1980 Black Moon Concordia II

I admit I haven't watched Black Moon Rising, even though I love obscure and forgotten films. I can say I've noticed the weird cover for it in second hand DVD shops, which has an illustration of Tommy Lee Jones' face that is half realistic and half pixelated. Well, this is the vehicle from that movie. And the vehicle is just as weird looking.

Apparently the 1984 film is about a top-secret cassette that is stuck in the tape player of the "Black Moon" experimental vehicle destined for Los Angeles that Tommy Lee Jones must track down, along with Linda Hamilton. John Carpenter wrote the story.

The title vehicle was actually a 1980 design called the Wingho by Bernard Beaujardins and Clyde Kwok (both great names) of Wingho Auto Classique based in Montreal. Only one was originally built, so two copies from the original mold were made, one for stunts, and one for interior shots.

The seller doesn't give much mechanical specifics, but like a lot of custom cars from the 70s and 80s, it seems to be based on a Volkswagen Beetle chassis and rear-mounted engine.

The seller says a retired Colonel purchased it in 1996 and used it for parades, garnering trophies and awards until his death. The widow would now like to pass it on to new ownership.

I see no reason why it shouldn't continue garnering trophies. The seller also shows a photo of a hand written note from Linda Hamilton saying:

"To the Colonel - I loved riding in your car. The only thing missing was you. Hope we can meet someday...'til then, much love - Linda Hamilton"

If you're a fan of the film, this is a must. If you're a fan of Linda Hamilton this is a must. And if you're a fan of wild looking kit cars that are probably not road legal but really fun to drive around anyways, this is a must.

Available here on ebay in San Marcos, Texas with bidding starting at $10k and a $15k Buy-It-Now.

Gullwing Glory: 28k-mile 1975 Bricklin SV-1

The seller says this vehicle is up for sale just in time for the Bricklin Nationals in Michigan July 18-22.

The SV-1 was the vision of auto entreprenuer Malcolm Bricklin, who had previously founded Subaru of America. SV stood for Safety Vehicle and was his idea of a fast, safe and efficient sports car. They had rear-wheel drive, reinforced fiberglass bodies, bright acrylic "safety" colors (should you get lost in the mountains or buried in snow), no cigarette lighters or ashtrays, power gullwing doors (an industry first) and intentional 5 mph government mandated bumpers built into the design.

Unfortunately the SV-1 wasn't very fast or economical, although it could be seen as safe by 1970s standards I suppose. While powered with V8 engines, they were still heavy and their small radiators were prone to overheating. Customers were offered a choice of colors and transmission in 1974, in 1975 the only options were colors as the only transmission available was an automatic, hurting any chances of being taken seriously by enthusiasts.

The styling isn't half bad. It's a prototypical '70s wedge shape (who started that anyways? Gandini's Countach in 1971?). Tapered nose with hidden headlights that widens to a steeply raked windshield, then gently sloping c pillar that drops to an angular rear. Fortunately the Bricklin pulls it off quite well. It's a little cartoonish, almost like an imaginary Hot Wheels toy, especially in neon green, but it's still eye-catching and really cool looking. The black lower panels help give it a low, long appearance.

The Bricklin story ended sourly, actually lot like the Delorean only a couple of years later. Bricklin secured funds from a local government in New Brunswick, Canada for factories to build the Bricklin, but the money was wasted and the factory eventually shut down, millions in debt. Only 2,854 cars were made from 1974-1975. Shame on both parties for getting involved in a deal that shouldn't have been made. All that resulted was a couple thousand cult cars.

The seller mentions this survivor is all-original and still wears its rare acrylic Safety Green paint. They also say this car has the presumably more desirable 351 cubic inch Ford V8 engine, and that it has under 28,000 original miles on the odometer. They say the car runs fine and they are selling only because they don't use it enough.

These are certainly rare and kitschy cars. You'll never see one on Bring a Trailer. But I like them for the design, and as a cautionary tale on private-public partnerships gone awry, something we still see today, over and over again (Solyndra, 38 Studios).

Hemmings values a '74-'75 Bricklin in fair condition at $4,200, good $7,500 and excellent $15,750.

Find it here on ebay in Springfield, Illinois with bidding at $12,445 and a buy-it-now of $18,999.