Lotus Carlton, Mercedes-Benz Unimog 404.1, Honda GB500 Tourist Trophy: Mercedes’ Marketplace Madness

Mmm Collage 2
ADVERTISEMENT

Welcome back to Mercedes’ Marketplace Madness! As you know, I love picking up dirt-cheap cars and motorcycles and then telling you lovely readers about the dumb things that I do with them. Since I’m shopping all of the time, I always have an evolving list of vehicles for sale. Here’s what I’ve been obsessed with lately.

This week features a couple of dream cars, but also some rare cars that some enthusiasts could actually buy. There’s even a kei-sized Japanese imported van that you could take on the highway without getting flattened by someone in a mid-size sedan.

Here’s what I’m looking at this week!

2000 Honda Insight K20Z1 Swap – $8,300

335454124 175765725240613 1571181337278166653 N
Facebook Seller

In December 1999, Honda released the Insight, a hybrid rated at 49 mpg in city and a whopping 61 mpg on the highway. The first-generation Honda Insight held the EPA crown of “Most Efficient EPA-Certified Vehicle – Gasoline” from 2000 to 2015. It took the 2016 Toyota Prius Eco to unseat it, and it only did so with an EPA combined rating of 56 mpg vs. the Insight’s 53 combined mpg. But the Insight still bested the Prius on the highway by 8 mpg. Even today, it still beats the newest Prius at the fuel economy game.

The Insight features a lightweight aluminum structure, a compact size, and slippy aerodynamics. This is a car that weighed roughly the same as a Smart Fortwo despite the vehicle’s hybrid equipment. Of course, the original Insight focused so hard on fuel economy that it wasn’t super practical.

Those same engineering triumphs that make the Insight a great economy car also makes it an interesting choice for an engine swap. Enthusiasts seem to love dropping K engines in these things. That’s what you’re looking at here. The seller says that this car has a 2.0-liter K20Z1 four and a six-speed manual borrowed from a 2005 Acura RSX. The body has 279,000 miles while the drivetrain has 124,000 miles. It’s tuned and is said to be making 220 HP at the wheels, moving a vehicle that weighs about 2,000 pounds. That sounds like some good fun!

If you’re interested, it’s $8,300 (USD) from the seller in Orillia, Ontario, Canada. Listing courtesy of K Swap Everything.

1979 BMW 320i – $14,320

97649204
Hemmings Seller

Thanks to Thomas and my recent BMW purchases, I’ve been falling in love with what was once marketed as the Ultimate Driving Machine. My BMW love spans into the classics, and check this beauty out.

Launched in 1975, the E21 3 Series had big shoes to fill. It replaced the BMW 02, which produced greats like the fabled 2002. This new car was tasked with retaining the sporty driving characteristics of the 02 while improving on comfort, safety, space, and style. The E21 features a restrained, yet gorgeous design that features a prominent kidney grille and Hofmeister kink. BMW even contoured the hood into what it calls the “power dome.” Accompanying these upgrades was an array of engines, including what BMW calls the first six-cylinder engines in its class.

This doesn’t have a six, but it does have a 2.0-liter M10 four fed by fuel injection and making 123 HP. The seller say that it has 161,520 miles, but it presents in rather good shape. It’s painted in Biscay Blue with a matching period interior with an uncracked dashboard. The engine and manual transmission were reportedly rebuilt 10,000 miles ago. It’s $14,320 from the seller in Seattle, Washington.

1974 Mercedes-Benz Unimog 404.1 – $13,500

334618436 6684390041588148 8277764101473214634 N
Facebook Seller

The Mercedes-Benz Unimog has been conquering the off-road world since 1948. These trucks have portal axles, crawler gears, and are known for having a silly number of levers. You’ll find Unimogs serving as farm equipment, emergency equipment, and in military service. Its name actually means something: It’s an acronym for Universal-Motor-Gerät or Universal Motorized Machine. Fitting.

From Mercedes-Benz:

Albert Friedrich is one of the Unimog vehicle’s founding fathers. Immediately after World War II the former head of Daimler-Benz aircraft engine production recognised the enormous need that small and mid-sized companies working in Germany’s agricultural sector had for tractors. In addition to off-road capabilities, there was great demand for a vehicle that was simple to convert for a range of very different tasks.

From 1946 a dedicated team headed by the engineers Albert Friedrich, Heinrich Rößler and Hans Zabel developed and tested the first prototypes for such a commercial vehicle on the premises of Erhard & Söhne.

By the end of the development phase the team had created a vehicle with all-wheel drive, differential locks and portal axles which met all the demands regarding transport volume and tractive force but was still capable of driving 50 km/h.

Power in this Unimog comes from a 2.2 liter M180 straight-six gasoline engine making 80 HP. The seller says that everything works, save for a broken switch and the temperature gauge. Its headlights are also disconnected as the seller has not been able to find replacement bulbs. So, it’s not perfect, but it appears to be in decent physical shape.

It’s $13,500 by the seller in Barstow, California with 29,322 miles.

2011 Volvo C30 R-Design – $9,500

330985837 1222532145017465 2977205359267779012 N
Facebook Seller

Here’s a modern Volvo that calls back to the 1800 ES, one of the marque’s most memorable classic designs. The Volvo C30 started life as the Volvo Safety Concept Car, which launched in the 2001 at the Detroit Motor Show. It would take Volvo until 2006 to put the car into production.

Aside from a design that calls back to the past (and an official photoshoot of a designer and his beloved taillight) this car was meant to further push Volvo’s safety forward. The C30 features a forward collision warning, a blind spot monitoring system, a lane departure warning system, and a driver alert system. These are regular car features today, but remember, we’re talking about 2006, here.

This one is an R-Design, which nets you a body kit, R-Design logos, matte silver mirror caps, and 18-inch wheels. R-Design models also have stiffer springs, quicker steering, and tuned dampers. Power comes from a turbocharged 2.5-liter inline five making 227 HP and 236 lb-ft torque. That outputs to the front wheels from a manual transmission. It’s $9,500 from the seller in Tucson, Arizona with 97,000 miles.

1990 Honda GB500 Tourist Trophy – $16,500

94815048 0 0 1
Hemmings Seller

What you’re looking at here is a Japanese tribute to British single-cylinder racing motorcycles of the 1950s and the 1960s from marques like BSA, AJS, and Velocette. The Honda GB500 Tourist Trophy, which references the notorious Isle of Man TT was built to look like an old-school racer, but with Honda quality. Honda first tried out the concept in Japan in 1985 with a 400cc model and a 500cc unit. These motorcycles landed in America starting in 1989.

Power comes from an XL600 dirt bike-derived 498cc single making 33 HP and Honda committed to the theme, giving the motorcycle wire-spoke wheels, a steel tube frame, and steel side covers. Other parts included chrome-plated fiberglass and plastic. While the motorcycle was reportedly exhilarating to ride, it was never a strong seller. Hagerty notes that the list price was $4,195, or $300 more than a Harley-Davidson 883 Sportster. Thus, there are just somewhere around 3,500 GB500 Tourist Trophy motorcycles in America. Honda had so much trouble selling these that 1,000 unsold examples were shipped to Germany to be sold there.

This one appears to be in great shape and the chrome is said to be in “showroom” condition. It’s $16,500 from the seller in Broomfield, Colorado with 2,210 miles.

1996 Alfa Romeo Spider – $13,900

97919507
Hemmings Seller

The Alfa Romeo Spider 916 is a 1990s interpretation of the classic Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider. Originally penned by Pininfarina’s Enrico Fumia and launched in 1995, the Type 916 Spider (and GTV coupe variant) has long polarized enthusiasts. I’m a fan of this funky design.

Unlike previous iterations of Alfa Romeo’s famous Spider, this newer Spider is front-wheel-drive. According to the seller, this one has gotten a new timing belt and water pump just 800 miles ago. Under the hood is a 2.0-liter Twin Spark four making 150 HP. It’s not as pretty or as powerful as the later V6 that was offered for these cars, but it does transmit the power via a manual transmission. You can find it for $13,900 from a seller in Mission Viejo, California with 73,200 miles.

1991 Lotus Carlton – $109,708

Epql8167
Auto Union

Here’s a car that became a legend for its Ferrari-slaying performance at a more affordable price. It’s also famous for being able to leave police cars in its dust. I’ll let Lotus describe the Carlton:

To suggest that the 174mph Lotus Carlton was controversial at the time of its launch would be something of an understatement. A 3.6-litre twin-turbocharged intercooled four-seater executive saloon, it was a unique motoring proposition back in 1990. Priced at a relatively affordable £48,000, it was a Ferrari Testarossa-beating machine for the masses. It sounds incredible now, but questions were raised about the car in the UK Houses of Parliament and the Daily Mail newspaper started a campaign to have it banned.

Taking the standard Vauxhall Carlton/Opel Omega off the production line at Russelsheim, Germany (West Germany until October 1990) and bringing it to Hethel, Lotus Engineering increased capacity of the 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine to 3.6-litres. A pair of Garrett T25 turbochargers were added, developing 568Nm of torque at 4,200rpm. The front suspension and rear multi-link set-up were re-engineered to meet Lotus’ renowned ride and handling standards. The tyres were changed to Goodyear Eagles, the same as on the Esprit Turbo SE, and braking capability was significantly increased.

And the result? Arguably the most famous ‘Q car’ of all time. Given the Lotus Type number 104, the Lotus Carlton – or Lotus Omega in Europe – could sprint from 0-60mph in 5.0 seconds and 0-100mph in 11.1 seconds. Top speed was officially 174mph, though it was widely known to be capable of 180+. In 1992 Autocar magazine in their famous 0-100-0 challenge recorded a time of 17.0 seconds, placing the Lotus Carlton second behind the considerably more expensive Ferrari F40.

Jason Cammisa has an excellent video about this incredible vehicle and how it was an upheaval in England. The police, the government, and even Autocar Magazine’s editor-in-chief complained about how fast the Carlton was. As Cammisa explains in his video, nobody seemed to blink an eye about a fast Ferrari, but a fast and cheaper Lotus Carlton? That’s dangerous!

Carlton Play

In its own retrospective, Lotus itself mentions the government’s displeasure with the Carlton’s speed. This car is fast enough that it could outrun a police car today here in America. A 3.6-liter twin-turbo straight-six punches out 377 HP through a manual transmission. This 1991 Carlton has 73,049 miles on its odometer and can be had for $109,708 from dealership Auto Union in the UK.

1970 Jaguar 420G – $20,860

280183621 5420075501389707 9011467786065864784 N
Facebook Seller

According to Classic Motoring magazine, the Jaguar MkX (which would later be renamed the 420G) was aimed for the American market. It features some parts borrowed over E-Type technology like its XK engines. The MkX was also a departure from its predecessor MkIX with its unitized construction rather than the latter’s body-on-frame build. It also comes with four-wheel disc brakes and an independent suspension, both big deals in their day.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the sales success that Jaguar expected, from Classic Motoring:

The Jag’s sheer size, style and stance was dictated by the all important American market it was squarely aimed at, although poor sales both sides of the pond saw the fat cat ‘killed’ off by 1970, although the basics of the MkX lived on in the Daimler DS420 right up to 1992 and this certainly helps in terms of spares and repairs.

This is a little bit of a rare beast with 25,211 having been produced. Power comes from a 4.2-liter XK inline six making 265 HP. Features include leather, wood trim, a padded dashboard, and more. The seller states that the engine has been overhauled and the interior restored, but the restorer used old leather from a sofa so the car retained some patina while looking fresh. I like that. It’s $20,860 from a seller in the Netherlands.

1997 Subaru Domingo GV – $12,900

334669688 715506040312035 938720761595190631 N
Facebook Seller.

Do you love the form factor of a kei car, but wished that they had just a little more bite? This Subaru Domingo might be just the ticket. The Subaru Sumo, also known as the Libero, Combi, Estratto, Subaru E10, Subaru E12, and Domingo, depending on market and generation.

As our friends at Japan Car Direct explain, this van sits in a bit of a weird place. Normally, vehicles of this size are in Japan’s famous Kei class, which limits factors like engine size and vehicle footprint. In exchange, the owner of a kei vehicle gets tax advantages. As Japan Car Direct notes, the Domingo falls into the Regular class, making it free from Kei regulations. This van uses the same body as the Subaru Sambar Dias van, but with two notable differences. The first is its obvious bumper extensions to aid the van’s safety. And second is its rear-mounted engine, which was available as a 1.0-liter three or a 1.2-liter three.

Other non-Kei class goodies come in the form of seating for seven and a cruising speed of 85 mph. This particular Domingo is making about 60 HP from its 1.2-liter three. In other words, it’s a Kei form factor, but with just enough power for some highway travel. Check out this excellent review from Zack Pradel of Shooting Cars:

Subaru Domingo Thumb

This vehicle, whose listing comes to us courtesy of Shooting Cars, costs $12,900 from the seller in St. Augustine, Florida with 99,000 miles on the clock. Would you buy it?

 

Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member.

Relatedbar

About the Author

View All My Posts

35 thoughts on “Lotus Carlton, Mercedes-Benz Unimog 404.1, Honda GB500 Tourist Trophy: Mercedes’ Marketplace Madness

  1. That Volvo C30 was at a Cars and Coffee event a couple of weeks ago. Seller trying to get interest in it there. It does appear to be in very good shape, though I don’t know the C30 market well enough to say if it’s a good value at the price.

  2. I worked with someone who was out with his father and got their Unimog stuck in the mud! What to do, what to do. They went home to get a different vehicle and pulled the Unimog out with their half-track.

  3. Wow: there’s like seven vehicles here I’d like to have-and several I have coveted at times. The C30 has my attention as I’ve been dreaming of an 1800es for some time.

    Nice crop, Mercedes!

  4. Man, that BMW e21 is clearly the best car here! And at $14k, what a steal!
    -nervously looks around to see if anyone is glaring at me….-
    I better get in touch with that guy quick before someone else snatches up that beauty!
    -eyes shifting-
    I mean, I already have a wonderful e21 from 1980, pretty much the same car and its wonderful! But these are just going to shoot up in value!
    -realizes people are ignoring me-
    Ok, fine. Go buy the stupid Insight swap, that is pretty cool…

  5. Man, that BMW e21 is clearly the best car here! And at $14k, what a steal!

    I better get in touch with that guy quick before someone else snatches up that beauty!

    I mean, I already have a wonderful e21 from 1980, pretty much the same car and its wonderful! But these are just going to shoot up in value!

    Ok, fine. Go buy the stupid Insight swap, that is pretty cool…

    1. My oldest brother owned a 1980 320i in safaribeige for most of the 80s until the latter half of the 90s. I used to help him with maintenance like bleeding the brakes, and finally got to drive it after I got my license. Probably one of the reasons I got into cars. I’ve always held a soft spot for them as a result.

  6. I’m actually looking at a “new” car so the C30 created a spark… Followed the ad and literally shivered when I saw the dong shifter, then I saw the boost gauge and just closed the ad when I saw the CIA… too bad.

    1. That afterthought boost gauge did it for me as well. It’s still a drool-worthy unicorn, but I’d need a history on any engine mods and tuning before writing a check.

  7. I bought a new Honda Insight in 2000. I believe the EPA mileage rating when I bought it was 61mpg city / 70mpg highway (significantly different from stated in the article). I owned it for 16 years, putting 160k all year around Chicagoland miles on it, and its lifetime mpg was 69.5.

  8. Re: the Insight….
    “Even today, it still beats the newest Prius at the fuel economy game.”
    Yeah, because the new Prius betrays the spirit of the Prius by going for speed and marketability over what it used to be.
    At least the Mustang Mach-E is still a fast car, to tie it in some small way to its “predecessor”. But I still have mixed feelings with the new Prius. Not just the unnecessary speed probably compromising what fuel economy could have been, but also–less cargo space? The versatility was the point. This could have been a different nameplate vehicle altogether.

    (Also, “Prius” is still a godawful name for a car.)

  9. Bikes I wish I had bought back in the day: VT500 Ascot, GB500TT, HawkGT

    I owned an FT500 Ascot that I wish I had never let go. all it needed to be perfect were new spark plug wires….

  10. Alright so the Alfa Spiders of this era genuinely appeal to me as a sort of affordable exotic. There aren’t too many rides left out there these days that scratch this specific itch of wanting something super unique and sporty but also attainable for the average Joe. 5-10 years ago there were more options, but in this era all of those cars are $40,000+ propositions at this point, which for me and I’d assume a lot of others is just too much to spend on a pure weekend car.

    Could the wife and I drop that much on daily? Absolutely, but for a pure fun car it doesn’t make much sense. Anyway, I pray at the altar of the Miata and of course it’s a perfect answer for this conundrum. But if you want to spend 10-20k or so in cash on something small, light, and manual to throw around on a Sunday afternoon, what’s left that fits that bill and isn’t something everyone else has? Corvettes, Miatas, assorted pony cars, older Boxsters, etc. are absolutely everywhere.

    I do see these pop up from time to time though and they pique my interest. I definitely worry that the front wheel drive layout will kill most of the thrills, much like I do when it comes to the Lotus Elan. Plus these are going to be more of a headache to keep running. But I agree with Mercedes-I think they look really cool and they’ll turn heads/get some love at Cars and Coffee.

    What other roadster is going to do that for 20 grand or less? I’m not saying this rhetorically either-I’d genuinely like to hear some answers because this is a move I’ll probably be making in the next couple of years.

    1. I thought so as well until I saw that it has the gas engine. I don’t know current market, but 20 years ago, Unimog pretty much meant diesel on the Mercedes Shopforum: the gas ones were mostly regarded with some disdain. (Not dumping on anyone, as there was a small but vocal minority that loved their gas ones. I already knew the diesel engine a bit, so wasn’t interested in the gassers)

  11. I’m all about that Honda GB500, but the seller has to be on crack. That price is WAY out of line. I’ve ridden one, and used to own a Yamaha SRX6, which was the same style of bike, but kicked the Honda’s ass in the performance department. There is no way I’d pay more than 10K for a GB500 of any description. Nice machine, but OMG…

    1. There’s two of us! I has a Yamaha SRX6 with Wiseco 660 piston, mikuni carb swap, tweaked cams and some flowing and although it was an evil bitch on the kick starter it was a hoot to ride! The GB is sanitised and while it looks good, bland to ride. It’s low miles but that’s serious crack pipe pricing. $16.5k buys a lot of bike other than that. It’s not a hero model, not been owned by someone famous and has a very small niche of fans.

  12. That K-Swapped Insight is a thing of beauty. I bet it does 0-60 mph in under 5 seconds, and still returns 40+ mpg city and 55+ mpg highway.

    Honda should have made the Insight RWD car from the start, without the hybrid drivetrain, and a K-series engine in its place. Keep a similar price point, and it could have gone after Boxsters, Corvettes, Z3s, TTs, MR2 Spyders, and their ilk for sales, having similar or faster performance, half the cost, AND while still being a halo car for fuel economy. They could have marketed it as the next CRX.

    Then they could have made an EV off of it soon after to be their “green” car, when NiMH batteries were available(at least before the Chevron obtaining the patent debacle became a thing) and AC Propulsion was trying to get an OEM to consider large volume orders of their AC drive systems.

    A truly lovely platform, as it actually is, yet still could have been improved upon massively. Even today decades later, it is one of the best platforms to build a sports car from, IMO. They don’t come lighter or more aero than this.

  13. Love the take on that Vauxhall, whereby a wicked-fast Ferrari is “freedom” but a wicked-fast middle-market car is “dangerous”. Kind of reminds me of Henry Potter’s “thrifty working class”.

    1. The video is great but slightly missed that the uproar was caused in the main by the advertising of the car. Ferrari were not taking out full page ads in national newspapers shouting about the top speed of their cars like Vauxhall were with the Carlton. To this day cars companies in the UK are not allowed to use speed or implication that the car is exciting to drive in the advertising of any car, largely because of the Carlton ads.

  14. Even with that relatively powerful engine, I bet that K-swapped Insight can still get close to 40mpg. Maybe better?

    Where’s Toecutter? I bet he can speculate better than I can.

    1. My custom microcar has a longer wheelbase than that thing! Holy crap would that higher center of gravity in that Domingo make it especially unstable at speed!

    2. My Suzuki Every (top speed 67 mph) already feels like it would roll over at the first sign of a sharp curve and any real speed. I bet driving that Subaru at 85 would be terrifying and I want to experience it. lol

Leave a Reply