Automotive creativity has no limits at the Concours d’Lemons, and it’s that spirit as well as a complete disregard for practicality that makes it such a wonderful Pebble Beach Car week event. Unlike most other car shows or concours, however, there’s no stuffiness at Lemons. At this year’s event, despite a few entries that seemed far too nice to be displayed at Lemons, the show remained a refreshing break from the many fancy car shows also occurring. This year’s still-free show took place at the Seaside City Hall, and its ultra-packed lawn suggest show organizers might need to consider a bigger venue in the next year or two.
Keep reading to see some highlights from a first-time Lemons showgoer.
Mazda Miata with Googly Eyes
Maybe you’ve seen cars with aftermarket eyelashes, but how cute is his first-gen Mazda Miata with googly eyes? Around back, above the rip in the Miata’s aged rear-window panel was a bumper sticker seen on a couple cars that reads: “I think we have the opportunity here to make some extremely poor decisions.”
1989 Mercury Grand Marquis Colony Park LS wagon
Part of the Concours d’Lemons’ appeal to me is the way it reminds us of cars that could otherwise fall into obscurity. Younger automotive enthusiasts might not know that not too long ago, the Detroit Three offered enormous eight-passenger wagons, with two sideways-facing seats in the back. This one wore eye-catching 20-inch wheels that matched the woodlike details covering its immense side panels and the edges of the roof rails. The wagon, claimed to be around 6,000 pounds with modifications, honors a friend of theirs who recently died. His name is on the edge of the car’s roof, as is a decal that gives a middle finger to cancer.
1972 Citroën DS D Special
Even in this condition, nothing looks quite like a Citroën DS. One fun detail you don’t see on cars today: The “Lemon Goddess” features a one-spoke steering wheel. From the team that brought the car to Monterey:
1978 Leyland-Australia Clubman Commercial
It’s hard not to like this right-hand-drive special from Australia, with its colorful critters on the dash, a kangaroo and a koala on the roof, plus a list of things in Australia that are trying to kill you. Number one on the list, of course, is “rallying in an Aussie/British Mini.”
Thanks to this car, I recalled Mini’s recent experiment when it tried selling a commercial-focused version of the modern Clubman called the Clubvan.
Rambler Convertible
This stripped-out Rambler convertible has seen better days, and we can’t imagine what it must have been like on the rally.
1990 Ford Festiva Roadster
We hear that this Ford wasn’t the car in which its team started the rally, but after a Ford Crown Victoria in the rally towed their original car that blew a head gasket, they found this Ford on Craigslist. Check out the cool (but probably not safe) black mesh headlight covers on this Festiva, which has an indicated 267,679 miles on the odometer.
1967 Mercedes-Benz 200D
The Mercedes “accelerates like a glacier,” its driver told me. The finned, diesel-powered Mercedes sedan has a manual transmission and a “silly hats only” policy that even the car follows on its trunk and again just above the front windshield. The Benz (and a few other cars) featured a very Lemons-style parking job, making contact with the hillside behind the grass in front of the city hall.
1991 Ford Moostang LX 2.3L
“They will hear you coming, and they’ll smell you after you leave,” one Moostang driver said in an impromptu auction of the car. This Canada-themed Mustang is worth a place on this list for the moose/mustang graphic on its doors alone.
Pirate-Themed Volkswagen Bus
One driver of the pirate-themed Volkswagen Bus assured me in his best pirate accent that “she was a fine vessel, lad,” despite some mechanical difficulties on the rally. The guys will be fixing up the “four-speed rudder” before its next event so they won’t again have to spend most of their time on the highway stuck in fourth gear.
1979 Honda Civic
As an automotive palindrome brought to life, this two-headed 1979 Honda Civic was a real crowd-pleaser and a deserving Worst of Show winner. Requiring two drivers and featuring four-wheel steering, we don’t want to know how much time this charming car originally required to look as good as it did.
1995 Nissan-ish Altimatum
Take in the details of this zombie-apocalypse-ready Altima, with its chain-link fence on the hood and … pink zebra skin carpets.
1986 Renault Alliance DL Limited, High Country package
This French convertible rolled past as I was watching that wonderful 1979 Civic park for photos, and I was struck by how ’80s the car looked with its straight-edged styling complemented by a red-on-red-on-red paint job.
Coca-Cola-themed 1965 Ford Mustang wagon
I’m not sure how a car said to be purchased on eBay a few weeks ago for $20,000 qualifies for Lemons, but be sure to get a closer look at this automotive strangeness in our photo gallery.
1983 AMC Eagle Limited AWD wagon
Before the Subaru Outback took off as its own model in the U.S., AMC offered a similar car. This particular example looked to be in good shape visually and had a two-tone paint job.
The post A Two-Headed Honda, a Googly-Eyed Miata, and More: Concours d’Lemons Highlights appeared first on Motor Trend.
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