This is no April Fools
This is Collector Car TL;DR: a weekly recap of what happened on Collector Car Feed, plus car auctions, listings, automotive news, and other things of interest to the average CCF Enjoyer, and you can get it weekly by giving me your email address.
The Videos
Keeping the “punching down” spirit alive, we looked at Altimas for three videos in a row last week.
The Crime Adjacent Nissan Altimas of Facebook MarketplaceWe start off searching for the peak Altima of the hood missile era: the Altima SE-R. Available with a six speed manual mated to the VQ35DE, it’s “basically a 350Z” according to numerous Facebook Marketplace sellers.
Hunting America’s Most Dangerous Car on Facebook MarketplaceThe Altima hunt widens as we take a look at some 90s Altimas for a change of pace, along with an absolute timebomb and a destroyed demolition derby example.
Nissan Altima Survival Tactics
This one starts out with a no title “if you know you know” Altima but quickly devolves into a classic game of spelling words with letters from old Del Taco signage. Watch this one if you’re only doing one: it’s my highest effort of the week.
The News
CARS AND BIDS DROPS DOUG’S TAKE
No link on this; I just noticed while putting this post together. Go to any auction on Cars & Bids and notice “Doug’s Take” has vanished.
“Doug’s Take” was allegedly Doug DeMuro’s personal opinion on literally every car listed for sale on Cars & Bids and was a staple of the site’s format until around April 1st, but its removal doesn’t appear to be a joke.
Was Doug tired of doing it? Were they all ghost written by C&B staffers? I checked the Cars & Bids newsletters and there’s no mention of this change. This is a developing story. Check back next week.
Formula Drift signs exclusive broadcast deal with Racer Network
If you want to watch Formula D this year, you won’t be watching on YouTube. Does this signal a complete collapse in stateside interest in drifting as a sport?
Get Caught Speeding In Illinois? You Soon Might Have To Install A Speed Limiter
If you get caught excessively speeding multiple times in a single year, Illinois may install a device on your car that limits you to within ten miles of the speed limit. Jalopnik (who?) cheers on this authoritarian cash grab.
Slate Auto Wants to Be Known for Crank Windows
“When was the last time you cranked your own window?” In an impressive attempt at spin, the budget EV startup is attempting to pitch manual windows as a virtue. Notably, this company also plans to make radios an add-on. And that’s notable at the moment because…
Dodge CEO Asks ‘Do You Need a Radio’ in ‘Back-to-Basics’ Quest for Entry-Level Cars
“Do you need a radio? Do you just have speakers that you Bluetooth to?” says Dodge’s CEO, copy/pasting an idea Slate brought to the table a year ago. The race to the bottom is full steam ahead.
The Cars
1999 Nissan Silvia
This is a swapped, originally non-turbo S15 Silvia, sitting on “Shogun” wheels wrapped in Nankangs, so you know this is pretty much bottom of the barrel, although the towers do look fine as does the underside. Pretty mid overall, but these don’t come up for auction every day.
1978 Datsun 280Z
Speaking of half measures, here’s an S30 with a look that spans generations. It’s a late 70s car with a late 90s bodykit and a 2000s engine swap.
The half measures: this “ground effects package” is typically used to cover up the ubiquitous body rust first gen Zs are known for. Is that the case here? Hard to say, but people are going to assume as much when you roll up in it. The GM powerplant is great, but they did all that work just to put a 4L60E in. The stereo also appears to be a bluetooth speaker in the center console. Since this is basically a Slate, expect this to go for mid $30s even though it’s currently in the $20s.
1994 Toyota Supra
This Supra’s claim to fame is being a “Fast and the Furious promo car”, which amounts to this car being owned by a British movie theater chain. They parked it out front for several months during the first Fast and the Furious movie’s theatrical run. So basically this means absolutely nothing. European domestic market with a US title, riced to hell, but hey, there’s a US-spec 2JZ-GTE in there, no shit. It’s hard to imagine a MkIV going for less than wherever this one finishes.
2002 Honda Civic Type R
Hachi machi, here’s a hard-to-justify, but cool nonetheless Civic. EP3 generation in a trim we didn’t get, sitting just over the border in Winnipeg. But it’s hard to justify because even though it’s a top of the line, rare trim (for us in the US), it barely puts out more horsepower than the next generation, abundantly available Si. Four days to go.
The End
Gave away three more Scion Sampler CDs to the newsletter subscribers this week. You should have been there. Scroll up, give me your email.
I picked up my junkyard FiST Recaros this past week, deep cleaned them, and installed. They are not messing around: the bolstering is extreme. It might be a little too extreme for a daily driver. I’m kind of on the fence at the moment, but I’m going to give them a month at least before making a decision. Driving in them feels incredible, but ingress/egress is ridiculous when I’m just trying to go to the post office or something. If it was a second car they’d be a no-brainer, though. Anyway,
See you Soon™.
-Feed