Cute Classics

Found some of the cutest classics money can buy on a well known auction site starting with e. And they’re not going for silly money. More than I can afford, but not silly money.


First up is this glorious little Glas GoggomobilGlasGoggomobilTS250

A German car with a definite Italian look about it, this rare TS250 Coupe is being sold as a non-running project. The good news is the car is pretty much complete and original. Having spent most of it’s 59 years in South Africa it’s almost rust-free too. A cracking little motor for £8.5k.
Here’s the eBay link


Next, and just a pretty is another tiny classic, this Autobianchi Berlina

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Dating from 1966, it’s got Italian good look in a small package – a stylish alternative to the more commonly seen Fiat 500, with which it shares many mechanicals.
Here’s the eBay link


Talking of 500’s – there’s always a few on eBay… but this Giardiniera offers a little more space than the standard saloon.
Here’s the eBay link for the Fiat

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Finally, for now, is this 1962 BMW Isetta… the classic ‘bubble car’. It’s not cheap, at a shade under £14k, but I’ve seen them a lot more expensive than this…  it purports to be in excellent nick, dry stored for a number of years. Before then, it had a full engine rebuild.
Here’s the eBay link for the Isetta
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Lambrettas on the Lingotto – the roof of the (former) FIAT factory

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This is one of my dreams… racing my (extremely slow) Series round the track on the roof of the iconic former FIAT factory in Turin.

Probably most well known in the UK for it’s brief appearance in the Italian Job, The Lingotto is an incredible work of modernist architecture. It was more than a factory, more of an enourmous machine for making cars… raw materials coming in on the ground floor, being built on s production line that progressed up the building before emerging, finished onto the rooftop test track. Brilliant. 
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No longer a car factory… now a business centre / concert hall / theatre / art gllery / shopping mall / hotel / university… (you might start to get an idea how BIG this thing is.  
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Italian owners of classic scooters had the chance to take thier scoots up the famous spiral ramp and  put their machines through their paces on this classic track… thanks to a famous energy drink. The Red Bull  Special Lingotto took place on the 25th of September (apparently it’s the third time they’ve done it), and awarded prizes for creativity as well as speed. I’d love to do that. 
Found this story over at Italian site motoblog.it, which is also where I nicked the pictures from. Sorry that it appears to be mainly V•spas!

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Ever wish you had a spare £16 Grand?

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I know, silly question. But I do, right now. There’s somebody on eBay selling this delightful, and pretty rare Lambretta Model D sidecar combination. Which looks as close to concours as you’d want. I’ve recently started compiling a ‘dream garage’ list of Lambretta’s I’d love to own, and a D is right up there. As is a Lambretta sidecar combo, but I’d never put the two together in my head. There are several nice touches to the setup that really work well, I love the chrome legshield trim on the scoot, as well as the spare wheel carrier with integrated petrol tank, a lovely original (looking anyway) item with the innocenti logo. The luggage rack on the sidecar and the front bumper bar on the D are nice too. It also comes with optional “butty box’ behind the fitted petrol tank, something I suspect is an expensive addition if you need to source an original one. Another nice touch is the matching saddles and leather trim on the sidecar. Class. The only thing that really jars is the wheel embellisher on the sidecar. I think I’d either lose that and paint the wheel to match the bodywork, or paint the blue part of the embellisher to match the saddles. But who am I to be so picky! It’s sitting at a not inconsequential £8k at the moment, which seems a tad on the high side to me, but if it’s the sort of rare, early Lambretta that floats your boat, it might be right up your alley. Link here.

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The other £8k would be going to the same bloke… clicking the “see sellers other items” link brought up a lovely Fiat 500 D. Nice, although again, probably a little on the high side price wise. Link here.
He does appear to have listed both items twice.

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