Tag Archives: neoclassic

1980 Clénet Series II Neoclassic Cabriolet

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As I’ve said in previous articles, I never set out to become an expert on Neoclassic automobiles – but I keep finding them at car shows, and people keep reading these posts, so I guess I’ll go with it. Having written about nearly every other Neoclassic car manufacturer, it was only a matter of time until I came across a Clénet. Well, it finally happened in early 2019 at my local Cars and Coffee gathering in Scottsdale, Arizona. I came across this 1980 Clénet Series II cabriolet and quickly found that it was different from other neoclassic cars I had seen in the past.

Clénet Coachworks was established in 1975 in Santa Barbara, California by Alain Clénet. Their first car was a 1930s styled roadster called the Series I. The company built 250 of the Series I cars from 1977-79, before moving on to the Series II. Just 187 of the Series II cars were produced – this one is #98. Continue reading →

1993 Besasie Auto Co. Neoclassic Roadster

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The market for Neoclassic cars has always been a small corner of the automotive market, going back to the industry’s roots in the 1970s. However, that did not deter former employees of Excalibur from starting their own company in the 1990s.

The Besasie Auto Company, Inc. (or BACI) was formed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with the purpose of producing a neoclassic automobile. The company produced a total of 14 vehicles between 1993 and 1996. I believe all of them were based on the Ford Thunderbird platform. Most of them used the 5.0L V8 engine with an automatic transmission, though I did find one listing online which said the car had the 4.6L V8, which debuted in 1994. While I could not find much on the history of the company, I suspect they ran into financial troubles. If you know any details about the Besasie family, please post a comment below!

I saw this particular BACI roadster for sale at a collector car dealership in Arizona. One thing that sets this car apart from other neoclassics is the angle of the front grille. While most neoclassics use a waterfall-style grille that is perpendicular to the ground, the BACI’s grille is sharply angled and sort of resembles a 1934 Ford, though less pointy at the bottom.

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1989 Corsair Roadster Neoclassic Car

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corsair-roadster-profileI am becoming quite the expert on Neoclassic cars, having written about the Spartan II, Archer, Excalibur, Zimmer, Gatsby, and the Classic Tiffany.

Today, I’m going to talk about another Neoclassic auto that I spotted at the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2016 auction. This is a 1989 Corsair Roadster, and like most of these cars, it has a couple of tricks up its sleeve.

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1986 Zimmer Golden Spirit Neoclassic Car

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zimmer-golden-spirit-frontHaving written about nearly every other type of neoclassic car, I was excited to see my first Zimmer at the 2015 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction. Like other neoclassic cars, the Zimmer combines the reliability of a modern, fuel-injected powertrain with classic styling. The prominent waterfall grille, exposed headlamps, full-length running boards, and bustleback style rear end are all design characteristics of pre-war American cars.

While there have been many companies that produced cars in this style, Zimmer was one of the most successful. Founded in Florida, the company built over 1,500 cars during their peak years of 1978-1988.

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1980 Excalibur Phaeton Neoclassic Car

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From about 1960 through 1990, there was a golden age of startup companies building “neoclassic” styled kit cars in America. These “contemporary classics” offered vintage styling with modern power and handling. The first and most famous of these companies was Excalibur, which was started in 1964 by a former Studebaker designer and his two sons.

Brooks Stevens of Milwaukee, Wisconsin was asked by his boss at Studebaker to build a vehicle for the New York Auto Show that would turn heads. Stevens took a supercharged Avanti and reworked it to look like a 1920s Mercedes SSK. The top brass at Studebaker made a last-minute decision not to show the car, but Brooks Stevens contacted Jerry Allen, the organizer of the auto show who “found a corner” for Stevens to display the car.

As it turns out, the Excalibur was a huge hit with Stevens turning down cash offers on the spot for the car and coming home with a dozen pre-orders. With that, he set up shop with his sons David and William and Excalibur was born.

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Archer Neoclassic Car

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The 1970s through 1990s were a heydey of kit car manufacturing in the United States. It seemed like everybody and their brother was offering turn-key vehicles based on Chevrolet platforms. Looking back, I have to wonder if there was really enough demand in the market to support all of these companies?

The answer of course, is no. Save for a few, nearly all of the kit car manufacturers have  gone out of business. Some companies such as Zimmer have survived (in one form or another) for decades, while others were just a blip on the radar. Such was the case with Archer Coachworks out of Valparaiso, Indiana.

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