Started in 2017, Radwood is a car show that focuses specifically on vehicles from 1980 through 1999. These two decades produced some incredible and special cars, and Radwood aims to celebrate this era with its niche car shows.
We recently attended the first ever Radwood Las Vegas event in April 2019. Here is a quick video highlighting the event.
The 1970s were truly a decade of excess. I have chronicled this in previous posts such as the Custom Cloud and the 1970’s revival of the Stutz Blackhawk. This decade was also a popular time for neo-classic automobiles, which I have also written about extensively for this site. Today we feature another artifact of this decade that I recently came across at a car show: the Cadillac El Clasico.
It’s hard not to use terms like “pimp mobile” or “pimp car” when admiring this vehicle, as it certainly looks like the product of one person with too much money and questionable taste. However, these cars were actually converted in small numbers by Wisco Corp., a coachbuilder formerly located in Roseville, Michigan. One source I read said that approximately 100 vehicles were given the “El Clasico” treatment, though I was unable to verify this.
Wisco took a car that was already a standard of luxury and prestige and just added MORE to it. More chrome, more trim, more everything. The car’s exterior is extremely busy. Most notable are the completely unnecessary exhaust header extensions that exit through the front fenders and pass through the running boards to the rear of the vehicle. The hood was not open on this car, so I could not verify if they were functional or simply a decoration.
Up at the front, an oversize waterfall grille and hood ornament are all done in chrome. The standard headlights are shrouded by oversize covers that resemble a 1920s car. A pair of fog lights were also added. Again, “more is more” was the mantra here.
With so much chrome, the fixed exterior windshield visor was probably a necessity to prevent the driver being blinded by the glare of his own vehicle.
From the rear, the car has a vinyl roof with a Landau bar, and miles of chrome trim adorning the body lines, window trim, and just generally stuck on all over the place – such as behind the rear wheel arches. It has running boards, similar to those found on full size vans. It has decorative trunk straps similar to the Excalibur, though these are not functional. The car sports dual exhaust with horizontal tips. The wheels are quite unusual and I don’t know how to describe them other than white wire wheels.
Interestingly, this car does not have a Continental Kit at the rear, which would have involved relocating the license plate. It also does not have spare wheels mounted on the fenders, another common feature on neoclassic cars.
The interior is actually the most tasteful part of this car. It seems to have been updated with a leather trimmed center console integrating an iPad. The dark red and black leather upholstery looks right at home with the 1970s era wood. I would have expected this car to have swivel seats and an all white leather interior!
A brand-new 1972 Cadillac ElDorado 2-door hardtop coupe would have cost about $7,360 when new. The Wisco conversion added about $3,630 to the price, for a total of $10,990 in 1972 dollars. Adjusted for inflation, this car would cost the equivalent of $66,705 in 2018.
There’s not a ton of information about Wisco or these El Clasico Cadillac conversions online, so if you have any information, please do share it with us!
There is no question that the Chevrolet Corvette is an American legend. It is steeped in tradition, history, and has a true racing provenance. The Corvette is one of the great American sports cars of all time. Dollar for dollar, it’s hard to imagine a car that offers a better value and is both docile enough for everyday use, but performs outstandingly well on a track.
But there is one drawback – Corvettes are everywhere. Every car show in every city has dozens of Vette owners and if you go to a lot of car shows like I do, Corvettes are quite commonplace. They don’t draw crowds of admirers with camera phones the way a flashy new European exotic car does.
Now I am not hating on Corvettes, I like them a lot. But there are a lot of people in the world who aren’t content to blend in – they need to stand out. They need a car that makes a statement about them as an individual – a reflection of their personality. A car like the Grullon GT8 will definitely stand out in a crowd, as this one did at my local Cars and Coffee show in Scottsdale.
The Grullon GT8 is a kit car manufactured by DDR Motorsport in Miami, Florida. While the Grullon looks as exotic as anything from Italy, it is based on the 1997-2002 Chevrolet Corvette C5. It has vertical doors, sharp angles, a roof scoop, and a massive fixed wing in the rear. It will draw as much attention as a Ferrari or Lamborghini for a fraction of the price.
But wait, isn’t there already a C5-based kit car? You are correct – the GTM Supercar from Factory Five Racing has been out for years and comes from a highly reputable and established company. As far as I can tell, the Grullon is a direct competitor to the GTM that appears to be trying to undercut them on price.
Let’s take a look at some figures and do a comparison of the Factory Five GTM vs the Grullon GT8:
| Factory Five GTM | Grullon GT8 | |
| Parent Company | Factory Five Racing | DDR Motorsport |
| Based In | Wareham, MA (USA) | Miami, FL (USA) |
| Year Established | 1995 | 2001 |
| Base Price | $24,990 | $17,995 |
| Kit Includes | Tubular spaceframe chassis All body panels All DOT glass Steering system Fuel, Brake, Pedal system Cooling system Complete interior kit Complete electrical kit Full exhaust system Full wiring harness Relocation brackets, mounting hardware |
Tubular spaceframe chassis Fiberglass body panels Custom Fuel Tank Front and side glass Front and rear lights Cooling System Dashboard Center Console Hardware |
| Does Not Include | Engine Transaxle Fuel Tank Front & Rear Suspension Wheels and Tires |
Engine Transaxle Front & Rear Suspension Steering System Seats Gauges Side View Mirrors Wiring Harness Wheels and Tires |
| Assembly Time | Approx. 600 hours | ?? |
| Curb Weight | 2,400 lbs (1089 kg) | 2,700 lbs (1225 kg) |
| Road Legal In: | USA, Canada, International | USA, Canada, International |
The Grullon sounds enticing, coming in at $6,995 below the price of the Factory Five kit. However, it does not include a number of components such as an exhaust system, seats, gauges, rack and pinion steering, engine wiring harness, and some other items. With the Factory Five kit, some of these are included and some of them come from the donor car. The Grullon does come with its own custom fuel tank, while the GTM adapts the OEM fuel tank from the donor car.
Both cars would be a significant project for someone who is handy with tools and willing to do most of the work themselves. With both kits, the purchaser needs to find their own engine and transaxle as well as a lot of parts from a donor C5 Corvette. Then factoring in things like paint, vehicle inspection and registration, and other costs for hardware, etc. it can really add up. Factory Five estimates that most of their customers spend $35,000 to $50,000 for a completed vehicle – but of course that could go up depending on your specific wants or needs. I could not find a total cost to build estimate on DDR’s website.
The Grullon that I saw at my local car show is actually the upgraded GT8 Grand Prix model, which features numerous carbon fiber body panels in addition to fiberglass. The GT8 GP kit starts at $26,405 as of 2019.
If you want a head-turning car that won’t break the bank, a Corvette-based kit car may be what you’re looking for. With two different kits available, I would encourage potential buyers to do their research before picking one. While I cannot personally vouch for either one, it is interesting to see another option enter the market.
The purpose of concept cars is to show what technologies, designs, and ideas might be incorporated into production cars in the not-too-distant future. While many of these vehicles rarely make it past the design process, they do occasionally contain elements that trickle down to mass-produced cars.
I was fortunate to attend the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. While it mostly focuses on smartphones and wearable tech, there is a significant portion of the show dedicated to cars. Here are some notable concept cars that I spotted at #CES2019.
The Audi AICON is a 2+2 autonomous luxury sedan. Powered by four electric motors, the vehicle is projected to have a range of 450 miles between charges, with an 80% charge taking just 30 minutes.
Byton is a Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer based in Nanjing. Founded by former BMW and Nissan executives, the company hopes to begin selling its first models in China later this year. The Byton K-Byte is a luxury sedan with Level 4 autonomous driving and a 325 mile range. It has LiDAR modules mounted on both the left and right front fenders.
While collector car auctions like Barrett-Jackson and Russo and Steele capture much of the media spotlight during Arizona Car Week, there are other auctions like RM Sotheby’s that cater to the true enthusiast. Though their catalog is much smaller at around 200 vehicles, I find that RM Sotheby’s offers a wide variety of classic and contemporary cars, each one of which is truly outstanding.
The following are some personal highlights of cars I spotted at their 2019 Scottsdale Auction, held at the prestigious Arizona Biltmore Resort. While I would love to do a feature on every car in their catalog, time simply does not allow such a luxury. I have chosen some of the cars that I feel represent the quality and selection one would find at an RM Sotheby’s event.
Lot #273 – 1957 Ferrari 250 GT Coupe Speciale by Pininfarina
Every Ferrari is special, but this one is really something to write home about! This 1957 250 GT Speciale is a one-off custom bodied car by Pininfarina that was built for Lilian, Princess of Réthy, the royal lady of Belgium. The car was appraised at $11 to $13,000,000 by experts, but it did not meet the reserve price, with the highest bid received of $7,500,000 according to Hagerty.
Lot #243 – 1948 Tucker 48
The Tucker 48 is today appreciated as an automobile that was far ahead of its time. Just 51 cars were ever built before production ended. RM Sotheby’s is no stranger to Tuckers. They sold chassis no. 44, the legendary Ohio barn find car, at the Scottsdale 2017 auction for $1,347,500. Chassis no. 29, Preston Tucker’s personal car, crossed RM’s auction block in 2018 for a handsome $1,792,500. Now in 2019, chassis no. 40, a beautifully restored blue car (shown above) sold for $1,600,000 (including buyer’s premium).
Welcome to Not Sold Here, the series where we look at interesting cars which were never sold in the United States market, but have made their way to American soil. Today’s feature car is a 1990 Toyota Sera, a sporty, compact car from Japan. About 15,941 vehicles were produced during the five year production run from 1990 through 1995. All models were equipped with a 1.5L engine producing 110 horsepower and 98 ft-lbs of torque, with either a 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual available. The Sera is noted for its numerous unusual features and options.
The most prominent feature of the Sera is its butterfly hinge doors, which open outward and upward instead of in the conventional fashion. Gordon Murray, designer of the legendary McLaren F1, credited the Sera as his inspiration for the F1’s similar styled butterfly doors. The three-door hatchback has seating for four, though the backseat is quite small.
Another unusual feature of this particular Sera is its paint color. The car was offered in 11 different colors. There were of course standard colors such as black, gray, red, and blue, but there were also less traditional colors like turquoise blue, burnt orange, and greenish yellow, which is what this car has. I really couldn’t imagine a color like this selling well in the U.S. market.
