As anyone can easily infer from the name, Reddit’s “What is this car” (r/whatisthiscar) subreddit is a place where anyone can post photos of a mystery machine to enlist other Reddit members’ help to figure out what it is.
The crowd that gathers there is so good that even the (seemingly) most obscure vehicles known to man are often identified within minutes. If an unknown automobile manages to stump the r/whatisthiscar gang beyond a day or two, you can be assured it truly is a rare and largely undocumented find – like the one we see here.
Just under a week ago, Reddit member rfadouglas posted the photo below. As of this writing, no one knows what it is. According to the poster, “It’s been sitting since about 2015. That’s the earliest date it was in this lot at least.” The lot he’s referring to is a private storage lot in Vancouver, Canada. So what is this thing? Perhaps you have the answer or can help us get closer to it. Let’s break down everything we can see and follow the clues.
The tarp covering most of the car adds an extra level of difficulty to our sleuthing, but one remaining tail light is visible. Based on a reverse image search, these lights don’t appear to be a commonly used design – though it’s not far off from a Chevrolet Cobalt lens.
Even stranger is the grille situation. If the red-lensed light wasn’t confirmation enough that we’re looking at the rear of the car, the four exhaust tips certainly affirm that the unidentified auto has a very prominent rear grille. This suggests an engine may be lurking back there. Notably, the grille flows into the lower bumper cover and features some very odd-looking cuts around the exhaust tips.
Some sort of a radiator appears to be installed behind the grille’s thin vanes, which throws a major wrench in what many on Reddit believed this to be. The exhausts and potentially rear-engine layout point to a VW Beetle, but Beetles are famously air-cooled, not water-cooled, and thus not equipped with radiators.
The mystery only deepens as we consider the odd shapes ahead of the tarp. First, it appears as though the center side panel of the car is just gone altogether. Was there a door there in the past? Are we looking at two cars pieced together in the middle? Are our eyes tricking us into seeing things that aren’t even there?
The shot above has been Photoshopped to remove the fence but still isn’t giving us any surefire answers. There are theories, however:
Poster rfadouglas notes in a separate comment that there are several boat builders in the area, so it wouldn’t shock him if this car represents someone putting those skills toward a custom car rather than a bespoke boat. Whether at the hands of a boat-builder or not, the theory that the car is an unfinished, handmade one-off seems to be the general consensus at this stage, and that’s what the original poster who saw it in the flesh believes. “If it’s not a movie car, then it must be a homebuilt on a VW platform or something,” says rfadouglas.
And now, we turn the question over to you. What the heck is this car?
Looking at the rear window and the rear quarter glass I feel like someone had a collection of 2- and 4-door Chevrolet Cobalt parts cars and tried to use a 4-door to make a mid-engine monstrosity, and add in the 2-door quarter glass?
Looks like a 1998 Folly Moneypit GT.
Similar models are still being made all over the world in garages and backyards. There are heaps of them around. Beautiful to look at but none of them are runners.
It is not a car, it is a toaster…
At first I thought it might be a Turbo Carrera since it has a grill in the back, but the shape isn’t quite right.
Is this anywhere near the movie/tv lots? Because that would explain a lot.
My boring uninteresting take is that it’s a complete one-off custom build that was never finished and isn’t based on anything real.
Don’t forget that EJ22 swaps into old air-cooled VWs was a common thing in the past: just because there’s a radiator there doesn’t mean it ISN’T based on an (originally) air-cooled chassis
The first, unedited photo actually provides more information, as it shows the inner taillight bracket, and we can see radiator fins through the broken grille slats. I don’t know if there’s really anything to glean from the bracket, but the radiator might help.
I also think that the sunroof debate is a red herring, upon closer inspection, the dark rectangle is splotchy, leading me to believe it’s a fiberglass patch, which may be covering where a sunroof used to be.
I think the roofline is the way to go. The front half won’t give us much, it looks heavily modified. What I can tell right away is that it has framed doors with a noticeable amount of panel above the window. Look at the quarter window line and how it doesn’t line up with the door hole.
As others have pointed out, the front half of the roofline (at least) has been modified with what looks like another B-pillar, making a sort of weird rectangular door.
That’s all I can glean, hopefully others have something to add. Those exhaust tips may be some off-the-shelf part that someone recognizes, if anywhere in the world will have that someone, it’s here.
I think it is a mid-engine Chevy Cobalt project, I have seen references to a couple of those on the internets. Probably needs more Googling time than I have available.
The tail lights and rear quarter windows sure support this idea.
What’s that next to it?
Looks like a camper on the left and a panel van on the right. For the van I want to say a Dodge, but I am not an expert on vans.
Zooming in, it looks like a clamshell that’s been draped over a stripped-down bodyshell. The “front” looks like a mirror image, probably a second rear clamshell. Otherwise it doesn’t make sense; it looks like it has identical front and rear quarter windows, and it would have a perfectly rectangular door (that’s missing) right in the centre of the car. So either this is an attempt at some kind of perfectly symmetrical car, or someone’s failed attempt at producing a kit car, and they’re storing two rear clamshells on top of a donor.
I think that the “identical front” window is actually the door. The door is just either off its hinges and sitting forward of (and slightly above) where it should sit, or the door is on hinges that open outward and upward (common modification). Either way, the door is there.
You know, I think you’re right. The door definitely seems to be sitting out and forward by the front fender. That would explain a LOT about this thing.
That is a Brother Eww.
Piece of shit car. -Adam Sandler
In Vancouver, my gut instinct says leftover film prop from a low- to mid-budget sci fi production.
I think that’s a Mr. Fusion peeking out from under the tarp.
looks like a custom Ferrari 612 build from this angle
This is an espresso machine.
Say you can’t sleep, baby I know, it’s mystery car espresso
It’s a Field Support Robot from the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
What it is, is a failure.
Yeah, the taillight surrounds sure look like fiberglass which leads to custom work being the answer. Also, the back of the front left fender doesn’t look stamped, it looks fabricated.
It’s an A34 Nissan Maxima with extensive rear end work. The cutline of the door, dual exhaust position, and sunroof shape and position all line up.
It kinds reminds me of the Deora II with the strakes…
Oh I know what that is
https://youtu.be/DU_Gd623HJo
That’s my favorite SNL sketch!
I don’t think it’s a real car. The sunroof looks painted on, and on the left hand side it appears that we can see the back of the front door (suggesting it’s a 4 door) – but there’s no pillar, and the roof edge looks completely unfinished. So my guess (especially since it’s Vancouver) is that this was a prop for a film.
It doesn’t have to be a fake car to have a fake sunroof. If you’re particularly pathetic, you can buy fake sunroofs on Amazon for less than 20 bucks.
https://www.amazon.com/LANZMYAN-Simulation-Protector-Decorative-Decoration/dp/B0CNCWWY7V/ref=sr_1_6
That is truly pathetic.
Particularly the photo of one glued onto a black glass roof.
It’s the 21st century equivalent of those fake car phone and boomerang TV antennas people bought in the ’80s
But they were so convincing on that purple ’71 Electra coupe….
That reminds me of someone I went to HS with. His thing was a “Cellular Phony”:
https://www.reddit.com/r/80s/comments/vmldra/cellular_phoney_a_fake_car_phone_you_could_buy_in/
I swear to Christ he put this thing in his car and would use it to pick up girls. And damn it all if it didn’t work!
My best guess is it’s a highly customized kit car. The styling looks very 90s/00s, and this is the closest I could find, which is NOT it:
https://live.staticflickr.com/3827/9980164063_62d4cbfdbb_c.jpg
Banham kit cars… ?
I’d agree, many used rear engined Beetles which would also explain the radiator…bumper…rumpiater? Could even be some kind of weird body swap. Location may provide more context, Vancouver does a lot of tv/movie work so could even have been a mule for a movie car.
Radiator? What beetle were you thinking?
so grill bumper? Grumper? Briller?