With land auctions closed down, our options for buying and selling cars are very limited at the moment.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t strange and interesting discoveries to make. Check out this ’89 Turbo Grand Prix ASC/McLaren that sold on Monday for $15,500.
You can read the auction-site copy for in-depth details on this specific car, but ASC/McLaren, you might remember, was a subcontractor to many of the auto manufacturers around the world for convertible bodies and parts. They’re best known for Ford Mustang and Mercury Capri convertible conversions running from 1984–90. ASC’s contributions to Pontiac’s lineup in ’89 consisted of turbocharging and intercooling the 3.1-L V6 (adding 65 horsepower over the stock assembly) and added body flair.
Now, this price, umm…folks, what are you doing? This can only be cabin fever taking grip of the bidders. The car hits the right notes, sure: 5,500 miles, Arizona address, rebuilt ABS system, one of 750, and it’s likely one of the best ones remaining. But, this is an ’89 Pontiac that isn’t the Turbo Trans Am. The best I can say about it is that it’s a curiosity at five figures — even if that interior looks like a million bucks.
Keep your eyes open for the strange and unusual cars that pop up around the Internet. With the traditional barrier of auction acceptance more or less out of the way, the consignment lists get a lot less (seas of black or silver SL-class Mercedes or 5-series BMWs) and a lot more interesting.