Well Built Kit Car: 1929 Gazelle
Once we were a nation of builders. Long before the internet was around, and when cable TV consisted of twelve channels, people actually went out to their garages and built things. One of the more popular pastimes for such folks was building kit cars. Take a look at this Gazelle kit car for sale on craigslist in Agency, Iowa. While the seller does not state the year the vehicle was built, it is amazingly titled as a 1929 Street Rod Gazelle. Would you like to take over as caretaker for this loose replica of a Mercedes SSK roadster with a retro flair? Is $8,995 a fair price? Thanks again to Gunter K for this fiberglass find!
Fiberglass “kit” cars got their start after World War II. The postwar economy was booming as America’s factories profited from rebuilding a world destroyed by war. These economic good times helped to provide two things to Americans: disposable income and homes with garages. Spurred on by magazines such as Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, and Mechanix Illustrated, those with a knack for building were reading about fiberglass bodies that could be shipped to them and placed on used car chassis. Kits for cars like the Woodill Wildfire, Glasspar G2, and others were soon in the hands of home-based builders.
This trend went on until the early eighties when it peaked. By then, a lot of cars were based on the Volkswagen Beetle engine and chassis. There were plenty of used Beetles around to serve as donor cars. However, the automotive world was changing. Body-on-frame cars were now the exception rather than the norm and the world had moved on from the air-cooled Beetle and all of the sounds and lack of major horsepower that went with it. Americans were also called away to other pastimes and building such vehicles fell out of favor. Lucky for us, there are a number of groups and websites around that promote the purchase, restoration, and use of these vehicles. They are often fun to drive; most can be had for a relative pittance.
The Gazelle you see here was made by either Fiberfab (pre-1983) or Classic Motor Carriages (1983-1994). Most likely the Gazelle was inspired by Brooks Stephen’s Excalibur, which was also patterned after the late 1920s Mercedes SSK. While the Excalibur went into production and was a fast, upscale vehicle that could hardly be called a kit, but the Gazelle brought that concept to the masses. You could order a complete car or various skill levels as a kit. These were a step above the Volkswagen-based kit cars in that they were powered by either GM or Ford four-cylinder engines, and their transmissions and rear ends were also from domestic automobiles. Garish to some eyes, you could not deny the fun of building your own car and Gazelles are said to move along and handle quite well for what they are.
According to the ad, this Gazelle is powered by a Ford Pinto four-cylinder and power is transmitted through a four-speed manual transmission. A new carburetor is now metering the fuel for that engine as well. The steering is handled by a rack and pinion unit from a Pinto as well and has been replaced recently. The heat works and the tires are good. Another point made by the seller is that the interior upholstery is very nice. It does make you wonder how many yards of doeskin vinyl were sacrificed for the project. The top and tonneau cover are also ready to be put into service again. The owner states that this Gazelle runs and drives. It will even start in nine-degree weather. While I don’t think I would press this Gazelle into service as a daily driver, it could be a fun car to cruise the backroads with. It is definitely a car that is an acquired taste. The seller’s price of $8,995 may seem a bit high, but recent sales of good examples have brought even more money. It is an interesting car from an interesting period in American history. Hopefully, someone who loves cars like this will give it a good home.
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Comments
The first time I saw one of these up close I was amazed at how close the main body was to our MGTD. At least they didn’t cut up perfectly good TDs to make them. The design not withstanding, the quality of the fiberglass and the assembly was very good. Living in Florida I can say that it starting up in 9 degree weather does not excite me. Price is good and it should be fun.
I agree. If postwar British sports cars are your thing, and you can’t afford one or the headaches this car is for you. It’s interesting to know it starts at nine degrees, but I don’t think that would be a deal clincher. It would be a great fun car up here in the Driftless region, but I would ditch the phony side pipes and try to make it a more size appropriate English type sports car.
I know I may have ruffled some feathers on the Clenet post, but I always liked the Gazelle, merely because it never tried to be an Excalibur. I think it was more like the MG T series, only modern. As mentioned, my old man rebuilt Pintos, and his body man once suggested a Gazelle. I thought it was a cool idea. I read, they had 3 models, all starting at $3995, and you supplied the Pinto or Mustang ll drivetrain. AlI ever saw were Pintos. Since those cars were a dime a dozen, for under $5grand, you could have a really nice roadster, with none of the British or Italian fuss. I think it’s a great find for summer coming up,,somewhere, can’t go wrong here.
If you think of it as a replica, it’s a travesty. But if you think of it as a cheap, lightweight roadster that’s fun and simple, it’s a great choice.
4 grand for the kit? What year was this? In the 70s, that bought you a brand new car from Detroit.
Hi Grant, well, not really, it was the late 70s, and a new Corvette was over $12 grand. This was from a time when Americans were fed up with Detroits offerings, and a slew of aftermarket kit cars came on the market. VWs, Cobras, you could really have it your way. Today, it doesn’t have a chance.
I’m not sure quite why this is listed in Barn Finds as “1929” as clearly there is noting 1929 about it.
Kit cars are a niche market….and one that I can appreciate – the do-it-yourself, budget, “be different” ethos, but the styling of kit cars to look specifically like “real” models, is in my mind pretty lame…
There’s a reason why MGTF’s are still worth thousands of dollars and plastic fakes form the 1980s are worth next to nothing.. .
“Well before 2014?” Can’t be too much before, as I first heard of Barn Finds in 2012 advertised on Hemmings. I agree, and most replicas look pretty hoaky, but they aren’t intended to be a duplicate, just a cheap(er) knockoff, and for many on a limited budget, unlike today, where everybody is a millionaire,,or so it seems,, that was good enough. I’m not sure what year they were registered as. They did come fully assembled, at a greater cost, so must have had their own number system.
Ha-ha…
Interesting car. Looks like it would be a blast to drive.
I have a Chocolate and tan one for sale. Sharp. $7995.
Looks like it would be a fun toy to have, not a lot of space in the engine bay to upgrade to the more powerful 4cyl engines available today. If I recall the Shay model T also used the pinto drive train
i like it, and I think it would be fun to drive this around the Village since a lot of us “geezers” enjoyed cars for what they were intended to be…. something to enjoy and appreciate.
Sir
I have a tan and chocolate gazale for sale. Vw engine really sharp. Been garaged
So put it on here , I have a MG /TD kit car and would love a Gazelle for the right price ….I paid $3,900.00 for my kit car and I think ($ 9,000.00 for this one is pretty steep !!
@Jim Smith – Send it into the site and we will help you sell it!
I’ve had the pleasure of owning one of these, and a MGTD replica and Bugatti replica..Liked all of them..The gazelle was the most difficult to get in and out of….The Gazelle has always been the “stepchild” from a value standpoing..They generally are in the 4-7k price.but, heck, they are all going up in value, it seems..
I built one of these used a 1973 Pinto with 2000cc engine jigged frame and associated parts came out of Hollywood Florida, Installed engine. 3 speed trans, had to modify drive shaft, installed rear end, prior to installing body, open garage door, put a large milk grate, sat down ,started it, drove out into the snow and had a ball doing donuts and just having a ball, The following year it was used at a high school Homecoming with the Queen sitting on the upper back side. ( they chose mine for her over the corvette convertibles, this was in 1987