In a recent conversation with some fellow oppos, a picture of a Drift Mitsuoka came up. This got me thinking about the Neoclassics of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Cars from people such as Excalibur, Zimmer (pictured at the top of this post), and the revived Stutz. These were basically Proto-Mitsuokas, making gatsby styled cars out of contemporary Corvettes, Fieros, Mustangs, and Town Cars. They were also luxurious, with wood and leather interiors afeaturing car phones, TVs, and sconces. Looking into them I found, unfortunately, that their prices are quite high ($20k-$70k, depending on year and make, the bulk of them in the $25k-$30k range). This, of course makes these cars incredibly stupid, gaudy, and overpriced, just like they were when new. This is disappointing, because imagine if they are in the $3k-$10k. Suddenly, these garage queens for people with no taste become the ultimate hot rod candidates. Imagine rolling up to Radwood in an ‘87 Golden Spirit, car phone and all. Imagine swapping a built 3800SC or Northstar into a Fiero based Zimmer Quicksilver. Picture, for a minute, swapping a 427 into a C3 Vette-based Excalibur Series II. You’d end up with the pimpmobile answer to a Shelby Cobra.

Luckily, the boomers are dying off. I don’t see anyone other than them and myself wanting these cars, so hopefully their prices will drop. Until then, I guess we’ll just have to dream.