Nissan Skyline 25GT Turbo, Marcos 1500 GT, Honda S2000: Mercedes’ Marketplace Madness

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 finally leaves behind homologation specials but features an obscure motorcycle from Sears, a Jeep that says it isn’t a Jeep, a tanker truck, a car with a plywood chassis, and some desirable imports.

Here’s what I’m looking at this week!

1946 Chevrolet AK Series Tanker – $46,500

I think we should start this one out from left field. I’m not sure what practical use you’d have with a vehicle like this. Then again, I own a bus and don’t use it for hauling people or camping. Maybe, when you were a kid you played with toy trucks like these. Well, it’s never too late to be a big kid and play with the real-life version of your toys!

This 1946 Chevrolet Tanker is said to have been restored and the tank has three partitions, however, the tanker is not currently suitable for fuel transport. Maybe you can turn it into a booze tanker or just enjoy it as it is. I love the gorgeous Sinclair livery.

This tanker comes from the Chevrolet AK series of trucks. Produced from 1941 to 1947, the AK series represented a departure in GM truck design. Before the AK series, Chevrolet’s cars and trucks looked alike. Now, the trucks got their own art deco-style. Riding on GM’s A platform, this Chevrolet AK series sports a 216 cubic inch straight six, and a manufacturing plate affixed to the truck says that it should be making around 83 HP net. The truck also has a manual transmission, dual rear wheels, and a heater.

It’s $46,500 by Frank’s Car Barn in Houston, Texas with 2,860 miles currently on the odometer. Total mileage is unknown.

1964 Buick Skylark Convertible – $29,900

The first Buick Roadmaster Skylark was introduced in 1953 in celebration of 50 years of Buick. At the time, the Roadmaster Skylark was a top-of-the-line convertible joined by GM stablemates Oldsmobile 98 Fiesta and the Cadillac Series 62 Eldorado. Penske Automotive Group notes that out of the trio, the Skylark was the most successful, selling 1,690 units at a price of a little over $5,000 each.

The name made a return in the 1961 model year as the Buick Special Skylark. This was based on the Buick Special and rode on the Y-body platform alongside the Pontiac Tempest and Oldsmobile F-85. In 1962, the Skylark finally became its own model. This 1964 Skylark convertible comes from the vehicle’s first generation. These rode on the GM A-body platform and were available in two- and four-door hardtops, coupes, sedans, and convertibles.

This Skylark is finished in Marlin Blue Poly and is said to come with a 300 cubic inch V8. The carburetor setup isn’t stated, but if it’s a 2-barrel then it should be making 210 HP and it would be making 250 HP with a 4-barrel. Both of those are gross HP numbers. It’s $29,900 by GR Auto Gallery in Grand Rapids, Michigan with 29,408 miles.

2004 Honda S2000 – $10,587

The Honda S2000 is famed among Gridlife racers, tuners, JDM enthusiasts, and fans of the Fast and the Furious. It’s a high-revving roadster from a time when enthusiasts had a lot of choices for top-down speed. Here’s what Honda has to say about the S2000, starting with its concept:

The S2000 is the result of extensive, long-term development and is based on the SSM (Sports Study Model), one of the most talked-about display cars at the 1995 Tokyo Motor Show. Powered by a Low Emission Vehicle (LEV) engine, the S2000 delivers both outstanding performance and low emissions, a combination which makes this two-seater 2.0 liter DOHC VTEC with an output of over 240 PS, an environment-friendly convertible sports car and a true next-generation automobile.

A part of Honda’s design brief included making an open-top body that was as stiff as a hardtop, from Honda:

To develop this new-generation open car body structure, Honda rejected conventional approaches and implemented a new “high X-bone frame” in which the central floor tunnel serves as the backbone of a structure connecting to both front and rear side members on a single horizontal plane to form an X-shaped structure. The completely straightened side member, center floor tunnel, side sills, and central floor frame are all connected together, creating a light open car body structure with the rigidity and collision safety of a closed one.

The S2000 first hit the road in April 1999 and they were a technological marvel. Under the hood sat a 2.0-liter four. In the first AP1 S2000s, this little engine kicked 240 HP back to the rear wheels at 8,300 RPM before racing on to a 9,000 RPM redline. For those of you counting that’s 120 horsepower per liter and this car didn’t benefit from the forced induction that today’s cars have. Even better, the S2000 weighed just 2,800 pounds.

This S2000 is an AP2. That means a 2.2-liter four, still making 240 HP but 162 lb-ft torque, 9 more than an AP1. Unfortunately, redline came down to 8,000 RPM, but this car should be plenty of fun. It’s $10,587 from the seller in Bellingham, Washington. If you’re curious about the low price, it’s because of the high 205,000 miles. This car has been places!

1996 Mitsubishi Jeep J3 – $12,500

The title above is not a mistake. Mitsubishi did make Jeeps and they appear to be a great way to get a vintage Jeep that’s just a little different. I’ll let Mitsubishi explain:

As reconstruction efforts after the end of the World War II got into full swing, the multi-purpose Jeep became a very attractive vehicle. However, because of the Japanese government’s domestic industry protection policy, finished vehicles could not be imported in large numbers. In 1952, Shin Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. therefore contracted with the Jeep’s manufacturer the American company Willys Overland Motors to import the Jeep CJ3A in CKD (complete knocked down) form. The following year in 1953 the company completed the first knock-down Jeep, the J1, and 54 units were delivered to the Forestry Agency. In July of the same year, MHI entered technology assistance and sales agreements with Willys, Mitsubishi began domestic production of the Jeep. This happened to coincide with Willys switching production from the CJ3A to the CJ3B design and the CJ3B-J3 took its cues from the CJ3B model.

Mitsubishi built and sold licensed Jeeps from 1953 all of the way through the 1998 model year. Kaiser Jeep ended production of the CJ-3B in 1968, but thanks to Japan, you can get newer ones. Power comes from a 2.7-liter four-cylinder diesel engine making 100 HP and 163 lb-ft torque. This engine makes the Mitsubishi slightly more powerful than an equivalent Jeep CJ-3B, which made 72 HP and 114 lb-ft torque from a four-cylinder 134.2 cubic inch (2.2-liter) F-Head Hurricane four.

This one can be had for $12,500 from Catskill Auto LLC in Walton, New York with 61,000 miles.

1968 Sears Allstate Puch SR175 – $2,800

Here’s a little motorcycle that is sort of rare to find in this condition. As the Sears Archives writes, the Allstate brand name was launched in 1925 after Sears held a contest to brand its new line of tires. 937,886 people submitted a total of 2,253,746 names and the winner was Hans Simonson, who won $5,000 ($86,947.98 today) for the name Allstate. The tires, which were guaranteed to last 12,000 miles, were huge sellers at Sears, Roebuck and Co.

Sears would later use the Allstate name in 1931 for the insurance company of the same name. In the 1950s and 1960s, Sears applied the Allstate name to a wide variety of products from fire extinguishers and camper shells to radios and garage door openers. Sears even partnered up with Kaiser-Frazer to build a car. To tackle the motorcycle market, Sears got its scooters from Cushman and Piaggio while bigger machines came from Puch of Austria. Sears advertised its motorcycles as coming in power ranges of 5 to 10 HP.

The Sears Allstate Puch SR175 (known internally as the 810.94211) is sometimes called the “Twingle” due to its engine design. It’s a two-cylinder two-stroke where the two cylinders share a common combustion chamber. Sears marketed the Twingle as earning 55 mpg and being able to cruise at 60 mph all day. The company said “So if you live in the city, but you’re a country boy at heart, then this cycle’s for you.” New, it cost $435, or $3,837 in today’s money.

This one is said to be in exceptional shape and you can get it for $2,800 from the seller in Longwood, Florida.

1967 Marcos 1500 GT – $50,000

Here’s a car that’s not just famed for its beauty, but for the fact that it rides on a plywood chassis. As Silodrome notes, British engineer Frank Costin had a lot of interests throughout his life. He was a swimmer in his younger years and a composer later in life. However, for car and aviation enthusiasts he’s known for doing things with wood that seem like the impossible.

One notable project that Costin worked on was the de Havilland Mosquito, a multi-role combat aircraft built with heavy use of a sandwich of plywood and balsa. The Mosquito featured woods from all over the world. Balsa was the middle of the sandwich and came from Ecuador. The outer and inner layers were 3-ply birch sourced from the UK, the U.S. Midwest, and Canada. European ash from the UK was used in structural members while Douglas Fir from America’s Pacific Northwest and British Columbia made up the plane’s stringers. Sitka spruce, which was found from the coastlines of California to Alaska, was used in the Mosquito’s multi-layer laminated wing spar.

When completed the Mosquito was a bit of a hot rod. Powered by Merlin V12s, these were able to outrun Supermarine Spitfires. How? Well, think of the Mosquito’s wood construction like today’s composites.

After World War II, Costin was brought into the automotive scene by his brother, Mike Costin. Mike worked at Lotus and contracted Frank to design the Lotus Mark VIII’s body. Frank would later team up with Jem Marsh and in 1959, they opened Marcos Engineering Ltd. The company name was a combination of their last names.

In 1964, the Marcos GT hit the road. One notable trait of the GT is its chassis, which consists of 386 parts of plywood that were cut, shaped, and bonded together. Riding on top of the chassis is a fiberglass body. A variety of engines could be found in a Marcos GT from a 1.5-liter Ford Kent four-cylinder to the 1778cc Volvo B18 four. The largest engine found in one of these would be a 3.0-liter Ford Essex V6 and in 1969, Marcos transitioned away from the use of wood chassis to a cheaper steel chassis.

This Marcos GT is said to have a 1.5-liter Ford Kent bolted to a manual transmission. That engine should be making 85 HP. The car is said to be restored and can be had for $50,000 from the seller in Los Gatos, California.

1998 Nissan Skyline 25GT Turbo – $55,900

Thanks to the passage of time, the Nissan Skyline R34 is finally becoming legal to import into America without restrictions.

(Update: As a reader reminded us, these began production in May 1998 and Customs should check production month, so technically it’s here too soon. Be sure to check the paperwork.)

A number of these legendary cars are trickling into the country and here’s a chance to own one that’s not the most coveted Skyline, but still a good one. Here’s what Nissan has to say about the tenth-generation Skyline:

Since its debut in April 1957, the Skyline has continually evolved over the past 41 years as a Grand Touring car that has consistently delivered superlative driving performance. The new Skyline, the 10th generation in this legendary series, has been developed around the concept of “an authentic sports sedan and coupe that abound with a sensation of stellar performance derived from thorough pursuit of driving pleasure.” The basic design philosophy was to provide “the best driving pleasure” based on faithful execution of the driver*s intentions. In addition to impeccable handling, stability and driving performance resulting from uncompromising pursuit of a car*s intrinsic functions for going, cornering and stopping, qualities befitting the Skyline have been achieved in every aspect, including its bold styling and superb interior comfort. Moreover, it also strikes a balance with societal demands for enhanced environmental friendliness and safety.

This R34 Skyline is a 25GT Turbo, also known as the GT-T. Power comes from a 2.5-liter RB25DET NEO straight six rated at 276 HP and 253 lb-ft torque. That power reaches the rear wheels through a manual transmission. The R34 gained fame in part because of the Fast and the Furious, so it’s common to see these loaded down with mods. So far as I can tell, this one is stock, so you get to drive it as Nissan engineered it.

This 1998 Nissan Skyline 25GT Turbo is $55,900 from Icon Motors in Janesville, Wisconsin. Make no mistake, with that price, this one is probably more eye candy than something to buy. It also comes with the equivalent of 141,427 miles on its odometer.

1982 Ducati 900 MHR – $29,995

Here’s a motorcycle that takes inspiration from a famed racer. As Bonhams writes, motorcycle racer Mike Hailwood had retired from mainstream motorcycle racing for 7 years and away from the infamous Isle of Man TT for 11 years. Then, in 1978, Hailwood made an incredible comeback when he took a Ducati 900SS to a victory at the Isle of Man TT in 1978. Silodrome gives some context about why Hailwood was a big deal:

He was a nine-time world champion, with 76 Grand Prix victories, 14 Isle of Man TT victories, and four back-to-back 500cc world championship wins.

Hailwood’s win sent riders to Ducati dealerships and the brand capitalized on the win by releasing Mike Hailwood Replica (MHR) motorcycles beginning in 1979. MHRs like this one for sale today are based on the Ducati 900SS and feature cosmetics that call to the racing machine. It comes with a racing replica fuel tank, racing-style seat, and full fairing. Power comes from a “square-case” 90-degree L-twin making 80 HP.

This 1982 example was imported from Japan to the UK in 2019 where it remains today. The seller says that it has about 21,000 miles and it’s kick-start only. It’s $29,995 from We Sell Classic Bikes in Cheltenham, UK.

2007 BMW Z4 M – $15,950

Launched in 2002, the E85 BMW Z4 was the replacement for the hit BMW Z3. This new car was larger, stiffer, and came wrapped in a striking design. Of course, this was the era ruled by Chris Bangle and his love of big car butts. This design, like others from the Bangle era, is a bit controversial. I love it.

At the tippy top of the line is the BMW Z4 M, which sports a 3.2-liter S54 six making 330 HP and 262 lb-ft torque. This roadster will boogie to 60 mph in just under 5 seconds and yep, you get to row your own with a manual transmission.

This Z4 M appears to be in good shape and comes with a CarFax report indicating no crashes and a clean title. It’s $15,950 from All In Auto Group in Norco, California with 143,681 miles.

That’s it for this week, thank you for reading!

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