Along with the Laser 49er, the Brubaker Box (which debutted in 1972 and was made on an off by various companies until the mid/late seventies, and even briefly re-entered “production” dreams in the late nineties — these days, the molds are sadly decaying and few originals exist) is arguably the true birthplace of the mini-van. Inspired by dune buggies and surf culture, and a car-designer with no interest in joining a big corporation, it had features like the sliding door (to say nothing of the general “mini-van” concept) long before the big players ever considered building them.
Oh, and ironically, it was largely resistance from the car companies (VW in this case) that killed off the original company…. but I’ll tell that story in more detail as I find time to write the Encyclopedia entry on it.
One of my favorite cars at the Carlisle 2006 show was the gorgeous yellow Ferrari P4 kit car made by RCR (Race Car Replicas). I wasn’t sure if I’d fit, but I watch a pretty heavy-set guy get in (admittedly he had trouble figuring out how, but fit once he was there), and one of the people working for them was at least my height… and surprisingly the car was very comfortable and roomy!
It looks to me like RCR is set to take on the market that was once held (although I’m not convinced they ever made many cars) by Marauder. Their other current cars include a series of GT40 replicas, a Lola T-70 replica, and (exciting especially to me), and a Porsche 917 splashed off of an original body. They didn’t have the Porsche 917 at the show, they did have their GTP/Daytona “RCR-P” shell, which they say will be in production (if I remember right) at the end of the summer:
Most of their cars are coming in around $30-$40k depending on options, and are probably about $50,000 cars once finished if I’m guessing correctly (although I think this RCR-P is planned on being their “budget” car).
Edit/Update: You can click through for the commments on this, but I should emphasize that the DDR guys were very clear that this is not a replica of the F1 or any other car, but a car that is simply inspired by supercars of this general theme.
Assuming they don’t get sued into oblivion, this demo-model DDR SP4 (designed and built in the Domincan Republic, although DDR is the name of the designer if I remember right) is built around Toyata MR2, but now that it’s in production in the United States, I believe it’s available with far more powerful driveline options.
(Pictures from Carlisle 2006 — stay tuned over the next while for many, many more photos. I’ll be back home on Tuesday or Wednesday, and will start posting in earnest then.)
Probably the nicest Sterlings I’ve seen in person (Carlisle 2006), with really wonderful owners (Rick Milne of Downington, PA, who also has a Manx SR he’s restoring right now that I can’t wait to see)! We opined for a while about how there are less and less old-style exotics on the road, but fear not — a deal was struck (not by me, don’t get that excited) to put the car back into production and I got to meet the new owner of the company. Anyway, let me first share with you some photos (note the rear-view camera in the middle of the dash), and then the car’s info sign text.
Designed in England, and build in the US by California Component Cars from 1973 to 1983, this is Sterling #114 out of a production run of roughly 700 series I cars - this body style.
Of this style, only a few hundred are believed to be still road worthy. The Sterling was a popular kit in its day, and one of the best built due to its strong unibody shell and few bolt-on pieces. The Sterling has also had minor film roles in B-movies like Cannonball Run II and Deathrace 2000.
Currently our club [nationalsterling.com] boats over 30 members across the US with several models of cars being recognized.
The common questions are how often is it driven and how fast does it go? If you look at the exhaust pipes and motor, you will see it as a driver. I will drive the car when I do not need my everyday work truck. As for how fast? Well, how fast do you need to go?
Chassis: 1966 Volkswagen Beetle
Motor: 1300cc with 1600cc cylinder kit, hi-lift cam, stainless valves, and dual Weber 36 DCNF carburetors.
Transmission: Stock 4-speed
Suspension: Aftermarket dune buggy
Features: Custom retractable spoiler with integrated oil cooler, BMW HID headlights, Ghia front disk brakes, remote electric mirrors, custom paint by Also Corp.
For those wondering, these usually show up on eBay and elsewhere for as low as $1,500 and are generally relatively easy cars for the average “non-mechanic” person to work on.
One of the kookier vehicles driving around Carlilse 2006 is what I assume is a one-off DIY replica of an old Audi Auto Union race cars (if I’m recognizing it correctly, this is a Auto Union Type C/D Hillclimb car). While there are many new components in it, as far as I could tell, it was also built using many much older parts as well (including the driveline). I don’t know much more about this car, so if you do, please drop me a line!
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