Welcome back! Today is all about unfinished business as we look at a pair of project cars that were left behind when their owners passed away. But before we dig into the barn finds, let’s look at yesterday’s results:
Ok, yeah, that maybe wasn’t a fair fight. But I wanted to find a stickshift Aveo, and that was the first viable one I came across. Between these two exact cars, I think you all are right; the Aspire is the clear winner. If both were in equal condition? Flip a coin.
Now: as you may have read, my dad passed away a few months ago. My brother and I were at his house two weekends ago, sorting through his possessions, clearing out all the personal items to make way for an estate sale company to come in. And he had a lot of stuff that we have to sell. (No cars for sale; he only had one car, and I have it now.) The whole experience has made me think about the concept of personal possessions, what happens to them when we’re gone, and how to make sure we get to do what we want to do with the time we have left. Heavy thoughts for a Tuesday morning, I know; it’s just where my head is at these days.
In that spirit, today’s choices are unfinished projects being sold by estates. Both were stored inside, at least; both are complete; both are cheap. Which one makes you want to pick up where the previous owner left off?
1974 Fiat 124 Spider – $1,800
Engine/drivetrain: 1.8 liter dual overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, RWD
Location: outside Escondido, CA
Odometer reading: unknown
Runs/drives? Um, no
The term “barn find” gets thrown around a lot these days, but this Fiat Spider, along with a dozen or more other cars in similar condition, appears to be the genuine article. According to the seller, none of these cars have seen the light of day in thirty years. Most of the desirable cars have been sold off, it looks like, leaving only this little red Fiat, a Nash Metropolitan, a Jag sedan, and most of a Sunbeam Alpine behind.
It’s in tough shape, as are the other cars. At least the seller hauled it out and washed the dust off so we can see what we’re dealing with. It has some rust, but I think Fiats of the ’70s came standard with that. The top fabric is long gone, and we don’t get a good look at the interior, but we can safely assume that’s trashed as well.
Under the hood is the legendary Fiat Lampredi twin-cam four, here in 1.8 liter form. Obviously its condition is impossible to assess from where we’re sitting, but if it isn’t seized, it can probably be brought back. This engine has a good ecosystem around it, so parts aren’t a problem.
I don’t know what led the original owner to stash these cars away, but I’m glad they’re getting a second chance at life. All of them will take patience and time, and some won’t make it, of course – lots of project cars don’t, and just end up moving from one resting place to another until they’re too far gone to save. But I hope someone does take this little Fiat in. It’s a Charlie Brown Christmas tree of a car, and all it takes is the right person to decide it’s not so bad after all.
[Editor’s Note: Anyone called dibs on that Squareback? – JT]
1962 Citroën 2CV – $2,000
Engine/drivetrain: 425 cc air-cooled flat-twin, four-speed manual, FWD
Location: Bellingham, WA
Odometer reading: unknown
Runs/drives? No, but they claim it ran a few years ago
If you were to distill the automobile down to its essence, that essence might very well take the form of a Citroën 2CV. This little wonder put France back on wheels after World War II, and stayed in production for 42 years. It’s a tough, simple, economical little car, powered by a basic two-cylinder air-cooled engine officially rated at two taxable horsepower (hence 2CV, “deux cheveaux”) driving the front wheels, riding on a simple but brilliant suspension that gives it stable handling and astonishing rough-road capabilities.
This 2CV won’t be crossing any freshly-plowed fields carrying eggs any time soon. Instead, it has been resting in a garage in Washington State, hanging out with what looks like a Fiat 850 coupe. The seller says their father started restoring this car years ago, but only got as far as disassembly. It’s allegedly all there, and even includes a spare engine – 425 cubic centimeters in 1962, putting out a blistering 18 horsepower.
This 2CV is largely rust-free, they say, but the driver’s door has some rust in the bottom. 2CV bodies were made of very thin steel, so it’s not hard for the skin to rust through. Replacement panels are available; the 2CV has a huge following all over the world, and so replacement parts are just a matter of shipping costs. Of course, the doors are just flat panels, so you probably don’t even need to go that far; your local sheetmetal supplier can probably hook you up.
Two grand might seem like a lot for a pile of parts in a garage, but restored 2CVs command a pretty penny, so doing it yourself is the way to get one on a budget. This car is on my must-drive bucket list: the roly-poly suspension and the weird umbrella-handle shifter are things I just have to experience someday.
I know some of you hate it when I do project cars. Tomorrow I’ll mix it up and choose two nice intact runners again. For now, just imagine you’re looking for a restoration project, and you’ve narrowed it down to these two. Will it be the Fiat, or the Citroën?
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
I think old unreliable roadsters like this fiat or some British roadsters from that era would be great candidates for electrification. I’d still take the 2cv though.
Could probably get more in scrap metal value for the spider, so I’ll go with that.
at this point both sellers would have to pay me to haul off that rubbish. Not titles, everything on both vehicles looking to be unsalvageable. More power to the poor sucker that tries to do something with either of these piles.
The Fiat is too far gone even if it was free.
I voted for the 2CV, but I’d much rather take that 850 Coupe next to it.
Build-Your-Own 2CV? SIGN ME UP.
It’s gotta be the 2CV. There are a ton of Spiders out there in various states of disrepair for reasonable prices, you can’t search craigslist or marketplace without finding them locally no matter where you are. The 2CV is a much cooler car (ok, yeah, I’m a nerd), and way harder to find in the US.
I don’t have the ability to fix either of these, so this is purely hypothetical. I would pick the 2CV. It is a very unique car. If you want to have the experience of driving a 2CV, you have to drive a 2CV.
I don’t see the Fiat as particularly special. You could have the same experience driving a ’70s MG or Alfa Spider. Or, you could just buy a Miata and have all the fun of the Fiat but in a car with modern performance and reliability.
I wonder if an LS swap is possible. that might be the only kind of fun thing to do with that French Pile of crap.
I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I’m going to say it anyway:
I can’t stand LS swaps and I’m tired of hearing about them. Not every car needs more power. NO MORE LS SWAPS!!!!
Too much weight at the wrong end. But a BMW motorcycle engine can fit.
You probably could, just not the way the 2CV sits. It’s really a shame when ridiculously overambitious people pointlessly attempt projects by just completely disassembling stuff and then giving up. Just get it running, putt it around and fix one thing at a time.
2CV is probably the easier job. Therefore, it gets my vote
Sometimes I like to pretend I’m Charles de Gaulle being preside himself, driving around Nice beside himself begging (thru text) Raoul Salan for the address of Ahmed Ben Bella. For that, serve me some escargot in a car that no go. Baguettes in my basket case. Dijon on the divorce papers. Vote Citroen or you’re wrong.
I feel the 2CV could be made to run easily. Leave the patina and just have fun with it.
I’ll take the 2CV. The simplicity should make it quite a bit easier to restore. Also, this would be a good candidate for a full-on custom like this roadster…
https://doyoulikevintage.postx2.com/post/153041877974/2cv
How hard do you think it would be to swap in a BMW 1800 twin?
Putting a BMW 850 twin in one is not easy but do-able. Staying alive while driving the resulting car takes a lot of concentration and skills that you never thought necessary to develop before the experiment.
I’d pick the Citroen, just because it’s weird, wasn’t built for speed(no expectations of having a hotrod or the cost that it entails), has excellent storage space for its size, and would make an excellent candidate for a budget EV conversion using inexpensive used golf cart, ebike, and forklift parts. I bet I could have that thing running with better performance than the original and at least 50 miles of range for about $2k, including enough resto-modding to get it legal. Not counting the value of my labor, of course. More than half the cost would be used LiFePO4 batteries, and I’d only need about 10-12 kWh to make it get that range.
I’d be looking at a 48-72V system, perhaps a 55 mph top speed, with 0-30 mph acceleration around 6-7 seconds. And it would cost next to nothing to run, and it would be mostly analogue.
Put about $300 of used solar panels on the roof and it would make a perfect around-town errand runner that rarely needs to be plugged in. It would get around 5-10 miles range a day from a 300W solar array depending upon weather conditions.
You went with the Fiat over the Nash?!? You know who has a Nash right? Better not let him find this out about this dis.
Voted 2CV, because reasons. But really, I’d happily take a swing at that blue pickup behind the Fiat. Might be a Chevy?
I’m pretty sure all that truck needs is a jump start
A 2CV (a far more modern one, and in far better state of repair) was one of the earlier cars I have driven in my life. It was a rental car, and I rented it in Petrovac in what was then Yugoslavia, of all places, back in 1987.
2CV for sure. Those Fiats are still common enough to where I’d constantly be asking myself why didn’t I just buy one in better shape as I’m slaving away to get it running again. The 2CV is unique and uncommon enough to where I feel like I could stay motivated long enough to get it running again.
Mark, I missed the previous article, so let me just say that I’m so sorry to hear about your dad’s passing. It’s always hard to lose a loved one. My heart goes out to you and your family during this difficult time.
Thank you.
How much do you wanna bet these two cars were acquired in pretty much exactly this condition, and will be moved along to their next owners similarly?
2CV, of course. I’ve driven a few, and loved every one. The Fiat, not so much.
The little Cits can’t do a lot of things, but what they can do is remarkable. They ride very well for such basic machines and, naturally, are easy to drive. Getting used to the shift pattern is not as difficult as one might think.
Once you’ve drafted 18-wheelers on L.A. freeways in a 2CV — thereby almost keeping up with traffic — and listened to the roar of those two mighty cylinders, nothing else will do.
Admittedly, both of these cars will need more work than any rational person would contemplate. But who needs “rational”?
Oh damn! I just tied it up with my vote. 34 to 34!
To commit some light plagiarim: the best classic cars are those that can never be rendered obsolete. The 2CV is a timeless icon. The Miata in my garage tells me that Fiat doesnt need resuscitation. Give me the snail-shaped egg-carrying French wunderkind.
I like the project car ones, gets my imagination going lmao.
All of those are still desirable too, damn it!
On a slight tangent, do my eyes deceive me, or does the top radiator hose on the Fiat go under the timing belt, between the cams?
Anyway, I voted 2CV purely based on its relative simplicity. While 2CVs can still rust, I imagine a 70s Fiat would be way worse.
Think I’m going to sit this one out. Both are not barn finds. They’re just abandoned junkers at this point
I picked the Fiat, looks more road worthy. And what is that other red vehicle next to the Citroen? I want to know more about that one.
That’s a Fiat 850 Sport coupe, and yeah, I’d actually rather have that one than either of these. It doesn’t appear to be for sale, though.