In the last installment I showed the preparation and theme for our car and this time we will see what others have brought to the challenge. The budget is $700 including vehicle price and repair. As note you can spend more and receive penalty points as some teams choose to do. Most embody the spirit if not the budget strictly. Additionally, safety items are exempt which can include big ticket items like tires. There are a few that obviously spent quite a bit more but it is not a hyper competitive event. But where else would you see an off road specification Chevrolet Caprice limousine with a unicorn pool on the roof?
This Ford Aerostar made a return from the 2021 event but now sports an amazing flame paint job. The wing came off a junior drag car.
This 1977 Mercedes Benz 300D had a team name of “Worst Taxi Ever” and sported the popular for this year paint tray in keeping with the theme.
What a great theme choice with this Cannonball Run inspired 1978 Ford E250 Econoline van as the iconic ambulance.
Team “Green Monster II” entered this 1998 Ford Escort station wagon. They went with a reverse mount on their paint tray.
Also green was this rather nice looking MG B. Note the triple windshield wipers which were required for North American sales after November 1968.
The biggest movie of the summer was Barbie and team “Barbie’s Winter Beater” entered a very pink 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier.
This Chevrolet S10 based 1998 Isuzu Hombre is very rare to see in Canada. It came with a neat topper and aftermarket rims.
Peter, the event founder and organizer, brought this 1994 Ford Aspire which is the actual car used on the Corner Gas TV show as Wanda’s car.
Here are a pair of black Dodges with a 1980s D-series RAM pick up and a 1999 Dodge Ram van.
This very Eighties looking scene features either a Chevrolet Camaro with a roof rack or Pontiac Firebird with a Camaro front end and a roof rack.
The biker got all the attention from the ladies. The Honda CB125 with luggage was a bold choice given the distance and mountain passes ahead.
This ratty looking motor home had a surprise …
… a large and very aftermarket sunroof. This team surely had the worst fuel economy on the weekend.
Team “Identity Confused” brought a Golf themed Volkswagen Golf. The asymmetrical paint tray mounting gives it a turbo rally car vibe.
Seinfeld TV show fans will appreciate team “Del Boca Vista Retirement Community” and their 1995 Cadillac DeVille. There was also bonus points from pool noddles in addition to paint trays.
This 1976 Cadillac Eldorado competed last year and returned for team “Dadilac”.
It had many off color humor stickers.
This Chevrolet Bel Air sported a rather glitzy paint tray.
Great Scott! What are the chances? Another Back to the Future team but with a 1990 Pontiac 6000 LE. Team OuttaDime did nice job with the paint trays and pool noodles.
If one hub cap is good then two must be better right? A saved from the scrapyard Chevrolet was so equipped.
Team “Kelly’s Heroes” brought a rather tasty 1995 Land Rover Defender while embracing a military theme.
Team “Ecna Lubma” had some wonderful details on their 1986 Pontiac Acadian (Canadian variant on the Chevrolet Chevette) including a flying pig hood ornament, magnetic letters, Porsche 924 wheels and a comically oversized tow mirror.
Team “Firefox” had to quickly repair their 1989 Volkswagen Fox after an auto-x mishap the weekend before. Good thing the screaming fox hood graphics were unharmed.
Cousin Eddie might have determined that the shitter is full but under the big hood of this 1976 Chevrolet Malibu certainly was not even with a small block V8.
Team “Thundercougarfalconbirds” brought a very serious and capable looking 2006 Ford Crown Victoria.
I was quite taken with this 1957 Monarch Richelieu which is a Canadian variant. The owner of this one had bought it an auction as his father had owned a very similar car in period. He kept it secret while fixing it up and was able to have his father drive the car before he passed. The white letter tires came with the car when he bought it and give it a bit of a vintage race car look.
Yes, it is an event that brings out the most interesting and friendly people.
Was team “vonderk” showing off the engine or checking the oil on this Honda Civic CX? With the Great Beater Challenge it could be either … or both.
As I recall this amazing 1992 Ford Explorer suffered from transmission issues on the 2017 edition but came back to try their luck again. Edit – this was not a repeat but another team that had the same idea and amazing execution.
This Chevrolet Citation was also a returning car but from 2021.
This 1955 Oldsmobile 88 also competed in 2021 and as I remember it he bought the car back in the early 80s for below the required $700 price point. That is how to play the long game and make inflation work for you.
This Chevrolet Malibu is a genuine “Iraqi Taxi” entered by Team MILF. The specification included a 229 cubic inch V6 paired to a three speed manual which was intended for the Iraq market. Only the half the order was fulfilled before the leftovers were sold at fire sale prices in Canada. I wonder where they found those blue wall tires.
Here is one I would love to have for myself; a Suzuki LJ pickup truck. These were sold in Canada in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Here we have Cruella Deville with another one of the several Cadillacs this year. Ironically we had no Cadillacs when the half way point was Cadillac, Saskatchewan in 2022. That was an overview of most (but not all) of the cars participating this year. In the next installment we will hit the road.
The 2023 Great Beater Challenge Series
Back to the Future (and the Challenge) – Vehicle Prep
My money is on the Team Barbie!!
Ken and friends can push it when it breaks down!!
Wow that 57 Monarch is quite a find! Fantastic car, is the front bumper the same stamping as the rear bumper?
It certainly looks to be. Ford Canada had AMC levels of small budget creativeness to differentiate its models from the mainstream Ford ones.
Here is the rear view.
Quite a collection! I’ve been curious about those Iraqi taxis since I first read about them.
Great coverage of the competition David! I feel sad a bit to see these ‘classics’ altered for the Challenge. Most of these beaters, you simply never see in Ontario. Last time I saw a Citation, had to be at least a decade or more. Same for most of the others.
The ‘Iraqi Taxis’ were a very common sight in Ontario circa 1981 through the mid-80s. Almost prolific. Take any daytrip on a major freeway like the 400, 401, 417, or the Queen Elizabeth Way, and you were guaranteed to spot several. So easily identified, even as a young teen.
Thanks for this!
A lot of people use non-permanent means to modify their car. Even on a beater it is hard to take the resale value down to zero.
Out west we, seemly, did not get near as many ‘Iraqi Taxis’. Survivors seems to be quite rare.
Terrific lineup. One of these years I should drive my ’66 F-100 up there and enter it.
Absolutely. It would be great to have you (and the Ford).
Love the Barbie on the ariel antenna.
All these cars were under $700? I find that hard to believe unless I live on another planet such as that nice MGB.
The story on the MG B that I heard was that it came with a stash of spare parts which they were able to sell to recoup a good portion of the budget.
The other thing to consider is any safety related items are exempt from the budget. That could be tires, brakes, suspension, heater core, etc. Something like new tires can be a costly proportion of the total.
But, yes, a lot of them are not $700 cars. Some will fudge the budget or take the penalty points. It was possible to do so still if one is willing to put in some effort fixing up a car but really tough for an “interesting” or uncommon vehicle.
A couple of years back I had my entry in and was ready to go and then found the cost of fetching the Lada Samara I was negotiating on was more than I felt like spending so I dropped out.
Pretty sure I was talking to you at the Chevron in Cranbrook when you were working on the K-car. Couldn’t figure out what you were doing at the time but I read about it after and made the connection.
Small world if you we meet at the side of the road! It is certainly a thing that retrieving and fixing an interesting or uncommon vehicle is going to cost a bit more. My 1961 Pontiac certainly cost us rather more than some of the others over the years.
I’m glad to see more posts about the Great Beater Challenge – it’s one of my favorite series of CC posts.
I’m pulling for the motor home team – just for the outright bravery of taking that rig on such a long journey. Well, on second thought maybe the Citation drivers are a bit braver, but both are impressive.
Funny about the Back to the Future Pontiac, though with their car, they didn’t need electrical tape to futurize the tail lamps, since Pontiac added that detail at the factory.
Everyone once in a while I think about the Iraqi Taxis and wonder if there’s any left in Canada. I guess this answers my question.
Oh, and the giant tow mirror on that Acadian is probably my favorite random accessory here.
Can’t wait to read about this year’s Challenge!
Team Barbie has a very Cavalier attitude about entering a stripper model into the compeTITion.
David, your team should get extra points for having inspired this year’s paint-tray hood-scoop theme! For you a few years back, it was a necessity with your overheating K-Car… and yours was functional and not a fake hood-scoop like so many cars have.
I must admit I like some of the interpretations of the theme here, like the reverse hood-scoop and the offset rally turbo version.
Did anyone think to do a “Shaker” version? That would’ve been cool, and perhaps even functional! That Heineken can intake on the Eldorado looks like a play on the shaker thing…
Oh, and one more thought. That Unicorn pool toy is not long for this world. My stepson, as a joke, brought the exact toy over to the house the first time he came to swim in our pool. It lasted 5 minutes, being used for its intended purpose. I do not see it lasting very long on top of that Caprice, even though I appreciate the thought. A six-door Caprice sedan? Yeah, that’s gotta be a unicorn!
Looks like it was a fun time with a bunch of lighthearted folks who don’t take themselves too seriously.
That Suzuki LJ pickup might be on the smaller side but looks like it could tackle anything you throw at it.
But of course here in the US we just can’t have any small, efficient, affordable and FUN little 4x4s. 😤
Off to a great start. My (phoney) money is on one of the trucks. Good luck!
While the MGB and Land Rover might not be in keeping with the low budget spirit of the event, they’re also no more likely than a $500 clunker to complete a long-distance rally without requiring mechanical attention. If there is a real overdog in the event that could sell for ten times the price limit, it is probably the lovely Civic CX.
The Isuzu Hombre was not exactly common south of the border either. The team with the motor home is going to have the best stories to tell if rain becomes a thing in this race.
So many cool entries ! .
I can’t choose one for best .
-Nate
The black Firebird is indeed a mashup. 1991 Firebird with a Camaro front end. It cost $600 to buy but cost more to get it running, hence our team name “Already Disqualified”.
The cool thing about an assembled vehicle is : you can mix and match the parts to make it special to your needs .
I’ve been building salvage – reconstruct vehicles for decades and love them .
-Nate