It Came From eBay Hell: The Geo Storm Pickup You Never Knew You Wanted

Few names in automotive history make the average car enthusiast’s skin crawl like, “Geo”. Geo was General Motors response to the growing number of Japanese and South Korean imports that had invaded the U.S. market. Essentially taking the most boring and insipid models from Suzuki, Toyota and Isuzu and building them stateside, Geo embodied the whole, “Who Gives A...” attitude that has made GM so reviled by some.

The Geo Storm was essentially an Isuzu Impulse stripped off all the things that would have made the latter an appealing proposition to the enthusiast: Lotus tuned suspension, turbocharger and AWD. What was left was essentially a four-cylinder sedan with two less doors and a vaguely sporty body. Still, it was a big seller for Geo and GM, no doubt leaving the corpse of Colin Chapman rolling in his grave.

And so it was, from the depths of eBay Hell, a “1 of a kind” Geo Storm pickup truck. Behold the myriad of features such as a sliding rear window with “WWII Bomber Girl mural”, gullwing T-Tops and custom 17-inch rims. A fourth generation Camaro-style front end, red white and blue “Patriotic paint theme”, a Chevy Chevelle SS hood cowling and a shaved tail gate handle complete the exterior package.

The car retrains Isuzu’s 12-valve engine and 5spd manual transmission, the former of which has recently had a comprehensive tune-up. It’s hard to poke too much fun at the seller: a civilian combat veteran hit by some family health problems. All told it’s a good conversion and the price – US$13,000 – could be a lot worse. Check out the pics (and video) and leave your voice your opinion below.

Source: eBay

Is the Cougatti Just the Purtiest 2002 Mercury Cougar you ever did see?

Sure, most people would love to have a Bugatti Veyron; sadly, at over a million bucks a pop we're talking a vehicle that's slightly out of reach for most consumers. Thankfully, one man and eBay have rectified this issue with something we'll call a Cougatti (or Bougar).

Based on a 112,000-mile 2002 Mercury Cougar with a V6 and automatic transmission, this one-of-one Cougatti has a starting bid of $89,000 and no takers as of this writing. Potential buyers get all the body work, 20-inch wheels, angel eye HID headlights, LED tails, two gas caps (one functional), and power windows/mirrors.

No pics of the interior just yet, but the seller says it is "in progress" and "very close to being ready for upholstery".

Is this cross-bred creature a crime against humanity or a bargain basement show car? Leave your comments down below.

Link: eBay

This 1980 Toyota Corolla TE71 Packs a Big-Block 454 / 7.4-liter Chevy V8

Let us introduce you to our find of the day; a 1980 Toyota Corolla TE71 Coupe retrofitted with a big brawny classic American V8 powerplant. This wolf in sheep's clothing was once powered by a small four-cylinder engine but now comes with a 454 cubic inch (equal to 7.4-liters) big block Chevrolet V8 powerhouse that drives the wheels through GM's Turbo-Hydramatic 400 transmission.

According to the eBay seller, "with 13 inch tires it only goes about 65 [we'll assume he's talking about mph here] at 4000 rpms, but it gets there in about 4 seconds" and while driveable, the car needs some TLC to be road-worthy. The current bid on eBay is $3,251 but the reserve has not been met yet.

eBay Huh? Find: Ford Aspire Jet AirCar Prototype

Sometimes, we're absolutely dumbfounded by the type of products that people try to get rid off on eBay. Why would anybody actually want to buy a 1996 Ford Aspire with a pair of custom made wings? Beats us, but the eBay seller says that it retractable wings are street legal in Illinois if they are folded - we'd ask an official if we were 'high' enough to buy such a car and drive around in it. In any case, skip the jump to check out the photo gallery and the seller's amusing description.

Seller's Description:

Jet AirCar Prototype Mock-up was designed and built by Superior Areo Designs as a whimsical tribute to the concept of the flying car, or the roadable airplane. It is built on a 1996 Ford Aspire, but more on the car later. The Jet AirCar is constructed of wood, foam, metal and assorted other materials, some are actually from an experimental aircraft but most are hardware store grade. The Jet AirCar has not and never will fly, but it is an attention getter driving around town and in parades. Maximum taxi speed with the wings up is 35mph and 15mph with them in the down position. It is street legal in Illinois with the wings folded, 10ft high and less than 8 ft wide. Attaching the wing assembly takes about 30 minutes. The "Jet" engine is a nacelle only. It is taking up space in my hangar and I'm getting married in the fall so out it goes.

The car part of the Jet AirCar Prototype Mock-up is a 1996 Ford Aspire 4 door. It has a 5 speed manual trans, AM/FM radio cassette, good heater, nice interior, decent paint with little or no rust, good tires and an easy starting, strong running 4 cylinder engine. I got the car in 2006 from a local dealer friend of mine. They had sold the car in '96 and just taken it in trade from the original owner. It has about 110,000 miles, though the speedometer cable is damaged and I'm not completely sure of the mileage. The speedometer cable fitting is also the filler cap for the trans oil and it spits some oil when it runs. But the engine itself is tight and leak free. The wings can be removed but the wing mounting boards are riveted to the top of the car. The car has been stored in my heated hangar for the last 2 years, taken out only for some parades and car shows in 06 and 07. I have not kept the license or emissions test current and the winning bidder will have to accept that responsibility.

The vehicle can be driven with the wings attached, but at 30mph you will get nowhere fast. Best to put the wings in another vehicle, a small pickup or trailer would be fine. Winning bidder must make a 50% payment within 3 days of the close of the auction and the balance with 7 days of the close of the auction.

Link: eBay - Hat tip to Joe!