO Box 537 – Menomonee Falls, WI 53052-0537