Yugo for Life
One of the greatest things about cars is that every make and model has a devotee. From the Reliant K to the Ferrari 308 GTB or the Chevrolet Corvette to the humble Yugo someone loves them. Meeting the people that have these passions is always a treat. Even if you’re automotive interests lay elsewhere, if you are a genuine enthusiast you understand and enjoy that people love their cars.
After Import Relics posted that there where three Yugo’s for sale a few months ago I was contacted by the person who ended up buying them. After exchanging a few e-mails he agreed to let me come by and take a look at them. Now up until then, I had never seen a live Yugo in the wild but for fleeting glimpses. I’d come across one in the junkyard once and climbed over it, but to actually see three at once! That was going to be a rare treat.
I have a thing for vehicles like the Yugo. As much as I love the beautiful lines and technological prowess of vehicles like the Alfa Romeo 8C, I am far more intrigued by the Renault 5′s and Suzuki Samurai’s of the world. Simple, unadulterated modes of conveyance offered to the public cheaply. And despite all the stigma that surrounds the Yugo, thats what it was. The cheapest new car you could buy at the time designed to get you from point A to B in relative comfort.
And so I met David, the Yugo devotee. David has owned four other Yugo’s before he found these three and had nothing but positive things to say about them. Forty miles per gallon, easy to work on and fun. What better combination can you ask for? And to top it off, David’s family lineage is 100% from Slovenia, part of the former Yugoslavia. So owning Yugo’s is almost a blood right.
The first thing that I noticed about the Yugo’s was that they looked nothing like the pictures I had seen in the for sale ad.
Ad Photo
Current Photo
In the ad they looked like they had just rolled off the factory floor. And now, well… they looked like hell! David explained that the reason for this was that the cars had been used for props in an upcoming Disney movie. The prop house had taken four Yugo’s and painted them all the same and to look like they were rusting and falling apart. All the rust was simply paint and can be chipped off. According to David, the bodies themselves are in great shape other than a few holes drilled in the floors for smoke machines and other things for movie magic. He plans to strip them down and repaint them the baby blue that you see in the ad. In their current state though its probably kinda fun to drive around in just for the looks. Also made for some neat photo opportunities.
There had been four matching Yugo’s. David got three of them. Apparently two of them where in driving condition for the actors to use, and two where used for crash and explosion stunts. One of the stunt cars was so far gone that David couldn’t get it, but the other was in good enough shape to keep for parts. He has managed to get one running well enough to start driving regularly and is diligently working on the other drivable one to put it back on the road.
The one that David has put back on the road is an ’88, 1.1L carbureted version. He claims that he regularly can get nearly 40 MPG out of such a machine! Granted, this is generally just short trips around town and not pushing it, but thats what the Yugo was designed for. I just had to shake my head in astonishment at the number. Even my little Miata, a far more aerodynamic and arguably more efficient vehicle, only gets 30 or so.
The other running Yugo is a ’91 “big motor” 1.3L EFI number. Aside from a new starter and a few other small things, this one is ready to go. David, with his vast Yugo knowledge, is having a blast working on them in his spacious, heated, four car garage. Call me jealous of not just the cars, but also the space!
After looking over the cars, David offered up a ride. How could I say no? So off we went. After reading The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History I anticipated all sorts of things. I figured the thing would rattle and shake horribly, that the seat back would collapse on me and it would be so loud you couldn’t hear yourself think. None of that was true. Aside form having a spartan interior with rather rough cloth seats, it wasn’t any worse than an original Beetle or Samurai.
The ride was pretty smooth and it accelerated as well as one would expect a 1.1L carbureted vehicle to. The heat didn’t work, to which I quipped, “Standard equipment, eh?”. I thought I was funny, but the fact was that the prop house disconnected all sorts of things. From the heater to interior lights. Some was for safety, others David didn’t know why. Either way he was determined to get everything back to the way it should be.
All in all I was very impressed with the little Yugo’s and David’s desire to keep them on the road. He’s having fun, and thats the most important thing about being a car guy. If you’re not having fun with the vehicle you’re driving, whats the point in having it?
I’ll close with my favorite photo from the night. Yugo for Life!
Probably Better than New: 3 Yugo’s
I have a thing for odd ball cars. I guess that should be obvious if you’ve scrolled through this site at all. One of the most odd ball vehicle I would love to own is a Yugo. Why? Because of the stigma as the worlds worst car. Who wouldn’t want to roll up to a company function in a nice, clean Yugo and have people ask, “What the… is that really a Yugo?”
Well if you have the same dreams and aspirations that I do, your day may have arrived. Over in the KSL Non-Running Cars section are three Yugos for only $1,200! Apparently, only one is non-running and the other two work fine and one even has only 38,000 original miles. The kicker is that they are all painted blue with a nice white racing strip situated to the right of center. Hell’s yeah! I would be all over these if I didn’t already have a driveway full of running and partially running vehicles.
1983 Citroen/NAMCO Pony [French/Greek]
These basic vehicles were designed to fit into a very specific category, small lightweight people movers. Originally designed as 4×2 city cars, they evolved to include a 4×4 version as well. This particular example appears to be in excellent condition, and though the add doesn’t specify, because it’s list as a “Pony Jeep” we suspect its a 4×4 version.
The seller claims it only has 55,748 miles on it and has new tires, brakes and exhaust. If this truly is the 4×4 version, it would be a great weekend getaway vehicle for the mountain trails. If it is only a 4×2, it would be equally fun for touring around town and enjoying the puzzled looks you would get from people.
Find it on eBay in Templeton, CA.
1976 Datsun B210
At the end of the 1970′s everyone was still reeling from the oil crisis of ’73 and looking for vehicles that were miserly on fuel. Having long been the imports of small, efficient vehicles Datsun cashed in with the B210. At the time the EPA rated these little people movers at a optimistic 50mpg and with their unique styling they still felt a little sporty, particularly with the coupes. But as with all these cheap rides, they haven’t held together over the years. Even the popular B210 are now completely unseen on the roads today. And since they have nowhere near the cult following of the iconic 510, they are even harder to find.
This particular example appears to be complete and runs with a cornucopia of spare parts to get it back up to snuff. The current owner started to prep the body for paint, but it looks that it has sat long enough to get a fair amount of surface rust. The pictures also seem to suggest that the rocker panels might need a bit of TLC. For some reason this B210 has had a spring over axle lift applied to the rear. Why? We don’t know.
As a 1976 model this sports a 1.4L inline four pushing an anemic 65hp, but it appears to have a Weber carb fitted to it, so who knows, maybe its a little peppier. But if you want to go big, these cars were fitted with L16 and L20 four bangers over seas, so you should be able to drop one in without much hassle.
At $1000 this would be a fun project to dive into, and with all those spare, you are ahead of the game already. Find it on KSL.com in Orem, UT.
Bavarian Sechs: 1979 BMW 633 CSI [German]
Along with the 3 series from 1984-1991(E30), the E24 six series is the iconic ‘Beemer’ of the 1980′s. Lost are the facts that a ‘Beemer’ should indicate a BMW motorcycle and the E24 actually started production as a 1976 model. Though more of a grand tourer than a proper sports car the E24 was the spiritual successor to the CS ‘Big Coupes.’ This is an early E24 or ‘shark’ as they are sometimes known. First generation sharks draw their running gear engine, transmission, suspension et al, from the E12.
This shark is a useful mix of components. It sports the free revving 3.2 liter straight six that also saw use in the 733i. It also sports an upgraded manual transmission. While a 4 speed was the norm this car has 5 cogs. This vintage of BMW’s had 2 very different 5 speeds available. The far more common and nearly bullet proof Getrag 265 5 speed manual transmission offered an overdrive fifth gear that greatly improves its freeway character. The far more exotic choice is fairly rare and like many exotics a bit higher strung. This 5 speed is a close ratio gearbox which won’t help much on the freeway but definitely make it more fun from stoplight to stoplight. Nomenclature for this variant differs, some call it the 262CR, some call it the 265/6 and other call it a ‘dog-leg’ after the a typical shift pattern.
Whether this car has the overdrive or the close ratio gearbox it is a bargain. This car has been up for sale for several months by the same dealer. The current listed price is almost the value for parting it out. It is far from perfect but it runs and drives and appears to be without major rust or body damage. The interior isn’t great but not terrible. Parting this 6 series would be unfortunate, so if you can save it we encourage it! It is currently for sale in Bountiful, UT posted on Craigslist.
Micro Luxury: 1956 MG Magnette [British]
This is probably one of the most beautiful MG designs. Most people, even fans of British cars would not be able to identify what exactly they are. They may be mistaken for the Mk I or Mk II Jaguar Saloons but the ZA/ZB Magnettes are a different animal. Though more pedestrian than their Jaguar stable mates due to a small 4 cylinder pushrod engine compared to exotic dual overhead cam big sixes that the big cats had, the Magnette is every bit the quintessential British Car.
The ZA/ZB’s are steeped in ‘British Car’ DNA. A door to door walnut dash and leather seats are among the creature comforts that the Magnette provides that are expected of British cars. This ad is painfully scarce in details. But it provides an opportunity to have a beautiful, unique piece of history. This specific example could be a ZA or a ZB since 1956 is the bridge year between the two models. The amazingly handsome Varitone model with its two tone paint is the only significant difference between the ZA and the ZB. The drive train for either can be upgraded using parts from the ubiquitous MGB.
La Verkin is probably the last place anyone would think to find an obscure British sedan, but that’s where this one is. The absent details will determine if $3500 is optimistic and overpriced or perhaps a bargain. Included are some stock Magnette photos, not of this specific Magnette. This specific example is for sale on KSL.com in La Verkin, UT.
Dark Age Bimmer: 1986 BMW 325es [German]
This 325es comes from a dark a dark period for BMW but its cheap and in good condition. Though this car shares much with the iconic ‘Ultimate Driving Machine’ of the 80’s came from this same the car of ad campaign was still a few years away. The chassis and suspension would be stellar but the motor is the despised eta motor. The eta motor was a low revving push rod lump designed to maximize fuel economy. The eta motor does provide superior fuel economy but with little passion. There are a multitude of mods that can transform this motor into a ‘real’ BMW. This 325es is cheap and is in very reasonable condition. The Recaro based sport seats are in amazing condition for their age. Unfortunately the interiors do not age well. Most of the money required to bring these great cars back is spent on the interior. The body is straight and the paint isn’t too bad. The ad doesn’t give really any description, but if it’s in running condition make an offer and put some money into upgrading the motor for a fun run about. Or keep the motor stock and laugh as you drive by the gas station…
Find it in Washington, UT here.
1988 Mitsubishi Starion
Mitsubishi has always been great at putting out rally inspired, high strung turbo charged cars. The Eclipse, Lancer Evo, 3000GT. Perhaps the forgotten member of that family was the Starion. A sleek looking two door coupe obviously cribbing the styling of the Porsche 944 with either a 2.0 or 2.6 liter turbo charged inline four pushing between 150-197 horses to the rear wheels. Thats right, these babies were rear wheel drive! Think about how much fun one of these would be to throw around the corners!
The example we have here looks to be in decent shape. The seller claims that it runs great and has low miles, only 107000. The paint looks a bit faded, but nothing that some good honest buffing wouldn’t help. The interior looks dirty, but the dash appears to be crack free though there are some lovely ricer gauges that would need to go ASAP.
The major issue here is that it was in a fender bender that caused some significant damage to the front end. Since these are rare cars, it might take some doing to get replacement bumpers and body panels or a spendy stop over in a body shop. If the radiator or other components were hit, you could be looking at some additional repairs before you could really enjoy the car.
All that said though, for only $1,500, this would certainly be a fun vehicle. Find it on KSL.com in Layton, UT.
Hardened Danish: 1979 Land Rover Series III Lightweight
The original Land Rovers came in so many different types and variations depending on the customer/military/government. But at the heart of them all are still those tried and true Land Rover components that have crossed the globe more times than can be counted.
What we have here is a ex-Danish Army 1979 Series III “Lightweight”. The lightweight means, well, that everything that could be stripped down has been stripped down. To our knowledge there are very few of these in the states which makes this one an interesting find. Apparently it is in very good condition, runs and drives with all relative components and a never installed, new top. It would be perfect for a weekend trail runner and would fit in perfectly with the Relic Run.
Find it in Draper UT on KSL.com for $8,500.
Nordic Poetry: 1972 Saab Sonett III [Swedish]
Sleek, sporting lines matched with a tiny 1.7L V4 Ford motor this little Saab one of the most unique and racy design to come out of Trollhättan. Competing in the same market as Opel GT’s, MGB’s and Datsun 510, the Sonnett was never quite as well recognized or loved, but 40 years on some might venture to say that its lines look much less dated than the others.
This particular one is a 1972 Sonnett III that appears to have had much of the hard work of a restoration already done. The seller claims that the engine, drivetrain, suspension and body are completely new or refurbished to better than new standards. All that is left is electrical, carpet, door panels and cargo area; which depending on who you are is either a blessing or a curse. Hey, at least its not Lucas electrics, right?
The seller has posted a video of the car on a dyno, and it does sound great. He also has a number of pictures on his Photobucket page showing that this car looks to be about as clean as you could hope.
Find it on KSL.com in Kearns, UT for a fantastic $3,000 obo!
