With the wrong colours, though, the determined grin veers into Hannibal Lecter territory 😬

Pfff. Pas de problème.

This works best for me

Though for a similar price, a Panda without the cladding, but with actual 4 wheel drive might be more tempting.

Reminds me of the whole genre of 2CV based ‘sports’ kitcars such as the Lomax and Burton.

I’m just not sure who has that right combination of madness, determination, and talent to fill that role.

Very amusing.

Go look for one in Southern Europe.

Funny you should say that

The steel hubcaps on W123 and earlier Mercedes are very nice indeed, but I do have a thing for the minimalist plastic ones on W201 and W124:

Heh. Good point.

Ultimately, you need a company that’s willing to lose a lot of money to create a viable network of fueling stations.

To me, the point of the Landrover Defender is the fact that it is a toolbox. A paradigm of bits that let you construct anything you like. A Mecano set for adults, except that various professions used it to make their tools.

Conversely, it also explains why I like driving my 32 year old jalopy so much: I’m in full control* 

That looks like it’s straight up against VW’s much lauded Up GTI.

I’m no expert on ABS, but I think the original Mehari bodies will become brittle and tear when exposed to southern European climes. Hence the fact that there has been a market for new bodywork parts for a long time.

It’s actually 11 plastic bits bolted to a simple tubular frame, and the result is something that’s rugged and weatherproof and you can wash it

They don’t. The ABS will weather in artful fashion when left outside

Yep- taxes are one compounding factor, then there’s import duties, spec differences, regulatory adaptations and, of course, exchange rate fluctuations. The end result is that a direct € to $ conversion is worse than useless.

Directly converting car prices is extremely misleading, and Jalopnik should stop it immediately.